South Carolina football has put a large number of defensive linemen in the NFL over the last couple of decades. Famously, Jadeveon Clowney was the first-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and Clowney, John Abraham, and Melvin Ingram made All-Pro teams.
Other EDGE players such as JJ Enagbare, Devin Taylor, Cliff Matthews, Eric Norwood, Casper Brinkley, Kalimba Edwards, and others found their way to the League, but South Carolina football has also had success at the defensive tackle position.
Current Gamecock defensive line coach Travian Robertson played in the NFL for several seasons, Langston Moore played for a decade, and Javon Kinlaw was a first-round pick of the San Fransisco 49ers. Kelcy Quarles, Shaun Smith, Zacch Pickens, and Taylor Stallworth are among the interior defensive lineman to suit up for NFL squads.
Perhaps the most underrated defensive tackle in recent Gamecock history is Kobe Smith. Big #95 was a steadying force inside that ate up blockers for the Carolina defense to free up more athletic players like Kinlaw and Enagbare. He played for the Gamecocks from 2016-2019.
Smith, an undrafted free agent signee of the Tennessee Titans in 2020, played in the League from 2020-2022 but found himself without a job after the 2022 season ended. Without any NFL prospects, he signed a deal with the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.
Though he battled some injuries, Smith showed enough in the spring professional league to get NFL eyes back on him. On Thursday, Smith signed a contract with the New York Giants, marking his fifth stop in his young NFL career.
Smith will fight to make the active roster with the Giants, something he was able to do for two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in his career. The rest of his NFL career has been spent on practice squads with the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, and Atlanta Falcons.