Chiefs scouting report: South Carolina Gamecocks LB Demetrius Knight Jr.
The Kansas City Chiefs kept their linebacker room together this offseason by re-signing Nick Bolton to a three-year, $45 million deal. The team needs to continue planning for their future at the position, considering Leo Chenal becomes a free agent next spring. Fortunately, a few linebackers in the 2025 NFL draft offer impressive upside.
South Carolina Gamecocks linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. is one of the oldest prospects in the 2025 class. He originally enrolled at Georgia Tech in 2019 to play quarterback before breaking out as a linebacker in 2023. Knight received terrific reviews about his maturity and leadership at South Carolina. He’s a high character prospect with a tremendous work ethic.
Knight is a dense 6’1 5/8’’, 235 lb. linebacker with good arm length. He packs the power to compete with offensive linemen in the box and drop the hammer in the run game. Knight is light on his feet and patiently sits at the second level as his eyes track the ball in the backfield before unleashing his short-area burst as he charges downhill.
Knight’s vision and football IQ prevent him from biting on action in the backfield. He plays his assignment well and rarely makes a crushing mistake. Knight sets up and ducks around blockers in space but also uses his power to stack and shed blockers. His motor runs hot in pursuit, and he wraps up the ball carrier to prevent missed tackles.
Came to check out the South Carolina defensive line, and got distracted watching LB Demetrius Knight II (#17)… former Charlotte transfer. Legit range at 6’1 5/8” and 248 pounds.
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) November 7, 2024
We have a live one, folks. pic.twitter.com/T8PKBVVH5F
Knight lacks true sideline-to-sideline speed and is a short-strider. He doesn’t consistently play at the top speed reflected in his GPS numbers. Hip tightness prevents Knight from beating some blockers or mirroring playmakers in a phone booth. He overruns plays in pursuit and lacks the corrective twitch to recover from this mistake.
Knight reads the quarterback’s eyes in coverage and gains good depth in zone drops up the seam, but he lacks an ideal coverage profile. Knight displays inconsistent awareness when operating at depth, which limits him to mostly shallow zone assignments. He struggles to mirror and carry playmakers downfield in man coverage.
Analysts remain split on Knight. He received grades that place him anywhere from the middle of the second round to the early fourth round. Knight’s inconsistency in coverage suggests he should begin his NFL career in a more limited role before gradually taking over a starting job.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: 2025 NFL draft scouting report: South Carolina LB Demetrius Knight Jr.
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