Another Gamecock projected as first round pick in 2023 NFL Draft
Another South Carolina player is having his name thrown into the mix for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Gamecocks defensive tackle Zacch Pickens was projected as the No. 22 pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s way-too-early 2023 first round mock draft on Tuesday.
“An athletic big man, Pickens isn’t yet a finished product, but you don’t need to squint to see why NFL scouts are intrigued by his talent,” Brugler wrote. “South Carolina has a solid track record of producing defensive linemen, and Pickens is next up in the hopper.”
Pickens arrived at South Carolina in the class of 2019 as a five-star recruit and the No. 8 player in the class, per 247Sports. He’s since played in all 35 games of his USC career, including 20 starts.
The T.L. Hanna product is expected to anchor the Gamecocks defensive line again in 2022 with defensive ends Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare and Aaron Sterling now off to the NFL. Pickens finished last season with 38 tackles, five tackles for a loss and four sacks.
Pickens is one of four South Carolina players who could theoretically be in the mix for the 2023 first round along with cornerback Cam Smith, tight end/receiver Jaheim Bell and quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Smith (No. 12 overall) and Bell (No. 29 overall) were both listed in Pro Football Focus’ way-too-early first round mock draft on Tuesday, while Rattler is seen as a possible first rounder should he find his 2020 form that made him a Heisman Trophy front-runner at Oklahoma.
South Carolina had just three players taken in the 2022 NFL Draft in Enagbare, running back Kevin Harris and tight end Nick Muse. Defensive lineman Jabari Ellis (New York Giants) and running back ZaQuandre White (Miami Dolphins) both earned undrafted free agent deals.
Kicker Parker White (Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and safety Jaylan Foster (Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars) also received rookie mini-camp invites this week.
South Carolina has produced three first round picks in the last five seasons. Cornerback Jaycee Horn was the most recent when he was selected No. 8 overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2021 NFL Draft.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Another Gamecock projected as first round pick in 2023 NFL Draft."
