Film room: Is Demetrius Raiders run defense Knight in shining armor?

Diving into what the South Carolina linebacker could bring to the Raiders

With the Las Vegas Raiders needing a linebacker in the 2025 NFL Draft, Silver and Black Pride has been cycling through this year’s prospects at the position. Next up is South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr.

Having spent four seasons at Georgia Tech and one at Charlotte before finishing up at South Carolina last fall, Knight will be one of the older rookies (turns 25 years old in July) in the NFL next season. That’s also helped him become an instinctual backer, especially against the run.

According to Pro Football Focus, the former Gamecock earned an 85.4 run defense grade that ranked tied for 20th among all FBS linebackers and was the fourth-highest in the SEC. He also racked up an impressive 22 ‘defensive stops’ against the run while missing just five tackles.

Knight would be a suitable Robert Spillane replacement for the Raiders, so let’s dive into the tape and see what he can bring to the table.

As mentioned above, Knight’s experience has helped develop his instincts against the run as he’s quick to key and diagnose plays to get to the right spot. But what also stands out about his football IQ is he shows an understanding of when to come downhill and shoot the gap.

So, when Alabama runs the QB lead pin-and-pull concept with Jalen Milroe, the linebacker immediately recognizes it and starts working toward the sideline. That allows him to mirror Milroe, and instead of just running full speed to the outside to try to beat the puller to the spot, Knight slows down in the cutback lane to take it away from Milroe.

On top of that, Knight also waits until pulling guard and running back who is lead blocking clear out a lane before he shoots the gap to make a tackle right at the line of scrimmage. That’s impressive awareness and patience from the well-experienced linebacker.

LSU is running an RPO here where the tight end works across the formation to make it look like split zone. However, the left tackle kicks out the defensive end while the tight end runs a flat route. The offense’s goal is to get the linebacker out of position by either catching him hanging inside too long and throwing the ball to the tight end, or running the ball up the middle if the backer follows the tight end.

Initially, Knight starts working wide to cover the tight end which influences the quarterback to hand the ball off. That’s where Knight’s lateral movement skills come into play as he redirects and makes the tackle on the running back for a short gain.

This is a great example of a linebacker locating the ball in the backfield well which is hard to do against RPOs and option plays that are designed to get linebackers out of position.

The South Carolina product also stands out with how he takes on blocks in the running game by using his hands, showing impressive strength at the point of attack and taking advantage of his 33.25-inch arms. All three of those factors come into play in the clip above.

He’s on the backside of a split zone call from Texas A&M where the left guard climbs up to the second level to block him. At the point of attack, Knight shoots his hands and lands them perfectly on the guard’s chest. That’s where his strength comes into play as he gains control of the block and closes the backside A-gap with the offensive lineman.

Finally, Knight’s long arms allow him to get extension on the block. So, when the running back tries to cut backside, he’s able to disengage from the guard and get involved in the tackle.

Additionally, Knight has shown the ability to slip blocks in the running game.

The Aggies run a wham concept here where the fullback works toward the C-gap to kick out the first defender that shows up in the gap to help keep the inside rushing lane clear for the running back. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks have Knight lined up on the line of scrimmage pre-snap and work wide/outside of the tackle post-snap.

That puts Knight in the C-gap where he has to take on the wham block from the fullback. However, he uses his quickness and agility to make the fullback whiff and slip the block. Additionally, we’ll see another example of how those long arms benefit him, helping increase his tackle radius to layout and bring down the running back.

While Knight isn’t great in coverage, he can impact the passing game when blitzing. He clocked a 4.58-second 40-yard dash while weighing 235 pounds at the NFL Combine, which gives him some impressive closing speed on the quarterback.

South Carolina is in man coverage here, where he’s responsible for covering either the tight end or running back, whichever releases first. However, both players are involved in Oklahoma’s protection scheme, which puts the linebacker on a “green dog blitz,” meaning he can rush the passer since his man didn’t go out on a route.

Once Knight sees both the tight end and running back commit to blocking the edge rusher, he knows it’s his time to pounce. So, when the quarterback starts to leave the pocket, Knight blitzes off the edge and closes to get the strip sack that leads to a scoop and score for the defense.

We’ll wrap up with one more example of how our subject’s speed shows up on the field and another way he can contribute against the passing attack.

Oklahoma runs an RPO and he does get caught stepping downhill to play the run initially, leaving the tight end open on the flat route. However, he takes a good angle and has the speed to chase down the tight end. That’s a solid recovery against a play designed to get the linebacker out of position.

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According to NFL Mock Draft Database, Knight is projected to come off the board in the third round and ranks 82nd overall as of March 31. If the Raiders don’t take a linebacker earlier, don’t be surprised if the former Gamecock heads to Las Vegas via a mid-round pick as he’d boost the team’s run defense on the second level.