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. 5 Defensive Back Captain Munnerlyn
The smallest player on this list (yes, even smaller than the kicker), Captain Munnerlyn (Round 7, Pick 216; Carolina Panthers; 2019 NFL Draft) was listed at 5'9" but had a really nice NFL career.
Bouncing back and forth between being one of the NFL's top nickel/slot corners and handling his own as an outside coverman, Munnerlyn was very durable, playing over 150 games in his 10 active seasons in the NFL. He spent seven of those seasons with the Carolina Panthers and three with the Minnesota Vikings. He also was signed by the Buffalo Bills but didn't play a game with the team before retiring.
Munnerlyn far outplayed his pre-NFL Draft projection as a punt returner and nickel-only player. He was a very good performer for a decade and was even the 2015 recipient of the Korey Stringer Good Guy Award.
Fewer than 40 defensive backs in NFL history have tallied more than 10 interceptions and more than 10 sacks in their careers, but Captain Munnerlyn is one of them. When he retired, he owned two Panthers franchise records as he had 5 interception returns for touchdowns in his career and had 2 pick-sixes in a season on two occasions with the team.
With small stature and small expectations, Munnerlyn was a much better pro than his 7th-round status would indicate.