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Justice Cunningham - TE - Gamecocks

Colts selected South Carolina TE Justice Cunningham with the No. 254 overall pick.

And with that, the 2013 NFL Draft is at a close. Cunningham (6-2, 258) caught just 23 passes for 324 yards (14.1 YPR) as a senior, and scored only one touchdown in his four-year college career. Primarily a blocking tight end under coach Steve Spurrier, Cunningham has lineman-like speed (4.94 forty), and is small for a blocking specialist. "Mr. Irrelevant" picks always make for a nice story, but Cunningham is a practice-squad candidate, at best.
Apr 27 - 7:59 PM
T.J. Johnson - C - Gamecocks

Bengals selected South Carolina C T.J. Johnson with the No. 251 overall pick.

Johnson (6-foot-4 1/4, 310) broke Falcons DE Cliff Matthews' South Carolina school record for starts, earning the first-team nod 53 times in his career, mostly at center. Johnson has 33 1/2-inch arms and ran a 5.33 forty at the Combine before repping 225 pounds 32 times on the bench. He'll look to latch on behing Trevor Robinson and Kyle Cook in Cincinnati
Apr 27 - 7:52 PM
DeVonte Holloman - LB - Gamecocks

Cowboys selected South Carolina LB DeVonte Holloman with the No. 185 overall pick.

Holloman (6-foot-1 3/8, 243) played strong safety before moving to the "Spur" hybrid linebacker position as a senior. He registered seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and three interceptions in 2012, before running a 4.76 forty with a 1.62 ten-yard split in Indianapolis. Holloman's experience in coverage should serve him well as he projects to a reserve outside linebacker spot if he makes the Cowboys.
Apr 27 - 4:40 PM
Devin Taylor - DL - Gamecocks

Lions selected South Carolina DE Devin Taylor with the No. 132 overall pick.

Taylor (6-foot-7, 266) logged 18.5 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles during his four-year Gamecocks career, bookending Jadeveon Clowney in his final two seasons. Taylor showed freakish straight-line athleticism with a 4.72 forty and 1.59 ten-yard split at the Combine, but he is painfully tight in the hips and a better athlete than football player. Taylor may need to adjust his game in the pros, focusing on power rushing. The Gamecock's length and straight-line speed should come in handy in the Lions' wide alignments.
Apr 27 - 1:54 PM
Marcus Lattimore - RB - Gamecocks

49ers selected South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore with the No. 131 overall pick.

Lattimore (5-foot-11 1/4, 221) emerged on the national scene with 2,015 yards and 27 scores on his first 412 college carries (4.89 YPC). He tore his left ACL in October 2011 and returned as a shell of his old self in 2012, only to shred his right ACL, PCL, and LCL last October 27. Lattimore is a candidate to "redshirt" his rookie season, and there is no way to know what player he'll be upon return. With thunderous power and surprising agility, Lattimore looked like a top-10 pick in 2010-11. He ran with stiffness and less burst in 2012, looking more like a third- or fourth-rounder. Lattimore can be brought along slowly in San Francisco behind Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter.
Apr 27 - 1:51 PM
Ace Sanders - WR - Gamecocks

Jaguars selected South Carolina WR Ace Sanders with the No. 101 overall pick.

Sanders (5-foot-7, 173) caught 45 passes for 531 yards (11.8 YPR) and nine touchdowns as a junior before surprisingly entering the draft. He also scored three career punt return TDs. With great hands but pedestrian 4.58 speed, Sanders is another Dexter McCluster type lacking physicality, size, and ideal long speed. His early-career impact figures to come on special teams. In Jacksonville, Sanders could compete for slot duties.
Apr 27 - 12:23 PM
D.J. Swearinger - DB - Gamecocks

Texans selected South Carolina S D.J. Swearinger with the No. 57 overall pick.

