Background

Brandon Cisse was born on July 3, 2005, and grew up in Sumter, South Carolina. He attended Lakewood High School, where he played both cornerback and wide receiver, posting 37 tackles and an interception on defense and 42 receptions for 764 yards and 8 touchdowns on offense as a senior. A three-star recruit, he committed to NC State and played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2023, recording 10 tackles and sealing a victory over Miami with a late interception. He appeared in 9 games as a sophomore in 2024 with 28 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and 5 pass breakups. To live out his dream of playing in his home state, he transferred to South Carolina in January 2025 and earned Newcomer of the Spring honors for both defense and special teams. He started all 12 games at cornerback for the Gamecocks, tallying 27 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 2 quarterback hurries, 5 pass breakups, an interception, and a forced fumble while serving as a game captain against Kentucky and Ole Miss. Career totals across 3 seasons: 65 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. He describes himself as a football junkie who loves improving the mental side of his game. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft as a junior.

Physical Attributes

Cisse is a twitchy athlete. He is not the most fluid mover and instead relies more on the power in his athleticism. There is no problem for Cisse to burst of his back foot and drive at the ball, and do it in a hurry. Once he arrives, he comes downhill with power and speed that allow him to stop receivers dead in their tracks, even if it is not paired with the best technique.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my CB radar charts, you can find more information here

A small theme is emerging from Columbia. Shane Beamer finds freaky athletes to play for the Gamecocks. Though that is the only thing he does. These insane athletes all seem incredibly raw, and stay that way throughout their college careers. That leads to more variance in the outcomes of players coming out of South Carolina, because you really have to bet on development and their ability to take in new coaching, when it seems like they have not had to. Which leads us nicely into the next player on the raw, unfinished athlete conveyor belt out of the Palmetto State, Brandon Cisse.

As you would expect from a player described as raw, Cisse has very poor play recognition. There are plays where the ball is halfway to the receiver before he reacts. Simple moves from non-technical wide receivers have him taking the bait like a bluegill with a worm on the hook. In zone, his awareness of what is going on around him leaves him out of position and allowing QBs to complete much easier passes than they should have to.

The good news is Cisse can make up for these technical shortcomings with his athleticism, but even that lets him down sometimes. Being a twitchier athlete than fluid, he can struggle with looser receivers. Once Cisse is moving in one direction, he takes more time than ideal to change to another. A lot of this has to do with some sloppy footwork. He takes one or two extra steps to help him push in the new direction instead of sinking his hips into the first step and firing off. When combined with his poor anticipation, this led to Cisse being late when playing zone coverage off a backpedal. He has the speed to get down and make the play, but he does not.

You can tell Cisse loves to compete, though, and I could never question his effort on tape. He wants to be involved and exert his physical influence on the game. He tries in the run game and can make some highlight tackles, but also highlight swings and misses. When in press coverage, he wants to get his hands on the receiver and loves letting them know he is there the whole way down the field. With only three penalties, his handsiness is not a red flag, but definitely something to be aware of that more nuanced NFL receivers could take advantage of.

Grade and Outlook

The way Cisse plays, I would love to have him as a big nickel, and think if he hits out at the high end, he could be one of those defense-changing type players. Though that means he has to deal with smaller, more technical slot receivers, which seems like a terrible idea. So he is stuck in this no-man's-land of ideally on the inside, but can really only play the outside because of the route tree he would see out there. Still only 20 until July, I will bet he develops a lot in the NFL, but not to the top of his athletic potential.

Grade: 5.9 (2nd Rounder)