Demetrius Knight

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.

Demetrius Knight

No. 44 – Cincinnati Bengals
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(2000-07-21) July 21, 2000 (age 24)
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	245 lb (111 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 pick
Career history
Cincinnati Bengals (2025–present)
Roster status:	Unsigned draft pick
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life and high school

Knight 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

Georgia Tech

During 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

Knight 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

Knight 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

Pre-draft measurables

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]

Personal

Knight is cousins with former Pro Bowl defensive back DeAngelo Hall and distant cousins with musical superstars Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight.^[22]