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NFL Draft season is here.

The league put on its annual scouting combine two weeks ago in Indianapolis — where five former Gamecocks were able to work out in front of professional teams.

Monday, those same players and a handful of others will have another chance to impress NFL squads during South Carolina’s annual Pro Timing Day at the Jerri and Steve Spurrier Indoor Practice Facility.

Here are some lingering questions heading into the auditions:

Cam Smith is one of those ex-Gamecocks who worked out at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The former Blythewood High standout didn’t quite wow athletically in Indianapolis — though that was somewhat expected. He ranked 11th of 29 prospects who ran the 40-yard dash at 4.46 seconds and didn’t participate in the bench press or three-cone drill.

In fairness, Smith isn’t a prospect who’s going to jump off the page speed-wise. He’s rangy, with a wiry 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame that plays at an elite instinctual level. He plays the game naturally and has a knack for anticipating where to be.

Smith’s projections have ranged from the middle of the first round to the back end. It’s not totally inconceivable NFL teams pass him up on Day 1 given his speed leaves a smidge to be desired out of a top 30-ish pick. That said, this week makes for another chance to impress during on-field drills.

Zacch Pickens has been in the spotlight plenty after coming to South Carolina as the No. 8 player nationally in the 2019 class.

The ex-TL Hanna star opted out of the bowl game in order to prepare for the NFL Draft, despite having another opportunity against a solid Notre Dame offensive line. Still, that seems to have worked out given how Pickens looked in Indianapolis.

He tied for the best broad jump among defensive tackles at the NFL Combine at 9-feet, 8 inches and was one of just six interior defensive linemen to break five seconds in the 40-yard dash (4.89 seconds). Pickens did leave a bit to be desired with 22 reps on the bench press (10th out of 12 defensive tackles), but the speed numbers are legit.

It’s unlikely Pickens needs to go through many of the speed drills again on Monday given how he performed at the combine, though NFL teams will likely want to see more strength out of a player slated to take on multiple blockers in the middle at the next level.

Speaking of defensive backs, Darius Rush has done more to improve his draft stock than any other former South Carolina player this cycle.

Rush earned rave reviews during the Senior Bowl last month, where he matched up with some of the best upperclassmen in the 2023 NFL Draft. He largely backed that up in Indianapolis last week, where he ran an impressive 4.36 40-yard dash (tie for fifth among 29 cornerbacks).

The Kingstree product has steadily climbed up draft boards this offseason and has likely played his way into the Day 2 discussion (second and third rounds). Scouts will likely want to see where his explosiveness is in the broad jump and a few other drills, but Rush has the potential to keep climbing with a nice showing this week.

Each of the last three guys mentioned worked out in Indianapolis, but there are a few others who figure to give it a go this week and could sneak into an NFL training camp.

Receiver Josh Vann is an intriguing prospect given his 2022 campaign in which he led the Gamecocks with 43 receptions for 679 yards receiving. He also tied for the team lead with five touchdown catches.

Vann’s numbers dipped significantly this fall, in part, due to the emergence of Antwane “Juice” Wells and Jalen Brooks — Brooks also worked out at the NFL Combine. That said, Vann did some impressive things in the punt return game this past fall, including bumping his average yards per return almost five full yards. He figures to get some looks as a special-teamer at the next level.

Offensive linemen Dylan Wonnum and Eric Douglas are unlikely to get drafted, but could get a chance to stick with a team in training camp. Douglas has been a leader on the Gamecocks line the past couple seasons and will interview well, when given the chance. Wonnum battled injuries the last two years and saw his role diminished at times. Still, he’s got NFL bloodlines via his brother D.J. — a fourth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 — and he’ll likely get some benefit of the doubt from that.

The other big name to watch here is tight end Nate Adkins. The son of South Carolina assistant coach Greg Adkins, Nate flashed in a big way down the stretch in games against Tennessee, Clemson and Notre Dame. He’s got major upside as a blocker and has better hands than he gets credit for. Adkins also has some special teams upside and could do some long-snapping work at the next level, among other things. He’s the kind of guy who could sneakily end up playing a long time at the next level, if he latches on with the right team.

