South Carolina puts two in CBS Sports' latest NFL Draft mock 1st round
South Carolina football juniors Nick Emmanwori and TJ Sanders have decisions to make about their football futures. The Palmetto State natives each have one more year of eligibility remaining to them in college. However, both true junior Emmanwori and redshirt junior Sanders have earned high NFL Draft grades. Because of that, the call from the professional ranks will be very strong.
According to CBS Sports, if the two Gamecocks declare for the draft, they could come off the board early. In separate updated mock 1st rounds from Mike Renner, Chris Trapasso, and Ryan Wilson, the South Carolina standouts are viewed as 1st-round selections.
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Renner is the lone CBS draft analyst who included both Sanders and Emmanwori in his predictive piece. In his 1st round mock, Emmanwori is the first USC star selected. He has projected the All-American safety as the 28th pick to the Minnesota Vikings. Two selections later, though, Sanders is off his board at No. 30 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Vikings soon will need a safety to replace future Hall of Famer Harrison Smith who could retire this offseason. The Eagles have some good defensive tackles on their roster, but Philadelphia likes to stockpile talented players on the defensive front, and Sanders can play either tackle spot or even defensive end in certain situations.
Wilson and Trapasso might have been cheating off of each other’s papers in the CBS offices. Both NFL Draft gurus think the All-SEC defensive tackle Sanders will go 30th overall to the Minnesota Vikings. Neither Wilson nor Trapasso had Emmanwori in their 1st round mocks.
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The Vikings need help at defensive tackle, and Minnesota has been a popular landing spot for Sanders in recent mock drafts. He could deploy in a variety of ways in the Vikings’ system.
All-American EDGE and Bronko Nagursky Trophy winner Kyle Kennard has been in a couple of 1st round mocks but hasn’t cracked any of CBS’ recent projections. He still will be, almost assuredly, a top-100 pick.
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As things stand, Kennard will not play in the Citrus Bowl next week, but Sanders and Emmanwori will. Running back Rocket Sanders has joined Kennard in declaring for the draft and most aren’t expecting him to play in the bowl. South Carolina will meet up with the Illinois Fighting Illini in Orlando on December 31st. Shooting for their 10th win, the Gamecocks are favorites by more than a touchdown. A triumph would bring just the fifth double-digit win total back to Columbia in program history.
The game will kick off at 3:00 p.m. ABC will broadcast the contest, and ESPN+ will make it available for streaming.
