A 2025 NFL Draft star received a massive payday, but he had to work to ends meet not too long ago.
A rookie NFL player recently reflected on his hard-working journey to become a professional.
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During the 2025 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals were on the clock with the No. 49 overall pick and had to make a decision.
That’s when linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. got the call from the Bengals to let him know that they chose him to be their second-round pick.
The 24-year-old signed a $9 million contract to play for the Bengals, but his new earnings come after working as a food delivery driver during college.
Knight recently told reporters that he worked as a driver for DoorDash during his collegiate time for the Charlotte 49ers.
The work came in 2023 as the Georgia native had to provide extra money for his wife and daughter.
“There’s no easy, quick way to make money when you’re playing football, going to class, and also trying to raise a baby,” Knight said, via Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway.
His first day of DoorDash work came hours after a loss to Navy in October 2023.
Knight jumped into his Jeep Compass and began making deliveries for the app-based delivery service for food and goods.
“I told my wife, ‘I don’t want to’ but I asked what we had in the (bank) account first, and it wasn’t much to get us something to eat,” Knight said, per ESPN.
“I had to do what had to be done.”
Knight is now a father of two and is just a few months older than new teammate Ja’Marr Chase, who will be entering his fifth season in the league in 2025.
The second-round pick played at three different schools and finished his six-year college career with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Knight was a team captain and co-MVP for the Gamecocks.
His decision to transfer to South Carolina was due to having the ability to earn more money via a NIL deal (name, image, and likeness) at the SEC school.
“I told them in order for me to come to [South] Carolina, I just want something where we pay our bills, we’ve got something left where we can go get groceries if we need it, and not have to go do DoorDash,” Knight said.
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Knight won’t have to worry about making ends meet again.
He will be under contract with the Bengals for four years with a deal value of $9.01 million.
Knight will have a chance to be a starter alongside linebacker Logan Wilson.
His goal in the NFL will be to be a hunter on the field, something he also did in college for his family.
“I like to say that when I’m going out onto the field, I like to hunt,” Knight said.
“Because if I don’t hunt, then my family doesn’t eat.”
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