South Carolina football: Making the Gamecocks case for DBU
By Jacob Elsey
THE 1ST ROUNDERS
Stephon Gilmore
It’s hard to start a list that features South Carolina defensive backs without starting with Gilmore. The NFL’s reigning defensive player of the year is coming off of his best professional season, where he picked off a league-leading six passes.
Gilmore was a star at South Carolina, earning a starting role on day one. In three seasons with the Gamecocks, he eight interceptions, seven sacks, and 140 tackles. He was taken 10th overall by the Bills in the 2012 draft. Now with the Patriots, the veteran has tallied 24 career picks, good for 14th among active players.
Dunta Robinson
Robinson played for the Gamecocks for two seasons before being taken 10th overall in the 2004 draft. At South Carolina, he racked up five interceptions. Professionally, he played for the Texans, Falcons, and Chiefs from 2004-2013.
Over that NFL stint, he picked off 17 passes, including a career-high six as a rookie in Houston. He ranks third all-time on the Texans’ all-time interception list.
Johnathan Joseph
Joseph ranks two spots ahead of the previously mentioned Dunta Robinson on that list of Texan defenders, as he’s the organization’s all-time leader in interceptions (17). He has totaled 31 career picks since being taken in the first round of the 2006 draft.
Joseph ranks fourth among active players in picks, and first in passes defended. In his only season with the Gamecocks, he earned all-SEC honors after intercepting four passes.