At first glance, Demetrius Knight II's path to being selected by the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 49 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft − a premium position for premier players − looks the part.
Four seasons at Georgia Tech and a final collegiate campaign at South Carolina of the SEC where he was named team captain, most outstanding senior, and the Joe Morrison MVP of the defense as a super senior in 2024. His path to the NFL was unique to him, but not unlike those taken by many before him.
There was a significant deviation along the way − a redshirt senior season at the relatively unheralded University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2023. Suffice it to say that season deviated slightly from the typical track to becoming a premium draft pick, but it also reset Knight's career and is a main reason he's now an NFL player.
The Charlotte 49ers, then in their first season in the American Athletic Conference and a school with a limited history of getting players drafted, became the real launchpad for Knight's career as a linebacker.
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At Georgia Tech, Knight was limited to a reserve role as a linebacker and posted modest numbers through his junior season. He was also new to the position as he'd spent his high-school career playing quarterback.
Then-head coach Geoff Collins encouraged Knight to change positions when he arrived to Georgie Tech, but Collins wasn't around to see Knight takeoff at the position when he was dismissed as head coach in 2022.
Knight then redshirted the rest of that season and transferred to Charlotte.
There, Knight flourished in the linebacker role. His productivity exploded as he totaled 96 tackles and was later named first-team All-American Athletic Conference.
"That (Charlotte) was extremely important in my process in my development because I never truly started and played at the linebacker position," Knight said. "Being able to do that at Charlotte and not worry about 'oh, I'm playing at a small school.' In my mindset, I wanted to get the reps... Get in there and play the actual linebacker position.
The season at Charlotte under now-former 49ers head coach Francis Poggi was the catalyst for what would come next at South Carolina, where Knight quickly became a captain. There again, his first transfer to Charlotte aided him in his second move.
Having already pivoted from speaking fluent Yellow Jacket to fluent 49er, learning another new set of football jargon at South Carolina was no problem.
Then, he again put up big numbers and productivity as a Gamecock and an SEC player, ultimately molding himself into a premier draft prospect.
“That’s part of the scouting information we’ve got from the scouts, from coaches we talked to, from players," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. "He walked in day one (at South Carolina) and acted like he’d been there for years. Guys immediately looked at him (as a leader) and we’re excited about that.”
What the Bengals acquired in Knight during Friday's second round was a player Cincinnati waited anxiously to select.
"The first thing that jumps out is his character and his makeup — his ability to become a captain in a short time playing," Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden said. "He was the MVP of one of the best defenses in the country... a combo (defensive)-end, if you will, a guy who can play inside or outside — this guy is hard to find. They just don’t make them this long.
"He’s played at 240 to 245 (pounds), he’s got enough length to go to the edge when you want to go to a five-down look, or play some outside backer for you. So, that’s a pivotal piece for us. His Pro Day was excellent. He’s just a competitor. Loved his movement in space. A sudden blitzer. He can spy a quarterback on third down. Gifted in coverage. Again, you’re talking about just shy of 6-foot-2, 33-inch arms, 240 pounds, and just love where he is as a player right now.”
The player he is today is courtesy of the Charlotte 49ers as much as anything else.
