Clemson football defensive tackle Nyles Pinckney may have missed the spring with an injury, but he will make a huge impact in 2019.
The Clemson football team missed the presence of both Nyles Pinckney and Jordan Williams participating in spring practice, but the two still made an impact.
Both Pinckney and Williams- the projected starters at defensive tackle- were unable to participate in practice due to injuries in the spring. Despite that, both guys made an impact by continuing to lead and encouraging their younger teammates to get better on the field during the couple of months of spring camp.
Both are expected to be back later this summer, though, as they recoup from their injuries.
After looking back at some of the film from the 2018 Clemson football season, I’m convinced that Nyles Pinckney is going to be dominant in the interior of that defensive line, assuming that he is 100 percent healthy.
Is Pinckney as big as a Dexter Lawrence or as athletic as a Christian Wilkins? No.
But what he brings to the game is something different. Pinckney is a powerful defensive tackle with a huge motor.
He is a better pass-rusher than what Dexter Lawrence proved to be and does a really good job in stuffing the run.
Though opposing offense are going to think they’re getting a break after being blasted by Clemson’s defensive line in 2018, they’re going to be rudely awakened early in 2019. The Tigers are going to have elite pass-rushers at defensive end- led by Xavier Thomas- and Pinckney is going to prove to be a dominant option in the interior.
Teams are going to test both Pinckney and Williams early on and they’re going to pay for it. Will there be a drop off from last season? Sure, you can’t lose two historically great guys and an elite backup and be better, but I don’t think there’s going to be as big of a drop off as many Clemson football fans think or as many opponents hope.
Nyles Pinckney will be a big reason why that rings true in August.