South Carolina football aims for its ninth consecutive year of NFL draft selections, with Jalon Kilgore and Brandon Cisse projected as second- or third-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft starting April 23 in Pittsburgh.
Key points
South Carolina football aims for ninth consecutive NFL draft year
Jalon Kilgore and Brandon Cisse projected as second- or third-round picks
2026 NFL Draft starts April 23 in Pittsburgh
Draft rounds 2-3 on April 24, rounds 4-7 on April 25
Draft available on ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network
Mentioned in this story
Pittsburgh
South Carolina GamecocksJalon KilgoreBrandon Cisse2026 NFL Draft
South Carolina football players picked in 2026 NFL draft, tracking every selection
South Carolina football is looking to make it a ninth straight year with players taken in the NFL draft.
Two Gamecocks in Jalon Kilgore and Brandon Cisse should hear their names called this year. The two defensive backs have been widely projected as second- or third-round selections.
The 2026 NFL Draft begins with Round 1 on April 23 at 8 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh. Rounds 2-3 are April 24 and Rounds 4-7 are on April 25. The draft is airing on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network, which are all available to watch on Fubo.
In 2025, South Carolina saw five defensive players taken in the draft, the most in . Last year also marked the first time the program had five players selected in the first four rounds.
Q&A
Which South Carolina football players are projected to be drafted in 2026?
Jalon Kilgore and Brandon Cisse are the South Carolina football players projected to be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
When does the 2026 NFL Draft start and where is it held?
The 2026 NFL Draft begins on April 23 at 8 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh.
What rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft will Jalon Kilgore and Brandon Cisse likely be selected in?
Jalon Kilgore and Brandon Cisse are widely projected to be selected in the second or third rounds of the draft.
How can I watch the 2026 NFL Draft?
The 2026 NFL Draft will be aired on ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network.
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How many South Carolina football players have been picked at NFL Draft?
This will be updated as South Carolina players are selected.
Who from South Carolina football is draft eligible?
Four players were invited to the NFL combine this year, including Cisse and Kilgore. The other two were running back Rahsul Faison and defensive lineman Nick Barrett.
The Gamecocks held their annual NFL Pro Day on March 17 and in addition to those four, Oscar Adaway III, Jared Brown, Colin Bryant, Demon Clowney, Jordan Dingle, Bradley Dunn, Jatius Geer, Monkell Goodwine, Ronnie Porter, Eriq Rice, DQ Smith and Bryan Thomas Jr all participated.
It's likely some of those players sign undrafted free agent contracts at the conclusion of the NFL draft.
Faison, 26, spent one season with the Gamecocks where he logged 470 yards on 96 carries with three touchdowns. He's only been listed on one major mock draft so far, going in the final round with pick No. 249 to the Indianapolis Colts by NFL.com.
Barrett is projected to go No. 119 overall to the Carolina Panthers in Round 4 by The Athletic but is not listed in other mock drafts. Across four seasons with the Gamecocks he had 72 total tackles, three passes defended, two sacks and one interception.
Brandon Cisse, Jalon Kilgore in 2026 NFL mock drafts
Cisse spent one season with the Gamecocks, transferring after two season at NC State. At South Carolina, he had 19 solo tackles, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble, one interception and five passes defended.
Kilgore spent three seasons with Beamer, mainly playing nickel after starting his career on special teams. In his Gamecocks career, he had 109 solo tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, eight interceptions, 18 pass breakups and 21 passes defended.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social