South Carolina Football: Ranking the greatest Gamecock hidden gems in NFL Draft history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football's Greatest NFL Draft Hidden Gems:
No. 9 Offensive Lineman Travelle Wharton
Potentially the best offensive lineman in the history of the Gamecock program, Travelle Wharton (Round 3, Pick 94; Carolina Panthers; 2004 NFL Draft) was also a big-time lineman at the professional level. After moving just an hour and a half up I-77 to Charlotte, Wharton felt right at home as the starting guard for about a decade with the Panthers.
Wharton was primarily a tackle with the Gamecocks, but most of his games with the Panthers came at guard. He missed all but one game with two knee injuries in 2006 and 2012 (technically, as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, though, he never played a game for them), but Wharton still started 111 games in his career.
Wharton was a noted Pro Bowl snub for several years with the Panthers, but he retired while still playing at a high level after the 2013 season.
Wharton has been in coaching since his retirement and even spent a season with his alma mater, starting the year as an off-field assistant offensive line coach before taking over the full-time offensive line job when Shawn Elliott was the interim head coach after Steve Spurrier's retirement. Wharton is still coaching in the NFL today with the Baltimore Ravens.
Getting a long-term starter in the 3rd round was an ideal scenario when the Panthers picked Wharton back in 2004.