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Former South Carolina defensive lineman Zacch Pickens was one of five former Gamecocks to make their way to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to take part in the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

Pickens and the rest of the defensive tackles took the field on Thursday and following his performance, many came away impressed with how the 6’4”, 291-pound prospect performed at the combine.

On Friday, Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings wrote an article detailing the Day 3 winners of the NFL Combine and Pickens made the list. Here is what Cummings said about Pickens in the article.

“Much like Smith in the EDGE group, Zacch Pickens‘ strong Combine showing could have been predicted. Pickens was a five-star recruit out of high school and flashed high-end athletic ability on tape all through his time at South Carolina.

“Measuring in at 6’4″, 291 pounds, with 34 3/8″ arms, Pickens came in with a superb 4.89 40-yard dash and also logged a 7.45 three-cone and a 9’8″ broad jump. His composite numbers — with the 20-yard split pending — gave him a RAS of 9.54. Add in his tape, which is solid to begin with, and Pickens should keep rising through the coming months.”

Results from other Gamecocks at the Combine: Cam Smith and Darius Rush | Jovaughn Gwyn | Jalen Brooks

Pickens testing numbers at the Combine on Tuesday ranked highly among his fellow defensive tackles.

Pickens 4.89 40 was ranked No. 6 among defensive tackles at the combine. His 1.74 10-yard split was ranked fifth among defensive tackles. With a vertical of 30.5”, that number placed Pickens at No. 4 in verticals by defensive tackles. A 9’8” broad jump was tied for first. His 7.45 three-cone drill ranked No. 4.

Those weren’t the only numbers from Pickens that ranked highly among defensive tackles as his 4.62 20-yard shuttle was ranked No. 3. The former Gamecocks’ defensive lineman also recorded 22 reps on bench press.

COMMENTS

Pickens suited up for the Gamecocks the past four seasons and he would play in 47 games and would tally 131 total tackles with 11.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks and four pass breakups. In 2022, Pickens recorded 42 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and three pass breakups.

Pickens will now head back to Columbia and get ready to participate in South Carolina’s Pro Timing Day which is set for March 13. Here is a list of the players who will be at Pro Day along with Pickens.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

Green Bay’s run defense yielded 2,372 yards on the ground, which ranked 26th overall. They gave up five yards per carry, which was tied for 29th in the league.

The Packers need to improve against the run next season and if past history is any indicator, Brian Gutekunst will pour resources into fixing the leaky run defense.

Last season the Packers needed to vastly improve on special teams. Gutekunst attacked the issue with great vigor. The Packers went out and hired one of the best special teams coordinators in the league. They signed players like Keisean Nixon and Dallin Leavitt. They drafted players with plenty of special teams experience like Tariq Carpenter.

It’s reasonable to expect that Gutekunst will add a player or two up front to help shore up the run defense.

A player that Green Bay’s general manager could target in the 2023 NFL Draft is Zacch Pickens. The South Carolina defensive tackle checks in at No. 60 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.

MATCHUP: Arkansas’ Ricky Stromberg, 4-year starter & one of top centers in CFB, will have his hands full w/ @GamecockFB DL Zacch Pickens (@ZP6DT). Here’s Week 1 showing Pickens overwhelm blocker with length & in-line power…then the “excuse me” step-over before making tackle. https://t.co/qIhoFBeZhK pic.twitter.com/LscIgvPW4I

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) September 9, 2022

Pickens, a South Carolina native finished his career with 32 career starts for the Gamecocks. During his sophomore season in 2020, Pickens recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. In 2021, Pickens recorded five tackles for loss and four sacks. This past season, Pickens recorded 42 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and three pass deflections.

“Pickens was the heart of a defensive line that went through several changes and lineups due to injury,” David Cloninger, a reporter for The Post and Courier said. “As the bedrock in the middle of the defensive line, he had his most productive and best season at USC. He was one of three players I picked as defensive MVPs.”

Pickens is well-built with long arms (34). He has a lot of power in those long limbs and when he plays with proper leverage he can bullrush with the best of them. He has good initial quickness off the snap to quickly get upfield.

The South Carolina defensive tackle really showcased his potential as an interior pass-rusher during the Gamecocks matchup against Kentucky this past season. Pickens recorded one sack and five pressures against the Wildcats.

