Another Lexington County football player is headed to the big league. 

Clemson and former Dutch Fork standout Antonio Williams was selected in the third round, pick 71 overall, by the Washington Commanders.       

He joins three Gamecocks selected in the draft as well.

Williams spent four years at Clemson, earning two All-ACC selections. He finished his Tiger career with  2,336 yards and 21 touchdowns on 208 career receptions and 25 rushes for 187 yards and two touchdowns in 2,035 career snaps over 43 games.

At Dutch Fork, Williams was a highly touted prospect, ranked in the top 100 of his recruiting class by many outlets. He played on three state championship-winning teams and only lost one game in high school. 

Williams will join a Commanders wide receiver room looking for playmakers. Terry McLaurin is the team’s top option, but he missed a significant chunk of 2025 with injuries. Former Gamecock Deebo Samuel led the team, with just 727 yards and five touchdowns. Samuel is currently a free agent. 

The three Gamecocks selected in the draft were defensive back Brandon Cisse, safety Jalon Kilgore and defensive tackle Nick Barrett. The Gamecocks have now had a player selected in 24 of the last 25 NFL drafts.

Cisse was the first taken off the board, going in the second round, No. 52 overall, to the Green Bay Packers. He spent one year in garnet and black after transferring in from N.C. State. 

In 12 games at South Carolina, he recorded 27 tackles, with one interception, five passes broken up and one forced fumble.

The Packers went into the draft, needing additional cornerback depth. Cisse will join former Gamecock Keisean Nixon in the position room. 

Barrett was the next Gamecock selected, going to the Los Angeles Chargers in the fifth round with the 145th pick. 

In five years with the Gamecocks, Barrett appeared in 51 games with 12 starts, recording 72 tackles. Last season was his most productive, ending with 42 total tackles, including six for a loss and two sacks. 

Barrett is the fourth Gamecock defensive tackle selected in the past four years, joining Zacch Pickens in 2023 and T.J. Sanders and Tonka Hemingway in 2025.

Kilgore was taken a few picks later, going in round five with the 167th pick by the Buffalo Bills. 

He was a three-year starter for the Gamecocks and earned two Second Team All-SEC selections. He played in 36 games, recording 178 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and eight interceptions.

Kilgore and Cisse became the latest in a long line of Gamecock defensive backs selected in the NFL Draft. The team has had a defensive back selected in five of the last six NFL Drafts, including  Jaycee Horn in 2021, Cam Smith and Darius Rush in 2023, Marcellas Dial in 2024 and Nick Emmanwori in 2025. Overall, South Carolina has had 25 defensive backs selected since joining the SEC.

While getting drafted is a good start, it is not a guaranteed path to a lengthy NFL career. Players will report for rookie minicamps in the coming weeks. After that, they will have to earn their spot on the team in mandatory minicamp and preseason training camp.