Draftnick Takes: “Passionate linebacker with great size, good instincts and a feel for how to play the position. Knight is a fluid athlete. He uses his eyes and instincts to diagnose quickly and he maneuvers around bodies like a running back. He’s adept at slipping blocks and rarely allows blockers to stick and sustain on the second level.” – NFL.com
How Does He Fit?: Knight is a sideline-to-sideline, physical linebacker who will continue to help bolster the run defense after the additions of DT T.J. Slaton Jr. in free agency and EDGE Shemar Stewart in the first round of the NFL Draft. He will be in the mix with free agent acquisition Owen Burks to earn immediate playing time at linebacker next to Logan Wilson and could also contribute immediately on special teams.
Age is more than a number: Knight on being a 25-year-old rookie: “I believe it gives me an edge. I tell a lot of guys that’s my edge because I have a wife. I know other young guys who have wives, as well. My family is my life. They allow me to do what I do. Being able to play in college as long as I did, I’ve seen a good bit of football, so I’m not a guy who teams will have to babysit, hold hands with. I’m a guy they can put in there on Day 1, Day 2, wherever they need me so I can provide for the team, get on that field and cause a lot of trouble.”
Did You Know?: Knight Jr. is married with two kids… He once broke a rim during a slam dunk in a basketball game … His cousin, DeAngelo Hall, who was an all-America defensive back at Virginia Tech who went on to be selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and become a three-time Pro Bowler during a 14-year pro football career with the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins… Knight is also a distant cousin of R&B legends Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin.