After former star cornerback Jaycee Horn made waves as the first defensive player to come off the board at No. 8 overall to the Carolina Panthers, three more Gamecocks heard their names called in the NFL Draft — and a few others found professional homes as undrafted free agents.
Junior linebacker Ernest Jones, South Carolina’s leading tackler, went to the Los Angeles Rams with their third-round pick (No. 103). Senior wide receiver Shi Smith and junior defensive back Israel Mukuamu were both sixth-round selections; Smith will join Horn (as well as fellow USC alums Joseph Charlton and Dennis Daley) in Carolina, while Mukuamu will be a Dallas Cowboy.