South Carolina Football mock draft: Stock up and stock down for Gamecocks after the Senior Bowl

Trey Knox
Position: Tight End
Height: 6'4" Weight: 240 Pounds
40 Time: 4.6s
Draft Projection High: Late 5th Round
Draft Projection Low: Undrafted

A transfer from Arkansas, Trey Knox was the starter at tight end for a Gamecock team that lost every scholarship player at the position from 2022. He was not quite the gamebreaker that the Gamecocks' thought they were getting, but he was a very productive player for Carolina in 2023.

A willing blocker, Knox has enough size to develop into a good run blocker at the next level, but his best skills at the college level have come as a pass-catcher, an unsurpring reality for a player who used to be a wide receiver. Knox has lost a step or two from his wide receiver days, but the All-SEC performer has a knack for finding soft spots in zone coverage and for subtle leak outs against man.

Knox was invited to the Hula Bowl where he participated alongside fellow Gamecocks Nick Gargiulo and Ahmarean Brown. Word from Orlando (yes, the Hula Bowl is in Orlando now instead of Hawaii) was that Knox was an impressive player at practice, and his maturity shone through during interviews.

He seems like a player who has earned an NFL chance through the draft or free agency, but Knox will be a quick signing by the UFL or another smaller pro league if things don't work out with the NFL.

The Cincinnati Bengals need a tight or two in this year's draft, and they could take a 7th round ticket on Knox with the 251st pick. Beating linebackers is something he does well, a trait that could come in handy playing in an NFC North that has multiple 3-4 defenses (meaning extra linebackers).