How ‘the best Sherrod’ Greene is preparing for his NFL career to get started
Sherrod Greene’s voice is equal parts excited and at ease.
His six years at South Carolina have come to a close. Regular season-ending wins over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson this past fall were high points that capped off an up-and-down stretch of USC football in which Greene was front and center. The last few months have since been spent auditioning for NFL teams in hopes of being selected in this week’s NFL Draft or landing on a pro roster in the coming weeks.
There are butterflies that come with that waiting game. Pro Day and combine workouts are in the past. Interviews with teams have come and gone. There’s only so much else left to do but sit tight until selections get underway.
Greene, with his 214 career tackles and more than half a decade in Columbia, is awaiting his chance.
“I’m just looking forward to seeing where I’m gonna go,” he told The State.
The NFL Draft starts with the first round on Thursday night in Kansas City. Greene more likely figures to hear his name Saturday, when Rounds 4 through 7 will be held. If not then, he should be a priority free agent for NFL squads in the hours after the draft concludes.
Teams have had a wide range of grades on Greene. A quick glance at his player bio on South Carolina’s official website — which takes five swipes of a mouse to reach the bottom of and is littered with enough words to fill a Hemingway novel — offers evidence as to why.
Greene signed with South Carolina in the Class of 2017, appearing in 35 games (including 24 starts) over his first three seasons in Columbia. In a perfect world, he would’ve joined ex-running mate Ernest Jones in the 2021 NFL Draft. Greene laughs thinking back on those days that feel closer to a decade ago than just three years.
As a sophomore, Greene swiped a screen pass from Missouri signal-caller Drew Lock and ran it back 12 yards for a touchdown.
Lock was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos six months after that play and is now entering his fourth year in the league. Greene will have his own shot at the pros in the coming days.
“I wish I would have had a better celebration (after the interception),” Greene said, laughing.
That Greene has been in college almost long enough to earn his doctorate, too, isn’t a product of lacking talent as much as it is unlucky circumstances. Injuries derailed his 2020 and 2021 campaigns, leaving him rehabbing and retooling after a productive first three years on campus.
A fractured hip in 2020 was the first issue. Greene explains he could still walk OK, largely without pain, but he wasn’t able to run after the season opener against Tennessee. The broken ankle he suffered in Week 2 at Georgia in 2021 was a different story altogether.
Greene almost grimaces through the phone thinking back to that pain. Surgery repaired his ankle, but a lengthy rehab process followed. Moving around the house was a chore. Just getting out of bed to use the bathroom sent pain shooting through his foot.
But now, almost two full years removed from the ankle injury, Greene is healthy. A standout final season in Columbia has added to recent positive vibes.
When Mo Kaba went down with a torn ACL in Week 2 at Arkansas, Greene and Brad Johnson were forced to hold down a linebacker room limited on depth. They did that and then some.
Greene finished the finished the year second on the team with 77 tackles — including 3.5 tackles for loss — and 2.5 sacks. He also recorded at least seven or more tackles in five of the 12 games he played in this year.
“If there’s any doubts — because I had a lot of scouts asked me am I healthy — I’m really 100% healthy,” Greene said. “I feel the best that I’ve felt in a long time. ... When you pick me, you’ll be getting the best Sherrod that you ever saw.”
There’s only so much waiting left for Greene to do as the draft gets underway this week. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts are among the teams that have shown interest in the former South Carolina linebacker, a source with knowledge of the draft process told The State.
Greene’s path to draft night was far from linear. He takes some solace in that. There’s a maturity and growth that comes with fighting through injuries and the other ebbs and flows college brings.
Now? Greene just wants a shot.
“I’m tired of waiting,” he said, starting to laugh. “I’m ready to (get out there).”
