The 2013 NFL Draft has come and gone. For the South Carolina Gamecocks, both fans and players, it was a good event.

For the USC fans, it was great to see so many former Gamecock football players get their name called and have their dreams fulfilled. Much to celebrate and continue to hold that head high as the program is strong.

To the former players getting the chance to go to the NFL, will time to go to work on a bigger stage and earn a paycheck. Just don't forget your roots and please come back to offer support for the program as it is key to the future of the program.

To the current Gamecock football players, this shows that USC is respected as so many comments were made about the positive direction of the Gamecocks program under Coach Spurrier. Don't let up...continue the march to greatness.

To future collegiate football players or those considering the Gamecocks, I hope that you see that USC is legit and by playing in the SEC you get the exposure that NFL scouts like. Remember it is THE University of South Carolina.

As mentioned, the NFL draft was good for South Carolina and here is a quick recap:

DJ Swearinger was selected by the Houston Texans as the 57th pick overall.

Ace Sanders was selected in the fourth round, pick No. 101 overall, by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Marcus Lattimore was selected in the fourth round, pick No. 131 overall, by the San Francisco 49ers.

Devin Taylor was selected in the fourth round, pick No. 132 overall, by the Detroit Lions.

DeVonte Holloman was selected in the sixth round, pick No. 185 overall, by the Dallas Cowboys.

T.J. Johnson was selected in the seventh round, pick No. 251 overall, by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Justice Cunningham was selected in the seventh round, pick No. 254 overall, by the Indianapolis Colts as the final pick of the NFL Draft.

FREE AGENT DEALS

Bryon Jerideau signed with the San Diego Chargers.

Damario Jeffery signed with the Carolina Panthers.

Adam Yates signed a free agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

DeVonte Holloman is a Cowboy.

In the sixth round of the NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected South Carolina outside linebacker DeVonte Holloman.

It will be interesting to see if he gets reps as a safety or linebacker. At USC, Holloman started 22 games at strong safety and 13 at linebacker so he can do either.

Here is his stats while at Carolina:

2012 stats: 57 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 3 ints.

Career stats: 204 tackles, 2 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 13 pass breakups, 7 ints.

One thing is for sure, he will be a super player given the chance to shine. By reading the tweet sent shortly before his selection, I feel he is ready to prove many that he is ready for the NFL:

I will never forget this feeling...HELL TO PAY!

— DeVonte Holloman (@HolloMan21) April 27, 2013

We knew Devin Taylor was a beast. Well now, he is a Lion as the Detroit Lions selected South Carolina's Devin Taylor in the fourth-round (132nd overall) of the 2013 NFL draft.

Taylor, who is 6'7" and 266 lbs., ran a 4.72 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and should grow into a nice defensive end for the Lions.

Here is his stats broken down:

2012 stats: 45 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 FR

Career stats: 156 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 2 FF, 5 FR, 2 ints.

As you can see, he has huge upside and we wish him well.

The San Francisco 49ers got a steal in the fourth round of the NFL Draft as they selected Marcus Lattimore with the 131st pick.

What a journey for Lattimore as the day he got drafted was six months to the day of his second knee injury. Irony yet don't tell Lattimore that as he will take this opportunity and seize the moment, just like he always does.

Here is a breakdown of what Lattimore did at USC -

2012 stats: 143 carries, 662 yards, 11 TDs, 26 catches, 173 yards

Career stats: 555 carries, 2,677 yards, 38 TDs, 74 catches, 767 yards, 3 TDs

The 49ers will be happy with this selection as our their newest fans, you know....Gamecock Nation.

The first South Carolina football player to hear his named called in the NFL Draft was safety D.J. Swearinger. The Houston Texans took him in the second round of the NFL draft as taken 57th overall by Houston.

The senior started 12 games last season and finished with 79 tackles, two forced fumbles and seven pass breakups. He also returned an interception and a fumble for touchdowns.

The Texans got a playmaker who should get action in 2013 as it is hard to keep D.J. off the field.

Here is video of him as he got the news:

2012 stats: 79 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 ints., 7 pass breakups, 2 FR, 2 FF

Career stats: 244 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 6 ints., 2 FR, 2 FF

Good luck D.J. as I am sure you will make Gamecock Nation proud.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected former South Carolina football player Ace Sanders in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

Sanders set a record in 2012 with 429 yards on 28 punt returns. He also caught 45 passes for 531 yards and nine touchdowns. He should work out well for Jacksonville as they took him as the 101st pick.

