Posts: 1,508
Threads: 172
Joined: Feb 2025
Reputation:
715
"Billy, this is Andrew Van Ginkel. He's never had more than 6 sacks in a season. People don't like him because he looks like an extra for Fast Times At Ridgemont High. But in our scheme he'll be unleashed as an attack Edge. We project he'll have about 40 havoc plays. He'll produce like a franchise tag player at half the cost"
I think Moneyball is closer than we know. AWS is providing terabytes of data. Definitely easier at the pro level than the college level, but sprinkle in a little AI and someone with a vision, we'll get there.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
Posts: 1,508
Threads: 172
Joined: Feb 2025
Reputation:
715
4. Demetrius Knight | South Carolina | 6015/235 | RAS: 8.17 | Comp: Junior Colson
Big, experienced, well-built linebacker. Knight, a four-year starting quarterback in high school, sees the field well. The cousin of former NFL CB DeAngelo Hall, Knight took some time to develop while transitioning to full-time LB at Georgia Tech.
He was a reserve and special-teamer his four seasons with the Yellow Jackets. Knight broke out in 2023 at Charlotte (First-Team All-AAC) before his true coming-out party in 2024 for South Carolina. Knight has the grit and body armor for dirty work between the tackles—he’s fearless coming downhill and is happy to scrap with offensive linemen. He’s an explosive, violent finisher, accelerating to the doorstep and kicking down the door with a firm base under him while uncoiling through the target. Last season, Knight finished 87th percentile in PFF run-defense grade.
He’s also strong in coverage due to his combination of athleticism and football IQ. Over his two full seasons as a starter—and across nearly 600 coverage snaps—Knight picked off four balls while allowing only one TD and surrendered a QB rating against on targets lower than 66.0 in both campaigns.
Of my top-15 ranked LBs, Knight allowed the lowest QB rating against on targets in 2024, and was No. 2 in that department in 2023. Knight scares the analytics community due to his late breakout and older age. However, Knight’s size, athleticism, instincts, and level of play in the SEC last season strongly suggest he’s going to be an effective NFL player.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
