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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) - Seven Gamecock football players have been invited to participate in this month's NFL combine.

Each year at the event, NFL general managers and scouts run players through a series of physical and mental drills to determine their ability to play at the NFL level.

Injured South Carolina runningback Marcus Lattimore headlines the list of players who have been invited. Lattimore injured his knee in October during a game against Tenneessee. He has since had surgery to repair several ligaments and is optimistic he will be ready to play at the start of the 2013 NFL season.

Back in December, Lattimore announced his intentions to enter the NFL draft and skip his senior season at USC.

During interviews at last month's Senior Bowl in Alabama, Lattimore indicated he was ahead of schedule in his recovery, had been running in a pool and was nearly set to start running on land again.

It isn't clear if he will be able to participate in any drills at the combine which starts Feb. 20 in Indianapolis.

Wide receiver and punt return specialist Ace Sanders has also been invited to the combine. Despite a standout junior season in which he scored nine touchdowns and set return records, Sanders surprised many last month when he announced he would leave school a year early to enter the NFL draft.

Here is the complete list of USC invitees:

Justice Cunningham

Devonte Holloman

T.J. Johnson

Marcus Lattimore

Ace Sanders

D.J. Swearinger

Devin Taylor