It’s NFL draft month. So between now and when the first round begins, we will be highlighting prospects who could be of interest to the Indianapolis Colts.
Next up is South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight.
Measureables
Height: 6-015
Weight: 235
Relative Athletic Score (RAS): 8.17
Demetrius Knight Jr. is a LB prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 8.17 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 582 out of 3182 LB from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/Z43oTq96ofpic.twitter.com/SbK8hmp8xE
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 2, 2025
Stats to know
Knight played 1,461 career snaps over six college seasons. His first four years were spent at Georgia Tech, where he played fewer than 300 total defensive snaps. In 2023, Knight played 619 snaps at Charlotte and then 572 defensive snaps this past year at South Carolina.
Against SEC competition, Knight was a sound tackler and was one of PFF’s highest-graded run defenders at the linebacker position. He also found success as a blitzer, generating 12 pressures, according to PFF.
In coverage, he held opponents to a completion rate of under 70% and just 6.8 yards per catch. He had one interception and one pass breakup. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 61.7 as well.
Also of note, Knight played 675 career special-teams snaps across five of the six different phases.
Fit with the Indianapolis Colts
The Colts need at linebacker is two-fold. At the bare minimum, they need more depth with EJ Speed in Houston and Grant Stuard in Detroit, not to mention that without Stuard, they lost a key special teams contributor.
But in addition to that, without Speed, the starting role next to Zaire Franklin is available. Perhaps Jaylon Carlies can fill that role in his second NFL season. GM Chris Ballard does believe he is an ascending player and spoke highly of Carlies recently.
However, for a still relatively inexperienced player, assuming Carlies can make that leap and just handing him the starting job comes with risks as well. After making similar assumptions at other position groups last offseason, Ballard called that roster-building approach a mistake, and to remedy it, he wants to infuse competition throughout the team in 2025.
“Instead of really creating competition throughout and throwing new blood into the locker room, new players into the locker room, I said ‘you know what, we’re gonna run it back,’” Ballard said after the season of his roster-building approach in 2024. “That was a mistake.”
An added coverage presence to pair with Franklin and versatility–a hallmark of playing at the second and third levels in Lou Anarumo’s defensive scheme–are two elements that the Colts should be looking to add at the linebacker position.
Demetrius Knight NFL draft profile
For more on Knight, here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote in his scouting report:
“Passionate linebacker with great size, good instincts and a feel for how to play the position. Knight is a fluid athlete with average pursuit speed and short-area burst. He uses his eyes and instincts to diagnose quickly and he maneuvers around bodies like a running back. He’s adept at slipping blocks and rarely allows blockers to stick and sustain on the second level. He’s aware and productive in zone but could struggle to stay connected in man coverage. He’s not a twitchy mover but knows how to play the game and has a chance to play on all three downs. Knight’s field demeanor and football character should seal the deal as a future starter at inside ‘backer.”
Highlights
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Previewing South Carolina LB Demetrius Knight
It’s NFL draft month. So between now and when the first round begins, we will be highlighting prospects who could be of interest to the Indianapolis Colts.
Next up is South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight.
Measureables
Height: 6-015
Weight: 235
Relative Athletic Score (RAS): 8.17
Demetrius Knight Jr. is a LB prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 8.17 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 582 out of 3182 LB from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/Z43oTq96ofpic.twitter.com/SbK8hmp8xE
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 2, 2025
Stats to know
Knight played 1,461 career snaps over six college seasons. His first four years were spent at Georgia Tech, where he played fewer than 300 total defensive snaps. In 2023, Knight played 619 snaps at Charlotte and then 572 defensive snaps this past year at South Carolina.
Against SEC competition, Knight was a sound tackler and was one of PFF’s highest-graded run defenders at the linebacker position. He also found success as a blitzer, generating 12 pressures, according to PFF.
In coverage, he held opponents to a completion rate of under 70% and just 6.8 yards per catch. He had one interception and one pass breakup. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 61.7 as well.
Also of note, Knight played 675 career special-teams snaps across five of the six different phases.
Fit with the Indianapolis Colts
The Colts need at linebacker is two-fold. At the bare minimum, they need more depth with EJ Speed in Houston and Grant Stuard in Detroit, not to mention that without Stuard, they lost a key special teams contributor.
But in addition to that, without Speed, the starting role next to Zaire Franklin is available. Perhaps Jaylon Carlies can fill that role in his second NFL season. GM Chris Ballard does believe he is an ascending player and spoke highly of Carlies recently.
However, for a still relatively inexperienced player, assuming Carlies can make that leap and just handing him the starting job comes with risks as well. After making similar assumptions at other position groups last offseason, Ballard called that roster-building approach a mistake, and to remedy it, he wants to infuse competition throughout the team in 2025.
“Instead of really creating competition throughout and throwing new blood into the locker room, new players into the locker room, I said ‘you know what, we’re gonna run it back,’” Ballard said after the season of his roster-building approach in 2024. “That was a mistake.”
An added coverage presence to pair with Franklin and versatility–a hallmark of playing at the second and third levels in Lou Anarumo’s defensive scheme–are two elements that the Colts should be looking to add at the linebacker position.
Demetrius Knight NFL draft profile
For more on Knight, here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote in his scouting report:
“Passionate linebacker with great size, good instincts and a feel for how to play the position. Knight is a fluid athlete with average pursuit speed and short-area burst. He uses his eyes and instincts to diagnose quickly and he maneuvers around bodies like a running back. He’s adept at slipping blocks and rarely allows blockers to stick and sustain on the second level. He’s aware and productive in zone but could struggle to stay connected in man coverage. He’s not a twitchy mover but knows how to play the game and has a chance to play on all three downs. Knight’s field demeanor and football character should seal the deal as a future starter at inside ‘backer.”
Highlights
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Previewing South Carolina LB Demetrius Knight
