Demetrius T. Knight Jr. (born July 21, 2000)[1][2] is an American professional football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, Charlotte 49ers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Knight was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft.
 Knight in 2024 | |||||||||||||
| No. 44 – Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | July 21, 2000 | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Strong Rock Christian (Locust Grove, Georgia) | ||||||||||||
| College | Georgia Tech (2019–2022) Charlotte (2023) South Carolina (2024) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2025: 2nd round, 49th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Early life
editKnight attended Strong Rock Christian School in Locust Grove, Georgia.[3] Coming out of high school, Knight was unranked, where he committed to play college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.[4][5]
College career
editGeorgia Tech
editDuring Knight's four-year career at Georgia Tech from 2019 through 2022, he appeared in 36 games where he notched 51 tackles with three being for a loss, a sack, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery, while also completing one pass for four yards.[6][7][8][9][10][excessive citations] After the 2022 season, Knight entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[11]
Charlotte
editKnight transferred to play for the Charlotte 49ers.[12] In 2023, he notched 96 tackles with six being for a loss, three interceptions, and a touchdown for the 49ers.[13] After one year with Charlotte, Knight once again entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[14]
South Carolina
editKnight transferred to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks.[15] In week 10 of the 2024 season, he notched seven tackles in a 28-7 win over Vanderbilt.[16] In the 2024 regular-season finale, Knight intercepted quarterback Cade Klubnik with 12 seconds remaining to help the Gamecocks seal a rivalry win over Clemson.[17]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+5⁄8 in (1.87 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | 32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.58 s | 1.58 s | 2.69 s | 4.25 s | 7.12 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | 22 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[18][19] | ||||||||||||
Knight was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 49th pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft.[20][21]
NFL career statistics
editPersonal
editKnight is cousins with former Pro Bowl defensive back DeAngelo Hall and distant cousins with musical superstars Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight.[22]
References
edit- ↑ "Demetrius Knight Jr". GamecocksOnline.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ↑ "Demetrius Knight Jr". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ↑ McElhaney, Tori (April 2020). "After a nudge, Demetrius Knight thriving in his transition to linebacker". The Athletic. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Suguria, Ken. "QB Demetrius Knight is Georgia Tech's eighth commitment". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Suguira, Ken. "No stars, no problem for Tech commit Demetrius Knight". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ "Demetrius Knight II". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Sugiura, Ken. "Georgia Tech's Demetrius Knight takes familiar ride back to quarterback". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Suguira, Ken. "After QB experiment, Georgia Tech's Demetrius Knight moves back to defense". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Suguira, Ken. "What algebra reveals about Georgia Tech's Demetrius Knight". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Suguira, Ken. "Georgia Tech freshman Demetrius Knight running 'insanely fast'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Seguira, Ken. "Georgia Tech's Demetrius Knight in transfer portal". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Bailey, Hunter. "Charlotte 49ers football: Transfer linebacker Demetrius Knight leading by example". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Brewer, Fisher. "Charlotte linebacker Demetrius Knight has committed to playing for the Gamecocks in 2024". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Kaye, Jordan. "South Carolina adds productive transfer linebacker via Charlotte 49ers". The State. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Kesin, Lulu. "From Shane Beamer to Dylan Stewart, why South Carolina football listens to transfer Demetrius Knight". Greenville Online. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Veltri, Jack (November 10, 2024). "Demetrius Knight Jr. 'wowed the guys' with motivational words before South Carolina's win in Nashville". On3.com. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Gray, Treyvan. "'Don't flinch': South Carolina's defense needed a hero. Demetrius Knight delivered". The State. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Demetrius Knight Jr. Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ↑ "Demetrius Knight Jr. College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ↑ Dietz, Matthew (April 26, 2025). "Bengals select LB Demetrius Knight Jr. in second round of 2025 NFL Draft". WLWT. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ↑ Hoard, Dan (April 25, 2025). "Bengals Select LB Demetrius Knight Jr. With 49th Overall Pick". Bengals.com.
- ↑ Marot, Michael (April 23, 2025). "Shedeur Sanders leads a large contingent of legacy players in this NFL draft class". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved April 23, 2025.