Four former South Carolina players to watch in the 2022 NFL draft
A handful of South Carolina players will learn their professional futures over the next three days.
The 2022 NFL draft begins with Thursday night’s first round, Friday is Rounds 2 and 3 and it will conclude on Saturday with Rounds 4-7.
Although no Gamecocks are expected to be taken on the first day of selections, there are a handful of intriguing prospects coming out of Columbia this year.
Here’s a look at four South Carolina products to watch this week:
DE Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare
Projections: Rd. 3, No. 67 to New York Giants (CBS), Rd. 3, No. 96 overall to Denver Broncos (The Athletic), Rd. 3 No. 98 to New Orleans Saints (ESPN)
Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare’s projections are all over the place. He was thought of as a possible first-round pick heading into the season, but his stock has dropped fairly steadily over the last six-plus months.
Enagbare was disruptive during his final year at South Carolina, but the numbers didn’t quite live up to what was expected out of him by NFL squads. He notched career-highs in tackles (42) and solo tackles (27) this season, but his 2.5 sacks and five tackles for a loss were his lowest outputs since his freshman season.
The former four-star recruit didn’t exactly help his cause through testing season, either, recording below-average numbers in the 40-yard dash and three-cone drill.
Enagbare isn’t going to wow with athleticism, but is still technically sounds. Combine that with a loaded class at defensive end/edge rusher and he’s likely to be a middle of Day 2 pick.
RBs Kevin Harris and ZaQuandre White
Projections: White — Rd. 7, No. 222 to Jacksonville Jaguars (The Athletic), Undrafted (CBS, ESPN); Harris — Rd. 6, No. 220 to San Francisco 49ers (ESPN), Undrafted (CBS, The Athletic)
I’ll lump Kevin Harris and ZaQuandre White together since they’re likely to fall around the same spot should either player be drafted.
White is a bit of a mysterious prospect given his meandering path that wound from four-star recruit to Florida State to Iowa Western Community College and, finally, to South Carolina.
The Florida native was a spark for a largely listless USC offense in 2021 and finished the regular season as the team’s leading rusher. White also only recorded 241 carries over his entire college career between Iowa Western and USC (Harris, by contrast, has 185 touches in 2020 alone).
That low-usage rate coupled with his shiftiness and pass catching ability out of the backfield should make him a player that hears his name on the final day of the draft.
Comparatively, Harris is a harder player to peg given his recent injury history. He led the Southeastern Conference in rushing during the 2020 regular season and looked dominant in spurts in 2021. Offseason back surgery, though, limited his production this fall and could be a concern for teams investing a pick in him.
Harris has said he’s back to full health throughout the draft process and he tested about as well as any running back at the NFL Combine in February. Don’t be surprised if a team takes a late-round flier on him.
TE Nick Muse
Projections: Undrafted (CBS, ESPN, The Athletic)
Nick Muse might not be the biggest name of the South Carolina contingent in this year’s draft, but he’s got the kind of upside that should allow him to stick on a roster.
Muse did some nice things as a blocker in 2021, but his receiving numbers were almost cut in half despite playing three more games than the year prior — though some of that was due to a litany of issues at quarterback.
The one-time William & Mary transfer has a personality that should mesh nicely in NFL locker rooms and his 4.7-second 40-yard dash at South Carolina’s Pro Day gave a glimpse at the kind of athlete he is.
Muse’s brother, Tanner, who starred at linebacker for Clemson, was also previously selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. It can’t hurt to have some professional lineage in the family.
Muse may not hear his name called, but it’d be surprising if he’s not signed shortly after the seventh round wraps up on Saturday afternoon.
Other names to watch:
- S Jaylan Foster
- DL Jabari Ellis
- DE Aaron Sterling
How to watch the NFL Draft
When: Thursday, April 28 (Round 1) 8 p.m.; Friday, April 29 (Rounds 2-3), 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 30 (Rounds 4-7), noon.
Where: Las Vegas
TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN
Stream: fuboTV
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
