South Carolina DB projected to go top 20 in Field Yates' latest NFL Mock Draft

South Carolina junior defensive back Brandon Cisse decided to forgo his senior season and entered his name into the NFL Draft right after the 2025 season ended.

Many draft analysts have him going in the first round of this year’s draft, with ESPN’s Field Yates the latest in that camp. Yates released an updated 2026 first-round NFL Mock Draft on Wednesday, and he predicts Cisse to be drafted by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 18 overall.

This projection would put Cisse as the third player of his position off the board, following LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, according to Yates.

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Other ESPN analysts have predicted Cisse being selected that high, including Matt Miller, but most mocks have the former NC State transfer falling towards the latter picks of the first round.

If chosen in the first round, Cisse would be the sixth South Carolina defensive back to achieve that honor. The legendary group of Gamecocks includes Rick Sanford (1979), Dunta Robinson (2004), Johnathan Joseph (2006), former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore (2012) and current NFL All-Pro level player Jaycee Horn (2021).

South Carolina was Cisse’s second stop in his college career; after graduating from Lakewood High School in Sumter, he played his freshman and sophomore seasons with NC State. The two-year Wolfpack lined up at both outside corner and nickel.

After a successful sophomore season, Cisse transferred out and found his way back to the Palmetto State and joined South Carolina last offseason. The move was a good one; the defensive back posted 19 solo tackles, one forced fumble, an interception and five pass deflections in 11 games.

The lockdown corner’s best performances came against Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt, where he posted six solo tackles, one forced fumble and two pass deflections combined. Cisse’s sole interception of the season came against Kentucky.

Cisse was also South Carolina’s best coverage player all year, allowing just 1.5 catches per game, per Pro Football Focus. Another trait that sticks out on tape is the outside corner’s ability to stop the run and make open-field tackles. Per PFF, Cisse had an 85.7 percent tackle success rate.

The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh, PA, from Thursday, April 23, to Saturday, April 25.

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