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“He can really get his hands and arms up quickly, to either get above the offensive lineman’s hands or to get his hands up quickly in a quarterback’s field of vision,” Cloninger said. “He has a lot of just straight raw power.”

Against the run, Pickens controls his gap. He’s strong at the point of attack and is difficult to uproot. Pickens has strong, active hands to help him to poke through gaps. He has the short-area quickness and lateral agility to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage.

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The former five-star recruit finished his career with just 11.5 tackles for loss. While not eye-popping, Pickens clogged or blew up running lanes that allowed teammates to make plays behind the line of scrimmage.

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“The Gamecocks were bad against the run last year and he shares some blame,” Cloninger said. “I can’t say he was the cause of it, because that would be inaccurate. I can’t say the rest of the line held him back because that would be inaccurate, too. It was group blame. A lot of teams double-teamed him, as he seemed to be the guy they had to take care of first, and as a result, Pickens would easily get frustrated and perhaps give up too quickly. I don’t think it’s any kind of alarm bell, though; more of a “we’ll get that out of him” once he reaches the NFL.”

Fit with the Packers

Get Kenny Clark help. That’s probably what Gutekunst hears when he walks into Woodman’s Food Market.

Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed are both set to hit the open market this offseason. That leaves Clark, Devonte Wyatt, and TJ Slaton as the notable defensive lineman on the roster.

With those two veterans on their way out, Gutekunst could look to add a defensive lineman or two in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Pickens could be a potential day two or early day three target for the Packers. The South Carolina defensive tackle has the size, power, and pass-rush upside to develop into a potential interior force for the Packers.

A particular South Carolina “fan” called-out DT Zacch Pickens on here last week after @seniorbowl included him in our Matchup of Week and @ZP6DT then clapped him w/ a team-high 12 tackles against Arkansas. He certainly passes the eye test. Body type .#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™? pic.twitter.com/w7cpFNRpAg

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) September 17, 2022

“He was plenty effective with what he had, and the potential is limitless,” Cloninger said. “It’s often said that Pickens hasn’t yet reached his full potential, and if he’s doing this now at half or 75 percent of what he could be, imagine what he could do when he doesn’t have to worry about school and such. Just football all the time. He could be a starter in year one.”

Clark has needed help upfront for quite some time. Wyatt played limited snaps during his rookie season and has the tools to develop into a dominant defensive lineman for the Packers.

Pickens isn’t as twitchy as the former Georgia Bulldogs. The South Carolina defensive tackle wins with his power. Adding him to the mix with Clark and Wyatt could give Green Bay a potentially strong group up front for Joe Barry.

PICKENS CO., S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Community Alliance for Sustainable Development (CASD) in Pickens County formed three months ago but is already starting to make an impact.

“Living in Pickens County is a great thing, but we got to keep it and we have to work for it,” said Kara Forward, who lives in Pickens County.

Part of the work was happening tonight as members of CASD met.

“It is absolutely critical for people to jump in and attend as many meetings as they can. Or if they can’t attend meetings, write into the county council, and city council and our other elected officials to make sure that their voice is being heard,” said Jessica Berryhill Massey.

Massey helped form CASD after attending a planning commission meeting on a proposed nearly 1,300-lot development near her home in December.

Since then, members of the group have attended every county council, city council, and planning commission meeting.

“To see all of our neighbors, and I don’t just mean immediate neighbors but the whole countywide neighborhood, come together and work for a common purpose is really, really good,” said Forward.

About once a month, CASD gets together to share updates from those meetings and the status of developments in Pickens County.

“I think it has become the biggest thing. It’s become more urgent because of how many people have been showing up to these meetings and the other meetings at the county and city level and writing in,” said Massey.

“We are not trying to hamstring anybody, we’re not trying to cut anybody out. We just want things done right and for the best interest of everyone in the county,” added Forward.

But what does growing the “right” way look like?

“Not having every square inch of Pickens County packed with the densest possible number of houses. It’s not letting developers come in and have a complete lack of accountability and enforcement from the county level,” said Massey.

One of the biggest priorities right now for CASD is to see the Pickens County UDSO get updated.

Copyright 2023 WHNS. All rights reserved.