2012 stats: 45, 531 yards, 9 TDs, 2 punt return TDs

Career stats: 99 catches, 1,230 yards, 13 TDs, 3 punt return TDs

Good luck Ace, make all the Gamecocks proud.

The South Carolina Football team held its' annual Garnet and Black Spring Game at Williams-Brice Stadium and put on quite the show with a final score of 44-30. The Black squad won thanks to 393 yards of offensive production. All being said, it was a great Spring Game for the team and also for the fans.

Walking away from the contest, there are numerous take-a-ways but here are five observations we had:

1. The Gamecocks offense could be one of the best in the Spurrier era. I know it was a Spring Game but both the Garnet squad and the Black squad did some impressive things on offense. The Gamecocks will be loaded at running back and should have a nice passing attack, led by the tight ends.

2. Losing Marcus Lattimore to the NFL a year earlier will be tough to overcome but the answer to getting over that missed production lies in Mike Davis and Brandon Wilds. Ladies and Gents, these two are the real deal and should quickly fill the shoes of what is missed.

3. Over the years, the Gamecocks have never had so many weapons to throw the ball to that what they have today. The WR corp is stacked with talent, only quesiton is who will step up every game and the tight ends are the best in the SEC. Don's want to think "fun-n-gun" but this could be a fun season for those that like offense.

4. The defensive will not let us down. There are many new faces on the defensive side of the ball but to the credit of Coach Ward and Spurrier, they have reloaded and should be just as good as the last few years. Many questioned the secondary last year and this year they seem to have quality depth which is key going forward towards the goal of a SEC crown.

5. Lastly, it is truly a great time to be a fan of the USC Gamecocks. Watching the Spring Game and seeing the type of players in the program now. Wow is the only word that can describe the feeling. The 0-11 and 1-10 seasons are not so far away and here the program is.....wow. Gotta say it is truly "great to be a Gamecock" and enjoy the good times as we have seen the low points.

The South Carolina Gamecocks football squad has gone through 10 practices so far this Spring Football session and here are some 10 quick observations:

1. What would spring football be without Coach Spurrier poor-mouthing the play of the offensive line? It is a fact that success in the SEC begins with this unit but we have full confidence they will begin to mesh before fall ball.

2. We talked a lot last year about Clowney and Taylor, well expect to hear a lot about Chaz Sutton and Clowney. These two could be the best defensive line combo in all of college football. Expect to hear their names called a lot in 2013.

3. Oh, Clowney is still a man amongst boys. UNC, beware.

4. Running back Mike Davis has erased all doubts about the running game in 2013. The entire unit is deep and should be poised for good things come fall.

5. There is a quarterback battle between Shaw and Thompson. Will be interesting to see who wins out. Early money on Thompson.

6. Speaking of QBs....Connor Mitch is the real deal folks. Expect great things from him in the coming future.

7. Vic Hampton, if he keeps his head straight, is a gamer and likely the next USC defensive back to make a NFL roster. He should have a very good year and be the shut-down corner that USC needs.

8. Landon Ard will be a good field goal kicker this year and this is exactly what we need to make a run at the SEC crown.

9. Going to say that one of the USC tight ends make All-Conference. Anderson and Adams are very talented and should impress this season.

10. Kwinton Smith at wide out. Remember that name as you will hear it a lot. He is on the right track to get reps and knows how to make the most of the chances.

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So those are just 10 quick things garnered from the recent scrimmage and the last ten practices. We will have more insight in the near future.

The South Carolina Gamecocks Football coaching staff got some good news yesterday as their checks should look a little nicer. Guess that is the cost of winning and keeping up with the market.

In our view, these raises are justified and deserved. It also keeps the staff together which helps to sustain a program.

Here is a recap of the money spent and to whom...

(Assistant - 2013 salary, 2014 salary)
Deke Adams - $225,000; 250,000
Kirk Botkin - $225,000; 250,000
Grady Brown - $180,000; 200,000
Shawn Elliott - $325,000: 350,000
G.A. Mangus - $175,000; 175,000
Joe Robinson - $325,000; 350,000
Everette Sands - $215,000; $230,00
Steve Spurrier Jr. - $325,000; 350,000
Lorenzo Ward - $650,000 for three years

This has been approved by the USC board of trustees.

The assistants were provided with a two-year contract keeping them with the Gamecocks through 2014. Coach Ward has a three year deal that is set to expire at the end of 2015. Coach Spurrier had his contract extended two years through 2017 back in December.

