The current starters at defensive end for Clemson football are set to be historically great, but could the group behind them be the best in school history?
The 2018 Clemson football defensive line is set to be one of, if not, the best group to ever play in Tiger Town.
In the starting group, Clemson has four guys that will all be drafted in next year’s NFL Draft and will play meaningful snaps in the league.
Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant are both in great shape to vie for All-American honors this season and they are, without a doubt, two of the best to put on the Clemson football jersey.
I really enjoy watching them play and the duo that they’ve become.
Ferrell and Bryant are great, but could the group behind them become the best defensive end duo to ever play at Clemson?
The Best is Yet To Come…
I don’t think there’s any doubt that both Xavier Thomas and KJ Henry will play meaningful snaps as freshmen. That experience will be invaluable for them.
The best thing about this year for them, though, may not necessarily be the playing time experience, it may be what they learn under Ferrell and Bryant.
If Thomas and Henry were to become the best defensive end duo in Clemson football history, it will be, partly, due to the work invested into them by the veterans Bryant and Ferrell in 2018.
I really do believe, though, that Thomas and Henry are set to be historically great. They both have the talent to become All-Americans and really create havoc for opposing offensive lines.
Thomas is a guy that can use his explosiveness and shiftiness to beat offensive tackles off the line of scrimmage and get into the backfield.
Henry also has that same type of explosiveness and is already up to 250 pounds, which shows me that he is serious about developing as a football player.
Next: All-In Cookout Early Thoughts, Analysis
It will be interesting to see how their careers unfold and we’ve got a long way to go, but there’s no doubt that KJ Henry and Xavier Thomas have the ability, talent, drive and explosiveness to be two of the greatest in Clemson football history.