Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Hemingway was a four-star recruit from Conway High School in Conway, S.C. in the class of 2020

Tonka Hemingway had a nice sack against Alabama this past weekend. The fifth-year prospect is part of a deep South Carolina defensive line that’s one of the most talented units in the country. He projects as a Day 3 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Tonka Hemingway, IDL South Carolina: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fifth-year defensive tackle from Conway, S.C.

Background: Hemingway was a four-star recruit from Conway High School in Conway, S.C. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 326 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 326 for On3.com. Hemingway was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. ESPN ranked him 184th in the nation (four-star) with an 82 grade out of 100. Hemingway played both sides of the ball in high school and even served as Conway’s punter at times. As a senior, he recorded 92 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and four sacks. Hemingway produced 60 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and three sacks as a junior. His sophomore season featured 49 tackles, five tackles for loss, and six sacks. Hemingway was a USA Today First Team All-State selection three times and was a First Team All-State selection for the state’s coaches in 2019. He was one of six national finalists for the Watkins Award, which is annually awarded by the National Alliance of African American Athletes to the top African American male high school scholar athlete. Hemingway was the Region VI-5A Player of the Year twice. He also played on the basketball and baseball teams for Conway and earned a First Team All-State selection in basketball after averaging 20 points per game. Hemingway was invited to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas in football and the North-South All-Star game for basketball. He was a football representative on the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for 2022-23 and 2023-24. Hemingway’s brother, Junior, was a wide receiver at Michigan who was selected in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. His sister, Shamae, played basketball at Coker College, while another one of his sisters, Janecia, was on the Francis Marion University softball team. Hemingway graduated from South Carolina in December of 2023 with a degree in public health. He was born on Oct. 31, 2001.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2023 spring practices following surgery for an undisclosed injury

Awards: 2022 Third Team All-SEC (PFF), 2022 Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, 2023 Third Team All-SEC (College Football Network), 2022 & 2024 Harold White GPA Award

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units, arm length should check boxes, wide upper body, athletically just outclasses some guards, long and quick horizontal step to exchange gaps at the snap, nice lateral explosiveness, single or two-handed swipe-rip, swim move, spin move, some instant win club-swims, club-rip, bend helps flatten rush angles, balance to maintain footing vs. double teams, steady anchor to battle combo blocks, gets skinny to split some gaps, beats slanting guards to their landmarks, pursues the ball downfield, gets hands in passing lanes

Cons: Age, arm length falls short of elite, athletic traits meet minimums but are far from exceptional, stuck on pass blocks too often, struggles to break clamps, hand counters go quiet at times, not a consistent power rusher, rush often fails if he doesn’t win early, struggled to maintain gap integrity vs. Georgia’s run game (2023), doesn’t maintain gap consistently vs. double teams, physically overpowered too often, block shedding and timing are works in progress

Overview: Hemingway lines up everywhere from 0-tech out to 3-tech for South Carolina and projects best as a pass rushing 3-tech in the NFL. He will use his special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units to contribute to NFL teams early in his career. Hemingway is an older athlete with adequate but not elite arm length. He lacks the mass of a traditional interior player, but his playing weight fits his style well. The fifth-year prospect lacks elite athleticism but still athletically outclasses some guards in one-on-one situations with his lateral explosiveness and instant-win pass rush moves. He exchanges gaps quickly at the snap to stress guards. His pass rush plan includes swims, spins, club-rips, and single or two-handed swipe-rips. Hemingway’s best instant-win move is his club-swim, but his spin has also produced some pressures early in plays. He has the bend and fluidity to flatten his rush angle and penetrate the backfield when stiffer defensive linemen can’t. Hemingway finds himself stuck on pass blocks too often. He struggles to break the offensive lineman’s clamp and doesn’t deploy hand counters frequently enough to maintain consistent pass rush production. The South Carolina native lacks the frame and size to generate displacement as a power rusher. His pass rush plan often fails if he doesn’t win early in the rep. Hemingway uses his balance to maintain his footing and anchor against combo blocks. Unfortunately, he struggles to maintain gap integrity against larger bodies working vertically. Guards overpower him too often and create clean running lanes through his gap. Hemingway’s block shedding technique and timing when separating from blocks are still works in progress. He gets skinny and uses his explosiveness to shoot gaps and split double teams. Linemen struggle to beat him to their landmarks. Hemingway plays with an impressive motor in pursuit.

Overall, Hemingway struggles to maintain gap integrity as a run defender, but he possesses an athletic advantage against some guards as a pass rusher. He prefers to defeat pass blockers quickly with club-swims or sudden gap exchanges at the snap. Hemingway’s lack of ideal measurables and inconsistent play put a cap on his projection.

Role & Scheme Fit: Penetrating 3-tech in an even front

Round Grade: Late Fifth to Late Sixth Round

Size: 6'3", 288 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 08-08-24

Updated: 10-14-24