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South Carolina football DB Brandon Cisse declares for 2026 NFL Draft. Will he be a 1st-round pick?
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- South Carolina football DB Brandon Cisse declares for 2026 NFL Draft. Will he be a 1st-round pick?
South Carolina football DB Brandon Cisse declares for 2026 NFL Draft. Will he be a 1st-round pick? appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The South Carolina football program recently wrapped up its 2025 season, finishing the year at 4-8. While the team had some moments this year, including leading Texas A&M 30-3 at halftime and also very nearly knocking off the Alabama Crimson Tide , ultimately, it was another disappointing year for the Gamecocks.
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On Thursday, the team got word that one of their best players would no longer be in Columbia moving forward.
"South Carolina star cornerback Brandon Cisse is leaving school early to declare for the NFL draft, he told ESPN," reported Pete Thamel of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
"I'm excited to fulfill my lifelong dream," Cisse told ESPN, per Thamel.
With this being the case, some were wondering where Cisse might go in next year's NFL Draft, and if he could be selected as high as the first round.
According to Field Yates of ESPN, the answer to that question is yes.
Yates projected Cisse to go number 29 overall to the Seattle Seahawks in his most recent mock draft, writing, "Cisse is an ascending corner who showed off impressive man coverage skills after transferring from NC State in the spring."
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"He broke up 10 passes over the past two seasons, allowing a completion percentage under 40% in 2025. He's extremely comfortable lining up opposite bigger-bodied perimeter wide receivers, which could be asked of him in Mike Macdonald's defense," Yates added.
Overall, if he were to be taken by Seattle, Cisse would be joining what is already an elite defensive unit, and a team that feels that it has a legitimate chance to compete for a Super Bowl in the upcoming NFL postseason.
For South Carolina, replacing Cisse's production will not be an easy task, and it will be interesting to see which player the coaching staff opts to slot in at that position.
In any case, the Gamecocks will now look ahead to what will be a long offseason before the 2026 campaign gets underway.
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