So again, price of winning and good to see.

There's no question the Southeastern Conference is a football powerhouse, and this includes the South Carolina Gamecocks. The team opened the 2012 season with six straight wins, including a 35-7 shellacking of number five Georgia, before suffering their only two losses of the season, number one to LSU and number two Florida.

It's hard to consider an 11-2 record as disappointing, but South Carolina, led by head coach Steve Spurrier, had intentions to win not only the Southeastern Conference, but the National Championship. A conference team has won the past seven consecutive years, and nine of the 15 contests held since 1998.

Still, the Gamecocks had an exceptional year and this can only happen with extraordinary players. The 2012 version of the South Carolina team includes at least five players projected to go in this year's NFL draft. Here's a look at what each accomplished as a Gamecock and their prospects in the upcoming draft.

Defensive End Devin Taylor

The big defensive end out of Beaufort, SC has an excellent college career, jumping right into the fire after redshirting in 2008. At 6' 8" and nearly 270 pounds, Taylor possesses all the skills necessary to be a starting defensive end in the NFL.

Taylor proved to be one of the strongest tacklers on the team during his four years as a Gamecock, but NFL teams will be interested in teaching him to be a pass rusher, something he also did well in college. His tall, strong frame makes him a good prospect in a professional game of pass-oriented teams.

He could go as early as the second round, which is optimistic, or as late as the sixth. A fourth round selection would not be surprising.

Running Back Marcus Lattimore

We should all be pulling for Marcus Lattimore to do well in the NFL draft. Not only did he make himself eligible for the draft after his junior season, he also suffered a brutal knee injury just a few months ago.

Not only does Lattimore have an incredible story, his entry in the draft raised the level of running back talent this year, banged up knee and all. He's currently rehabilitating his knee with the help of an NFL training staff, which is a good sign.

Because of his knee injury, teams interested in Lattimore will most likely need to be willing to wait a year for a chance at having a franchise running back, which should bring a dozen or so different teams to the table. A second-round selection is highly likely.

Punt Returner / Wide Out Ace Sanders

Ace Sanders was a second-team All-America and was named the SEC's co-special teams player of the year. He also led the Gamecocks with 45 receptions for 531 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also fourth in the nation with a 15.13-yard punt return average and was named MVP of the Outback Bowl, a 33-28 South Carolina win over Michigan. After all this, he decided to leave after his junior year at USC. Was it the right call? Time will tell. He is likely a late round selection.

Outside Linebacker/Safety DeVonte Holloman

DeVonte Holloman is going to give NFL scouts some sleepless nights. The natural strong safety from Charlotte, NC is an excellent tackler, and an extremely gifted athlete, but he's not particularly fast. It's this lack of speed that is the greatest cause for concern among scouts. Nothing spells touchdown faster than a slow safety against a speedy receiver.

Despite his shortcomings, Holloman is an excellent football player and deserves a shot at going pro. Any team looking for a talented athlete to play on special teams will be looking at Holloman somewhere in the fifth or sixth round. He could easily find a home for many seasons to come.

Safety D.J. Swearinger

The Gamecocks' second leading tackler, with 80 tackles in his final season, is the kind of free safety NFL scouts want to get in front of coaching staffs adept at mentoring good talent into top talent. At 5' 11", Swearinger is a tad short, but his skills as an open-field tackler more than make up for this.

Swearinger is also a fearless player, which accounts for the way he plays the game. Teams looking for good special teams players look for courageous players, which describes him perfectly. He's projected as a mid-round selection—fourth or fifth—but has the potential of moving up the board. If a team is looking for best available talent, D.J. Swearinger will be among the top considerations.

Center T.J. Johnson

Because of his athleticism and experience, South Carolina center T.J. Johnson could be drafted in this year's NFL draft. However, at 6' 5" and 318 pounds, he's not a top prospect at the center position. He lacks the ability get any leverage against shorter, stronger defensive lineman, which is problematic in the NFL because of the need to be a pass-blocker.

If Johnson does not get drafted, and this is likely, he could still find himself invited to training camp for one or more teams.

This year's NFL draft will be April 25-27 and the Kansas City Chiefs have the first selection. Which South Carolina player do you think has the most potential?

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Andy has lived in several different areas of the United States. He has worked as a freelance journalist for  The Daily Herald before being hired by a South Carolina satellite TV provider. When he is not watching sports programs, Andy can be found writing sports articles for Athlete Anthem.