Bengals coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Al Golden, who was the team’s linebackers coach in 2020, both said it reminded them of the wait to get Logan Wilson at No. 65 overall in the third round that year. They came into Friday wanting Knight.
“I was waiting for this pick for 17 picks just now,” Golden said moments after the selection was announced. “We were waiting for Demetrius. And we’re very fortunate to have him.”
Knight, listed at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, was a one-year starter for the Gamecocks but is a mature player who spent four seasons as a special-teamer at Georgia Tech and one year starting at linebacker at Charlotte before transferring to Columbia in 2024.
The 25-year-old quickly became a productive team leader and captain, recording 82 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 13 games and 10 starts and earning team awards for Defensive MVP, Outstanding Senior, Co-Nutrition and Strength and Conditioning.
“The first thing that jumps out is his character and his makeup, his ability to become a captain in a short time frame,” Golden said. “He was the MVP of one of the best defenses in the country, and again, like yesterday’s piece (edge rusher Shemar Stewart) is really hard to find, a combo D-end, a guy that could play inside or outside, this guy is hard to find. They just don’t make them this long. He’s played at 240-245. He’s got enough length to go to the edge when you want to go to a five-down look or play some outside linebacker for you, so that’s a pivotal piece for us.”
Golden also described Knight, who had an “excellent Pro Day,” as a competitor who moves well in space, is a sudden blitzer that can spy a quarterback on third down and is gifted in coverage.
The Bengals weren’t ready to assign starting jobs Friday, but it’s clear Knight is expected to replace Germaine Pratt, who asked for a trade but could be a cap casualty. Golden and Taylor said Knight will be an excellent complement to Wilson.
“I love everything about this guy,” Taylor said.
Although Knight is 25 years old, Golden called him an ascending player like he did the “young man” the team drafted Thursday in the first round. The same word applies, Golden said, because Knight has only played linebacker two full years. Georgia Tech turned him into a linebacker after he stepped on campus as a freshman quarterback, and it wasn’t until he went to Charlotte he had a chance to full apply himself at the position.
Knight said at the time it “sounded like rocket science” and he never thought he would one day make it to the NFL at the position. He was in tears after receiving his call from the Bengals.
“Just my story, being a quarterback and going to linebacker and having to transition my body and my mindset, having my family here, my wife, my son, my daughter and knowing why I do the things I do,” Knight said of what went through his mind at the time.
Knight said his life experiences and having a young family of his own give him an “edge” because he’s fully motivated. Just like he wants to support his family at home, he wants to do the same for his new Bengals team.
“I like to say when I’m going out on the field that I like to hunt because if I don’t hunt, my family doesn’t eat, so I’ve become the hunter, I guess,” Knight said. “Once I say bye to my family and put the helmet on, I switch to that mentality that OK, now I have to go hunt and I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure we come back with the win, to make sure that my family and everybody else -- it’s the Cincinnati family now -- make sure we all eat.”
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