South Carolina State a must stop for NFL teams

When the NFL draft begins next week, most of the early picks will have played at a big-time college football program.

Schools like Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and reigning national champion LSU will have multiple players selected in the early rounds, which makes sense given the talent and consistent success that defines those programs.

But tucked away in a small town in South Carolina is another program with a much less visible profile that has produced more than its share of draftable prospects, especially over the last 10 years.

South Carolina State, a historically black university and member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference composed of HBCUs, has an enrollment of about 3,000 students in Orangeburg, South Carolina — which is about 40 miles southeast of Columbia. Since 2010, the program has sent six players to the NFL, including Colts star linebacker Darius Leonard.

When Indianapolis selected Leonard at No. 36 overall in the second round in 2018, they made him S.C. State’s highest selected player since the Houston Oilers selected defensive lineman Anthony Cook early in the second round in 1995.

In 2010, the 49ers began the trend of selecting S.C. State players by taking defensive back Phillip Adams in the seventh round — the first Bulldogs player since 2000 to hear his name called. Adams had a solid career for a seventh-round pick, spending time with six teams and making 11 starts during his five-year career.

S.C. State offensive lineman Johnny Culbreath was a seventh-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2011, but never appeared in a regular-season game. Defensive back Christian Thompson was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2012 and was on the roster for the team’s Super Bowl XLVII victory.

Defensive lineman Javon Hargrave was a third-round pick of the Steelers in 2016 and was a consistent starter for four seasons before signing as a free agent with the Eagles this offseason.That same year, the Rams drafted Temarrick Hemingway in the sixth round — marking the first time since 1997 that two S.C. State players were taken in the same draft. Hampered by injury concerns, Hemingway has appeared in 13 games but has not made a reception.

Leonard, on the other hand, is the most successful of the S.C. State picks, not only because of his draft position but also because of a stellar rookie season in 2018 that earned him the AP defensive rookie of the year award.

“For us, it shows that S.C. State can produce a first-rate player,” Leonard’s college coach Buddy Pough told The Post and Courier late last year after Leonard was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time. “And for Darius, it just shows how hard he works.”

Despite winning back-to-back MEAC defensive player of the year awards in 2016 and 2017, posting 8½ sacks as a senior, Leonard had to prove himself to NFL scouts at the Senior Bowl. He impressed during the practices throughout the week, then led all players with 14 tackles in the game to leave a lasting impression on talent evaluators.

Players from smaller schools often have to go the college all-star game route to show what they can do against better competition. Hargrave used a solid performance at the East-West Shrine Game to elevate his draft stock.

This year, offensive lineman Alex Taylor is trying to follow in those footsteps. Projected as a mid-to-late-round pick, After transferring from Appalachian State to S.C. State to initially play basketball, Taylor returned to football and played right tackle for the last two years. He earned first-team All-MEAC honors as a senior.

At the Senior Bowl in January, Taylor told al.com he wanted to emulate Leonard’s path to the NFL.

“Seeing what (Leonard) did made me know it was possible to do it if I go out here and bust my tail and work hard every day,” Taylor said.

Taylor is likely to be the only player from S.C. State drafted in 2020, but there is another player who might join him in the league — at least on an offseason roster. Wide receiver DeMontrez Burroughs has that potential. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds, Burroughs caught 46 passes for 938 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior in 2019.

Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.