Over the course of the next 72 hours, there are a few Gamecocks whose lives will change forever for the better.
The NFL Draft starts Thursday night at 8 p.m. and continuing Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (noon), all on ESPN, with likely five Gamecocks expecting to hear their names over the next three days.
Before the draft starts, though, a look at where the Gamecocks are projected to go this weekend.
Jaycee Horn
The cornerback is the prize of the Gamecocks' draft class, widely projected not only as a first round selection but potentially as a top 10 pick Thursday night.
Horn has been mocked as high as No. 10 to the Dallas Cowboys by CBS Sports and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who was close to Will Muschamp, who obviously coached Horn and recruited him to South Carolina.
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The likeliest landing spot for Horn seems anywhere from pick No. 10 to No. 16 with a few teams—Dallas, Philadelphia and Arizona—all needing defensive help. The Patriots at No. 15 could opt to trade up and give a team in the top 10 a pick there to also select Horn.
Pro Football Focus and both ESPN analysts have Horn going No. 16 overall to the Arizona Cardinals although Mel Kiper Jr. gives it a less than 30 percent chance Horn is there by then.
Sadarius Hutcherson
Hutcherson's case is an interesting one. The Gamecocks' big, bruising offensive lineman has the athleticism and positional versatility to be a mid-round pick but most mocks have him going very late or not at all.
A four-year starter at South Carolina at guard and tackle, Hutcherson is projected to go No. 258 (next to last) by PFF to the Miami Dolphins while The Athletic has him as a seventh round pick at No. 243 to the Cardinals. CBS doesn't have him in its seven-round mock while Sporting News has him going No. 185 overall (sixth round) to the Los Angeles Chargers with former Gamecock Melvin Ingram also on the roster.
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Seeing where Hutcherson goes—it still wouldn't be shocking to see him potentially as a mid-round pick—will be one of the talking points for South Carolina, but it wouldn't be shocking to see Hutcherson have a long career in the NFL.
Ernest Jones
Jones is also projected widely across the NFL mock drafts. Jones, who racked up almost 200 tackles in 26 games the last three years, is projected as high as No. 89 overall to the Cleveland Browns in the third round but as late as the seventh round.
PFF has him as a sixth-rounder going to Chicago, CBS a seventh-rounder to Denver and the Athletic a fifth-rounder to Houston. It's a wide-ranging projection for him but it appears the Gamecocks' linebacker will most definitely hear his name called this weekend.
Israel Mukuamu
Mukuamu is the third Gamecock who forwent his final season at South Carolina to enter the professional ranks, and he'll likely go day three with a chance to hear his name in the third round.
His highest projection comes from Sporting News, which has him at No. 100 overall (round three) to the Tennessee Titans, but most have him going in the fifth or sixth rounds: PFF with No. 160 (round five) to Arizona, CBS No. 203 (6) to Houston and the Athletic No. 217 (6) to Tampa Bay.
While he could hear his name called Friday night, there's a likelier chance based on mock draft it'll be at some point on day three.
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Shi Smith
Smith's situation is similar to Jones's. ESPN's Kiper projects the speedy slot receiver to go No. 82 overall (third round) to the Washington Football Team but the majority of his projections come on day three.
PFF has him No. 165 overall to Indianapolis in the fifth round, CBS No. 157 overall to Minnesota in the fifth as well while the Athletic has him in the fourth to Carolina No. 113 overall.
