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NFL DRAFT BUZZ
Following South Carolina’s pro day in Columbia last week, I checked in with some sources to take the temperature on where several players expected to come off the board
*** Cornerback Jaycee Horn has been widely expected to come off the board first, but his pro day testing numbers only reinforced that notion.
Horn has climbed up boards even more since then, and is now regarded as a sure-first first rounder, potentially even the first corner off the board overall in the draft.
*** As for the next Gamecock off the board, there are a few candidates for that honor.
Wide receiver Shi Smith is one; he had a strong performance during Senior Bowl week and also tested well during pro day. I’ve been told a third round selection is possible for him, with some room for upward or downward adjustment based on how selections play out on draft day.
Offensive lineman Sadarius Hutcherson is generally pegged as a third to fifth round selection.
Linebacker Ernest Jones has also done well for himself lately. NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently said he liked Jones as an early third day (rounds 4 through 7) pick, with good “instincts, length, and short area quicks.”
I’ve heard Jones could go as high as the third round if things break well for him. Jones put up a 38.5 inch vertical leap during pro day, and I was also told he ran a sub-4.4 second shuttle time.
*** Israel Mukuamu could also see him name called during the draft, but sources have told me it’s entirely possible he’s a later-round selection.
Fullback Adam Prentice is getting some buzz as a priority undrafted free agent target for some teams, but I was told he “could sneak in” in the 7th round, just depending.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
*** In our last edition, we noted that four-star wide receiver Dane Key was set to release a top 10, which he did on his mother’s birthday.
Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Oregon, Purdue, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin all made the cut.
Kentucky’s going to be a significant factor here for obvious reasons – Dane’s father, Donte, played linebacker for the Wildcats, he’s from the state, and he has friends and former teammates playing in Lexington.
As we have noted, South Carolina will have at least a shot to challenge. Justin Stepp has done a good job building a relationship with Key and his family, and Dane’s brother, Devon, played defensive back for Clayton White at Western Kentucky.
*** South Carolina’s staff is looking to score an official visit from one talented back we profiled on GamecockCentral.com in a prior edition, that being four-star Ramon Brown.
The Virginia product is beginning to fill out his slate, and it appears four of five official visit slots are set.
Brown will trip to West Virginia on June 4, followed by Penn State the next weekend. Maryland is set to get one on June 25, and Brown is also planning an official to Virginia Tech, although a date has not been specified.
*** South Carolina is also expected to score an official visit at some point from four-star cornerback Keenan Nelson from what we are told, although a date has not been confirmed.
The Gamecocks are firmly in the mix along with Penn State and Notre Dame.
*** Any follow-up questions or something I didn't address that you'd like me to address? Let me know.
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