GREENVILLE, SC – Customers in Greenville, South Carolina have the best experience when using the Verizon network, according to the nation’s most rigorous scientific testing company Rootmetrics®. In the most recent test measuring performance of major wireless carriers throughout Greenville, Verizon not only wins for overall network performance, but is unbeaten in the categories of accessibility, reliability and performance in texts and calls. Today’s results show steady speeds for Verizon customers in Greenville with Verizon’s median download speed increasing 21% in the market and Verizon’s median upload speeds increasing by 11% since last year*. This is the fifth consecutive testing period in a row Verizon has been unbeaten in the Upstate.

“Whether our customers are enjoying connecting with friends and family while on the move, connecting their smart homes through one of our home internet products or using our service in Greenville for small business or enterprise applications, we know customers count on us,” said Eric Lia, Vice President of Engineering and Operations for Verizon. “Our team has been working hard in Greenville to deliver these results, and we are not slowing down.”

Network enhancements in Greenville

These top marks are a result of months of deploying new enhancements in the network for those who live in and visit the Upstate. Network engineers have deployed new macro cell sites which are providing coverage and capacity to customers in downtown Pickens SC and the area immediately East of downtown Pickens, West of Seneca SC around the Hwy 123 and Hwy 28 intersection, and the Southern part of Lake Greenwood and Hwy 34 between Chappells SC and Ninety Six SC.

Network engineers have been busy deploying 5G Ultra Wideband service using Verizon’s recently acquired C-band spectrum, designed to provide wide coverage for 5G service. Nearly three hundred cell sites throughout the upstate are now upgraded with this new technology, providing 5G service to more than one million Upstate residents. Verizon has been deploying this service using 60 MHz of the spectrum they secured, but by the end of this year, customers in Greenville will be able to take advantage of additional bandwidth, almost doubling and in some cases tripling the spectrum available for 5G Ultra Wideband. That additional spectrum will turbo charge the service, offering significantly higher speeds, much greater capacity to accommodate more customers and more robust services.

In addition to adding more 5G service using C-band spectrum, Verizon is also deploying 5G service using Millimeter Wave (mmWave), its premium, high band spectrum which allows for extremely fast speeds and massive capacity. Verizon has recently added 35 5G Ultra Wideband small cell sites using mmWave spectrum, primarily covering downtown Greenville.

Clemson fans have more to cheer about because later this year, Verizon engineers plan to add additional 5G service using C-band spectrum at Clemson Memorial Stadium and Littlejohn Coliseum.

Services from the network customers rely on

For customers in Greenville, the additional coverage and capacity means more customers now have access not only to reliable, fast mobile service, but also Verizon Home Internet service, a different kind of home internet with no data caps. It’s ideal for anyone who wants super fast connectivity to stream, game or even work remotely. Verizon Home Internet is reliable and fast enough to power home connected devices: smart TVs, tablets, phones, gaming consoles and more. Plans start at just $25 per month with AutoPay and a select 5G mobile plan – all without extra fees, equipment charges, annual contracts or data caps.** Go to verizon.com/home for availability. Visit verizon.com/deals for the latest 5G phones and accessories.

Additionally, through Verizon Frontline, the advanced network and technology developed over three decades of partnership with first responders to meet their unique and evolving needs, public safety agencies in the Greenville area will also be able to experience the benefits of these network enhancements. To learn more about Verizon Frontline, visit verizon.com/frontline.

Greenville area businesses have access to 5G Business Internet from Verizon. 5G Business Internet is ultra-fast wireless business internet powered by 5G Ultra Wideband. This wireless alternative to cable internet is for businesses of all sizes and includes self-setup or professional installation options, multiple pricing and service options, unlimited data, and a 10-year price guarantee for 5G Business Internet service. To learn more about Verizon 5G Business Internet, visit verizon.com/5gbusinessinternet and plug in an address to see what service is available.

*Rankings based on the RootMetrics® Greenville RootScore® Report: 1H 2023. Tested with best commercially available smartphones on three mobile networks across all available network types. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of Verizon.

**5G Home Internet services available in select areas. Save $25/mo. when combined with an existing 5G Do More, 5G Play More, 5G Get More or One Unlimited for iPhone plan. With Auto Pay and paper-free billing req’d. Add’l $10/mo. w/o Auto Pay. Subject to credit approval.