NFL teams have begun their Top 30 visits and the first Bucs’ Top 30 visitor is now known. NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline has reported that South Carolina inside linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. will be visiting Tampa Bay this weekend.
Knight is viewed as a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and is Pro Football Focus’ 33rd-ranked prospect.
The Bucs could use more young talent at the inside linebacker position, which features a 35-year old starter in Lavonte David and a 30-year backup in Deion Jones. Newly acquired reserve Anthony Walker Jr. turns 30 on August 8.
Pewter Report was unable to discover if Knight had a formal or informal meeting with the Bucs at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, but the team is certainly doing its due diligence in hosting him on a Top 30 visit at the AdventHealth Training Center, otherwise known as One Buccaneer Place.
NFL teams get to host 30 players outside of the 50-mile radius of team headquarters where the personnel department, coaches and coordinators will all get a chance to meet with draft prospects and watch film.
Demetrius Knight Jr. Could Be An Eventual Starter For The Bucs
South Carolina Ilb Demetrius Knight Jr. Bucs
South Carolina ILB Demetrius Knight Jr. – Photo by: USA Today
Demetrius Knight Jr. had 82 tackles (57 solo), eight tackles for loss and two sacks for the Gamecocks last year, as well as the game-clinching interception against state rival Clemson. He also tied for the team lead at South Carolina with three forced fumbles last season.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Knight played the 2024 season at South Carolina after transferring from Charlotte where he played one season after three years at Georgia Tech. He quickly assumed a leadership on a star-studded Gamecocks defense that features a multitude of projected 2025 NFL Draft picks, including safety Nick Emmanwori, defensive tackles T.J. Sanders and Tonka Hemingway, defensive end Kyle Kenard and cornerback O’Donnell Fortune.
Knight had 96 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four pass breakups and three interceptions, including a pick-six, in 2023 at Charlotte. In three seasons as a reserve at Georgia Tech, Knight totaled 51 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Knight is regarded for his high football I.Q. from his days as a high school quarterback, in addition to his physical playing style. He ran a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was tied for the fifth-fastest among linebackers, and he posted a 7.12 three-cone drill, which was the third-fastest time among linebackers. Knight’s short shuttle drill time was 4.25, which was the second-fastest among linebackers and his 22 reps of 225 pounds was the third-most among linebackers.
Bucs Ilb Sirvocea Dennis
Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: USA Today
The Bucs have third-year linebacker in SirVocea Dennis, who is slated to start at Mike next to 35-year old Lavonte David, who plays the Moneybacker role on the weakside of Todd Bowles’ defense. Dennis is viewed as a player who could play either Mike or Mo in Bowles’ scheme, so if the Bucs drafted Knight and he was able to beat out Dennis and start at Mike, Dennis could be viewed as David’s eventual replacement at the Mo ‘backer position in 2026 if David retires after this season.
Dennis has only played in 17 games in his first two seasons in Tampa Bay. A fifth-round pick in 2024, Dennis was on pace to supplant K.J. Britt as Tampa Bay’s starting Mike linebacker as the two platooned at the position through the first four games of the season. Dennis re-injured his shoulder, which kept him out of the preseason, in the fourth game of the year and was forced to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery from an injury that began in college at Pittsburgh.
Drafting another talented inside linebacker not only adds a younger player at the position, but also provides even more insurance in case Dennis can’t overcome his injury history in Tampa Bay.