Daniel Jeremiah compares South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers to Daunte Culpepper

LaNorris Sellers shot up 2026 NFL Draft boards this offseason ahead of his redshirt sophomore season at South Carolina. NFL insider and draft expert Daniel Jeremiah was “blown away” by certain aspects of his game in 2024, and spoke highly of the Gamecocks signal caller throughout his recent scouting report.

The NFL insider compared Sellers to three-time Pro Bowler Daunte Culpepper, with a hint of Josh Allen and Ben Roethlisberger. The former Minnesota Vikings QB combined size with athleticism to produce impressive numbers early in his career, and Jeremiah expects Sellers to do the same at the next level.

“Before he suffered injuries at the pro level, Culpepper was an outstanding athlete with the frame/build of an outside linebacker. He could function in the pure drop-back game, but if pressured, he could buy time or take off and generate explosive plays,” Jeremiah wrote.

“There wasn’t any panic in his game and he was very difficult to get on the ground. Sellers still has some development ahead of him, but it’s easy to see why NFL evaluators are already buzzing about his potential at the next level.”

Culpepper clocked in at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds during his NFL career. Sellers is listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds by South Carolina and much like his NFL comp, the Gamecocks QB1 make the most of his dual-threat abilities. Sellers finished as South Carolina’s second-leading rusher on the team with 674 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.

While his legs can be used as an asset, Jeremiah explained that Sellers has struggled at times to stand tall in the pocket which progressing through his reads. If his first option isn’t open, he’ll start to scramble instead of looking for his second receiver. Across a full season of film, that’s the only major flaw Jeremiah has identified in Sellers’ game thus far.

The NFL analyst raved over the South Carolina QB’s lower-body strength, allowing him to absorb contact and shed tackles while avoiding the rush with his quickness. When he gets into the open field, its tough for secondary defenders to bring him to the ground.

His rushing prowess came on top of his 2,534 passing yards. More impressively, Sellers finished his first season as a start with 18 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions.

Ahead of the 2025 season, it appears that Sellers has all of the intangibles that NFL scouts look for in a potential first-round quarterback. In turn, all eyes will be on Sellers when South Carolina takes the field each weekend this fall. Their season begins on Sunday, Aug. 31 against Virginia Tech for the Aflac Kickoff inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.