2023 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper, Todd McShay include 3 Gamecocks in first 3 rounds
By Kevin Miller
The 2023 NFL Draft is now less than a week away, and draft information is everywhere. Some groups rank talents based on “best available.” Some execute mock drafts where they pick as if they were in charge of the teams. Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, Jr. have been some of the top NFL Draft analysts for years, and they released a three-round mock draft in which the two pundits alternated picks and acted as if they were decision-makers for the teams.
Three South Carolina football players made it inside the three-round mock 2023 NFL Draft.
DT Zacch Pickens: Philadelphia Eagles; Round 2, Pick 31; 62nd Overall
In a surprise, the first South Carolina football alum picked by McShay and Kiper was defensive tackle Zacch Pickens. Pickens was “picked” by McShay’s Eagles with the penultimate slot of the second round as a rotational defensive tackle who could grow into a starter if/when the aging Fletcher Cox is no longer with the team. Pickens is a nice combo of size (300 pounds) and athleticism (9th-best defensive tackle athleticism score from the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine) that should translate well to the NFL level.
CB Cam Smith: Chicago Bears; Round 3, Pick 1; 64th Overall
Next up in the draft was cornerback Cam Smith. Smith was viewed as a first-rounder as recently as two months ago, but his stock took a pretty serious hit after his interviews at the Combine. No specific reasons have been given for this, but projections have almost universally been worse for him since the Combine. Smith did show himself to be one of the most fluid movers during drills in Indianapolis and possesses above-average speed and length for the corner position. He was taken by McShay’s Bears with the first pick of the third round as a potential starter at corner or nickel.
CB Darius Rush: Indianapolis Colts; Round 3, Pick 16; 79th Overall
Corner Darius Rush was the third Gamecock selected in the mock draft. Kiper picked Rush on behalf of the Colts who have a need at corner after trading away fellow Gamecock Stephon Gilmore. Rush is one of the longest corners in the draft (80-inch wingspan) and ran one of the fastest times of any player at the Combine (4.36 second 40-yard dash). Rush’s combination of length and speed would make him an ideal candidate to compete for a starting role on the outside of the Indianapolis secondary.