Swearinger (5-11, 208) recorded six interceptions as a 33-game starter, seeing extensive time at strong safety, free safety, slot corner, and even outside. He's a "splash" hitter who plays with aggression and a mean streak. Swearinger was available this late only because he ran 4.67 at the Combine, despite excelling in the ten-yard split (1.57), vertical (37"), and broad jump (10-foot-4). Rotoworld's Josh Norris ranked Swearinger as the No. 3 safety in this class, behind only Jonathan Cyprien and Kenny Vaccaro. With the South Carolina product likely playing closer to the line of scrimmage, Ed Reed will roam the deep half. Swearinger can also cover tight ends.
Apr 26 - 8:18 PM
Marcus Lattimore - RB - Gamecocks

According to South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore, the Rams, Patriots, Eagles, and 49ers have shown the most interest in his services.

The 49ers intrigue us the most for two reasons. First, the team has a large amount of picks and could use one on an injury risk like Lattimore. Second, even though a new regime is in place since selecting Frank Gore, the team has a history of converting medical red flags into a productive player.
Source: Charlie Bernstein on Twitter
Apr 23 - 10:44 AM
Ace Sanders - WR - Gamecocks

CBS Sports' Dane Brugler knows one team who has a third-round grade on South Carolina WR Ace Sanders.

Sanders does his best work in space, using short area quickness to evade oncoming tacklers and make people miss. He isn't Tavon Austin, possibly due to the lack of straight-line speed, but a team could target Sanders a few rounds later if they miss out on the shifty slot receiver from West Virginia.
Source: On The Couch Podcast
Apr 18 - 9:09 AM
D.J. Swearinger - DB - Gamecocks

NFL Network's Mike Mayock says South Carolina S D.J. Swearinger won't get out of the second-round.

Mayock said Swearinger is a draft riser, and that he "really likes" his aggressiveness, which is "phenomenal." He added that he likes him at strong safety. Swearinger has been one of our favorites as well because of his versatility.
Source: NFL.com
Apr 17 - 7:18 PM
Marcus Lattimore - RB - Gamecocks

The St. Louis Rams hosted South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore and FSU OT Menelik Watson on April 9.

Lattimore would be an interesting addition for the team considering they just lost Steven Jackson. It's up in the air when he will actually play and what kind of player he will be, though. Watson may be a growing option for the Rams at either of their first round picks if they can't settle down OT Rodger Saffold. Watson is athletic and smart but still very raw.
Source: Jim Thomas on Twitter
Apr 10 - 9:28 AM
D.J. Swearinger - DB - Gamecocks

NFL Films' Greg Cosell writes South Carolina S D.J. Swearinger transitions "very well" to the NFL because of his positional versatility.

"He has significant experience at safety, both deep and in the box, slot corner and outside corner," Cosell writes. "He played man-to-man against Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter both outside and in the slot, and he ran with Hunter. You know what really stood out when he played man, especially over the slot; he understood how to play to his safety help over the top. He undercut routes, taking away the throwing lane for the quarterback. That’s great awareness. I do not often see that with college defensive backs."
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Apr 9 - 12:26 PM
D.J. Swearinger - DB - Gamecocks

Draft insider Tony Pauline calls South Carolina S D.J. Swearinger a "very busy man" during the pre-draft process.

Swearinger has reportedly visited the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars, and will visit the Jets soon. We consider Swearinger a top three safety in this class, but would like to see more consistency play to play rather than the splash big hits he is known for. The South Carolina product did put forth a good showing when lining up and cornerback, too.
Source: Tony Pauline on Twitter
Apr 5 - 4:39 PM
Marcus Lattimore - RB - Gamecocks

South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore has visits with the New England Patriots and St. Louis Rams.

The Patriots seem to love high-character players and running backs, which is why their interest makes sense. As for the Rams, they recently lost longtime running back Steven Jackson to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency and need a powerful, downhill runner. If or when Lattimore is cleared medically to play football, he could be an option for the team. Lattimore recently did a workout for all 32 teams.
Source: USA Today
Mar 28 - 4:56 PM
Marcus Lattimore - RB - Gamecocks

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said RB Marcus Lattimore "may have jumped into the first round" following his private workout.

The comment is certainly hyperbole, though it would make for a great story, and comes following an impressive workout by Lattimore that drew a round of applause from scouts in attendance. The running back did agility drills and caught passes and says he has "no doubt" he'll play in the "first half" of 2013.
Source: NFL.com
Mar 27 - 5:22 PM

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