South Carolina football alum gets new NFL opportunity

Former South Carolina football standout Zacch Pickens is on the move in the NFL.

According to an announcement from the team, the New York Giants have claimed Pickens off waivers. The news just one day after he was waived by the Kansas City Chiefs. With the Giants, he will reunite with former Gamecock teammate Dante “Lil’ Turbo” Miller.

After spending the 2025 preseason with the Chicago Bears, Pickens saw action in three games for the Chiefs and spent the entire regular season with the team, both on the practice squad and the active roster. He spent two full years and an additional offseason with the Bears after earning a third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

With the Giants, Pickens will join a franchise that needed a shot in the arm at defensive tackle after an offseason trade of star Dexter Lawrence. New York drafted one tackle (fifth-round pick Bobby Jamison-Thomas), a player with whom Pickens will compete. Darius Alexander, Elijah Chatman, Leki Fotu, Chauncy Golston, Shelby Harris, and Sam Roberts also play the position.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!

Pickens was a former five-star prospect in the class of 2019. He spent four years at South Carolina, tallying 131 overall tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.

The big defensive tackle was a Freshman All-SEC contributor but played only a rotational role in 2019 and 2020. He became a full-time starter for the Gamecocks in 2021 and was a team captain in 2022.

Though he only had three tackles in the game, Pickens was very disruptive during the 2022 win over Clemson. He logged a sack and was in the backfield all afternoon. It was but another way the former TL Hanna standout spurned the Tigers, just as he did when he committed to the Gamecocks.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!