The New Orleans Saints have two quality starting linebackers, but that could be more of a position of need than most people consider.
Pro Football Focus analyst Mason Cameron recently picked one Day 2 prospect for each NFL team. For the Saints, he went with linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. of the South Carolina Gamecocks. This is what Cameron had to say about his selection:
“Knight will be one of the oldest players (25) drafted this season, but that doesn’t mean a team won’t value his maturity as a player with solid all-around fundamentals. He posted a 74.0-plus PFF grade in all three major defensive facets in 2024. With Demario Davis’ career winding down, Knight should be able to learn plenty from the veteran before stepping in to replace him.”
The six-year college football star would certainly be an interesting pick for the Saints in the second or third round. Knight is already an old player that really only has two years of real production under his belt. Over his first four years at Georgia Tech, he had just 51 tackles with three for a loss and one sack.
Between his time with the Charlotte 49ers and the Gamecocks, though, Knight was able to amass 178 tackles with 14 for a loss and 3.5 sacks. He seems to have come into his own, it just took a while. For a 25-year-old to be worth taking so early, he would need to be able to step in and act as their third linebacker immediately.
What Knight does have going for him is the fact that he was a former quarterback and plays with a base line of natural instinct in the run game. He is a solid athlete with a 8.17 Relative Athletic Score. They only thing that really stands out about his testing numbers is that he had a 4.58-second time in the 40-yard dash. That should clear any in-house metrics the Saints use.
Knight mostly seems as a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect that would not be a game changer for New Orleans. While it wouldn’t be the worst pick they could make, it certainly wouldn’t be the best.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: PFF: South Carolina LB Demetrius Knight Jr. is Saints’ best Day 2 fit
The New Orleans Saints have two quality starting linebackers, but that could be more of a position of need than most people consider.
Pro Football Focus analyst Mason Cameron recently picked one Day 2 prospect for each NFL team. For the Saints, he went with linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. of the South Carolina Gamecocks. This is what Cameron had to say about his selection:
“Knight will be one of the oldest players (25) drafted this season, but that doesn’t mean a team won’t value his maturity as a player with solid all-around fundamentals. He posted a 74.0-plus PFF grade in all three major defensive facets in 2024. With Demario Davis’ career winding down, Knight should be able to learn plenty from the veteran before stepping in to replace him.”
The six-year college football star would certainly be an interesting pick for the Saints in the second or third round. Knight is already an old player that really only has two years of real production under his belt. Over his first four years at Georgia Tech, he had just 51 tackles with three for a loss and one sack.
Between his time with the Charlotte 49ers and the Gamecocks, though, Knight was able to amass 178 tackles with 14 for a loss and 3.5 sacks. He seems to have come into his own, it just took a while. For a 25-year-old to be worth taking so early, he would need to be able to step in and act as their third linebacker immediately.
What Knight does have going for him is the fact that he was a former quarterback and plays with a base line of natural instinct in the run game. He is a solid athlete with a 8.17 Relative Athletic Score. They only thing that really stands out about his testing numbers is that he had a 4.58-second time in the 40-yard dash. That should clear any in-house metrics the Saints use.
Knight mostly seems as a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect that would not be a game changer for New Orleans. While it wouldn’t be the worst pick they could make, it certainly wouldn’t be the best.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: PFF: South Carolina LB Demetrius Knight Jr. is Saints’ best Day 2 fit
