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NFL littered with talented wide receivers from Clemson

By Tyreese Ingram

Oct 9, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Texans 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Texans 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the recent success of former receivers in the NFL and the apparent bright future of current receivers, Clemson football has grabbed ahold of the WRU moniker.

How many schools can say that every draft eligible receiver from 2012-2016 is currently on an NFL roster.

Clemson can.

From 2012, every receiver that finished his college career in a Tiger uniform is in the NFL. With Charone Peake making the 53 man New York Jets roster, Clemson has more evidence to validate that it’s a good place for receivers to develop and move on to the pros.

Joining Peake in the NFL are former teammates DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins(Houston Texans), Sammy Watkins(Buffalo Bills), Martavis Bryant(Pittsburgh Steelers), Adam Humphries(Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and Jaron Brown(Arizona Cardinals). As incredible as it sounds, all six of these receivers were teammates at Clemson during the 2011-12 and 2012-2013 seasons.

To get a true idea of how exceptional of a job Coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinators Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott have done, you have to take a look at each player. As you will see, this is not a group comprised of only 5 star receivers and first round picks.

Aug 26, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins (14) catches the ball during warm ups prior to the Bills
Aug 26, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins (14) catches the ball during warm ups prior to the Bills /
  1. Sammy Watkins, a five star recruit, 2011 US Army All-American, 4th overall pick in the 2014 draft. NFL highlights
  2. Charone Peake, a four star recruit, 2011 US Army All-American, 7th round pick in the 2016 draft. 1st NFL touchdown.
  3. Martavis Bryant, a four star recruit, 2010 US Army All-American, 4th round pick in the 2014 draft. Before enrolling attending Clemson in 2011, Bryant spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy. NFL highlights.
  4. DeAndre Hopkins, a four star recruit(2010), 27th overall pick in the 2013 draft. Hopkins was recruited as an athlete who could possibly play safety or wide receiver. NFL highlights.
  5. Jaron Brown, a three star recruit(2008), undrafted Cardinals free agent in 2013. Brown was signed to Clemson as an athlete. NFL highlights.
  6. Adam Humphries, a three star recruit(2011), undrafted Buccaneers free agent in 2015. Humphries was a teammate of Peake at Dorman High(SC) and was also recruited as an athlete. Highlights vs Rams(2016)

Dabo and company have a good eye for talent and especially within the state of South Carolina. Of the talented receivers, only Watkins doesn’t hale from the state.

Two of those South Carolina receivers just faced each other Monday night in the Arizona vs N.Y. Jets game. Jaron Brown had 4 catches for 35 yards and Peake had 5 catches for 43 yards as the Cardinals beat the Jets 28-3.

More from Clemson Tigers in the NFL

Thus far, the most successful receiver from the Clemson Six is DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins has been to the Pro Bowl and is widely known as one of the best receivers in the NFL. He has started every game of his career and achieved a career high of 111 receptions and 11 touchdowns in 2015.

When available both Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant have been explosive starters in the league. Watkins has dealt with injuries and is currently out with a foot injury while Bryant is suspended for one season following a second violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Before his injury, Watkins had 6 catches for 63 yards in two games. He has also started every game of his career and has averaged over 60 receptions, 1,000 yards, and seven touchdowns. Bryant has only been available for a total of 21 games in two years because of either injury or suspension, but he is well regarded as one of the best young wide receivers in the game. He has 8 starts, 76 receptions, 17 yards per catch, and a phenomenal 15 TDs in 21 games.

Throughout the first three years of his career, Jaron Brown has mostly been used on special teams and as a spot duty receiver. But after re-signing with the Cardinals for a fourth year, his reps have increased, and he is the fifth leading receiver on the season.

Lastly, are the former high school teammates, Adam Humphries and Charone Peake.  In his rookie season(2015), Humphries played in 13 games, caught 27 passes, and had one touchdown. The former free agent is now the starting slot receiver for the Bucs and second leading receiver behind Mike Evans. Like Brown, Peake started his NFL career on the special teams. But the Jets’s rookie has seen significant time as a receiver the last three games and that pattern could continue this season.

The next NFL prospects at Clemson are redshirt junior Mike Williams, junior Artavis Scott, sophomore Deon Cain, and redshirt sophomore Hunter Renfrow, who is a former walk-on. Williams and Renfrow are both from South Carolina while Scott and Cain are from Florida.

Other schools have claimed to be WRU, but it would be hard to leave Clemson out of the discussion. With the recent success of putting receivers in the league(6 for 6), the Tigers coaching staff has found the right formula.

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