Five players with South Carolina ties who helped themselves at the NFL Combine

The NFL Combine has wrapped and it’s a full-sprint to the draft next month.

With the week now capped, it’s time to take a look at a handful of the prospects with South Carolina ties who helped themselves in Indianapolis.

Here’s a few standouts:

RB Kevin Harris — South Carolina

The biggest knock on Kevin Harris was the back surgery he underwent over the offseason. It limited him throughout the year and he’s conceded he didn’t really feel like himself until the final few weeks of the 2022 campaign.

Harris answered plenty of questions about his back this week, but he’s indicated he feels 100% and back to the version of himself that led the Southeastern Conference in rushing during the 2020 regular season.

Beyond the injury concerns, Harris put up a nice performance with the limited testing work he did. He finished second among 32 running backs with a 38.5-inch vertical. He was also third out of 30 tailbacks in the broad jump with a mark of 10 feet, 6 inches.

Harris did not run the 40-yard dash during the week due to a hamstring injury he suffered in recent weeks, but he is slotted to run at South Carolina’s Pro Day on March 18, a source with knowledge of the situation told The State on Friday.

DL Amaré Barno — Virginia Tech

Amaré Barno — who starred at Westwood during his high school days — put up one of the most absurd 40-yard dash times we’ve seen in a long while.

His 4.36 mark finished tops among all edge rushers by a full second over Ole Miss’ Sam Williams and was the fastest official time recorded by anyone at the position since 2003.

Barno also finished first among defensive ends in the broad jump and sixth in the vertical jump.

The former Hokie was slotted in a tie for 10th in ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s positional rankings heading into NFL Combine week. Given the blazing speed and explosiveness he showed in Indianapolis at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, he’s likely to have caught the attention of professional scouts.

DB Decobie Durant — South Carolina State

Decobie Durant burst onto the scene in 2021 when he recorded a pair of interceptions and three tackles in the Bulldogs’ meeting with Clemson on Sept. 11. He’s only improved his stock over the past week.

Durant posted the fifth-fastest 40-yard dash time among all cornerbacks with a 4.38-second effort on Sunday.

The Draft Network’s Brentley Weissman graded Durant as a sixth-round pick. That stands to improve some given the way he ran at the NFL Combine this week.

LB Channing Tindall — Georgia

Columbia native Channing Tindall was another guy that helped his case with a speedy 40-yard dash time.

Tindall finished third among all linebackers with a 4.47-second official mark. He also recorded the second-best vertical jump of any player at any position.

The former Bulldogs linebacker was a bit of a late bloomer given the slew of talent in Athens over the past few years. He was a key cog for that historic Georgia defense in 2021, though, and his performance ought to boost his stock.

TE Isaiah Likely — Coastal Carolina

Isaiah Likely was a big part of Coastal Carolina’s ascension to the top of the Sun Belt the past two years, and he figures to have a legitimate NFL future.

One of two Chanticleers at this year’s NFL Combine, Likely only tested in two events this week. That was plenty to generate some buzz for himself.

The Massachusetts native recorded the best vertical jump out of the 13 tight ends that participated in the drill with a 36-inch leap.

Likely’s 20-yard shuttle did finish second-to-last among the 10 players in his position group that attempted it. Regardless, he should still be one of the first few tight ends off the board come the actual draft.

Other notes

▪ South Carolina edge Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare had a tough go at it in Indianapolis this week. His 4.87 40-yard dash ranked 17th out of 20 defensive ends. He also finished eighth among 22 at his position in the vertical jump. Enagbare hoped to test himself into the first round. He’s looking more like a Day 2 selection barring something crazy at South Carolina’s Pro Day.

▪ Gamecocks running back ZaQuandre White didn’t work out at all during the week. It’s unclear why he didn’t participate in any drills, but he profiles like a solid tester. It’s still to be determined whether he’ll work out in Columbia in two weeks.

▪ Only two Clemson players worked out this week despite four attendees. Justyn Ross and Andrew Booth are both working back from injuries, while Baylon Spector and Mario Goodrich both took part in a handful of drills.