South Carolina star earns unanimous first-round projections in latest CBS Sports NFL Draft mocks
The NFL Draft is about a month and a half away, and the South Carolina football program could be in line for a historic showing in Green Bay. The Gamecocks’ record for players selected in a single draft is seven, reached in both 2009 and 2013. This year, though, USC had 12 total players invited to the NFL Combine, indicating the chance for that record to fall. The biggest performance at the combine came from All-American Nick Emmanwori.
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In their latest NFL Draft mocks, CBS Sports has given Emmanwori unanimous first-round grades. In six mocks from Ryan Wilson, Chris Trapasso, Mike Renner, Josh Edwards, Kyle Stackpole, and Garrett Podell, CBS’ analysts project the former Gamecock to come off the board on day one of the 2025 NFL Draft.
According to Wilson, the Columbia-area native will come off the board with the 11th overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers. That is the highest prediction among the CBS crew.
Next is Edwards. He mocked the South Carolina standout at No. 13 to the Miami Dolphins. That particular draft slot and team are becoming a popular high-end pick for Emmanwori.
Then, Stackpole has Emmanwori listed at No. 18 to the Seattle Seahawks, another popular mock draft destination for him.
Trapasso and Podell project the impressive safety at No. 22 (Los Angeles Chargers) and No. 24 (Minnesota Vikings), respectively.
Renner is lowest on Emmanwori, putting him at No. 30 to the Buffalo Bills. However, Renner hasn’t updated his mock since March 4th.
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If selected in the first 32 picks, Emmanwori will become the first South Carolina safety taken that high since 1979. Fellow All-American Rick Sanford went to the New England Patriots with the 25th overall pick that year.
Emmanwori’s defensive teammates TJ Sanders, Kyle Kennard, and Demetrius Knight have received high NFL Draft grades, as well, even as high as the first round in some instances. However, none appear set to go that high in April’s draft. Sanders previously earned first-round CBS projections, but his stock appears settled into the late second or early third.
Running back Rocket Sanders and cornerback O’Donnell Fortune seem to be locks for selection, as well, and several other players (including defensive linemen Tonka Hemingway and tight end Josh Simon) have more than a slight chance of hearing their names called, as well.
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This year’s NFL Draft will take place from April 24th until April 26th. Round one will be on Thursday the 24th, rounds two and three will be on Friday the 25th, and the rest of the draft will get underway on Saturday the 26th. NFL Network, ABC, and the ESPN family of networks will broadcast the Green Bay, Wisconsin-hosted event. NFL.com and the ESPN app will stream the festivities.
