Former Clemson football defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is trending upwards as we head into the final week before the 2019 NFL Draft.
It doesn’t come as any surprise to Clemson football fans that Christian Wilkins is trending up draft boards.
Not only is Wilkins a talented defensive lineman with versatility, but he is a great personality in the locker room and the community, as well.
When you think about Christian Wilkins, it’s not just the dominant play on the football field that comes to mind.
Honestly, for me, it’s the moments he shared in the media. It’s his reactions after the two National Championships. It’s the pride that he had for both the Clemson football program and the University, in general.
It’s his decision to come back to school for one more year despite the fact that he had already completed his degree. It’s the fact that he was the first player to celebrate every single touchdown with his teammates. Wilkins’ personality and leadership traits were bigger than football. They transcended the game.
NFL Executives are taking notice of that.
For the longest time, Wilkins was considered a mid-20s pick in the first round. As we’ve gotten closer to the start of the 2019 NFL Draft, though, we’ve seen Wilkins’ name rise.
He’s now inside the top-20 of most major NFL Mock Drafts.
Why? Teams met with him and fell in love with his personality, humility and character.
Those intangibles are things you can’t teach, but they are signs of a successful person. Wilkins has that ‘it’ factor.
If a team gets him between the 12-20 range, I think they’re getting a steal. Even though there may be a few players that tested better than Wilkins or have a little more skill than him, they aren’t going to have the same amount of staying power because their mentality and work ethic are nowhere near the level of Christian Wilkins.
Oh, and let’s not forget that he was a pretty good football player, as well. Elite, actually.