Diondre Overton will be utilized in a way we’ve never seen before during the 2019 Clemson football season. It could be a nightmare for opponents.
The 2019 Clemson football wide receiver room is different than in years past.
The Tigers no longer have Hunter Renfrow as that mainstay option at the slot position. Renfrow was a possession receiver who could pretty much catch anything thrown his way. He served as a safety blanket for the Clemson quarterbacks and did an excellent job coming up with big receptions at the right time.
Though Renfrow didn’t put up a ton of stats or catch a bunch of touchdowns, he made the plays necessary to extend drives. On a Third and Moderate situation, you could always count on Renfrow to get open and catch the ball to keep the drive alive.
That type of wide receiver isn’t necessarily found on the 2019 Clemson football roster.
Now, it’s not to say that a guy can’t develop into that kind of player or that the Tigers won’t be able to attack opposing defenses in different ways. As a matter of fact, the early returns out of fall camp suggest something extremely scary for defenses.
Diondre Overton as the starting slot wide receiver.
With Amari Rodgers out with an injury for the first part of the season, the Tigers have been experimenting with different options at the position. Currently, Overton has been working with the starters.
Should the Tigers choose to go that route, they’d have three players- Justyn Ross, Tee Higgins and Overton- all sitting at that 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4 range and all around 210-215 pounds. That would be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses.
In many cases, a team doesn’t have one 6-foot-4, 210 pound wide receiver on the roster. Clemson could have three in its starting lineup. Talk about picking your poison.
It will be near impossible for a defensive backfield to have options big and strong enough to deal with slowing down Clemson’s wide receivers. Putting Overton in the slot is something the Tigers certainly need to do as it is a sure-fire way to create a mismatch in the opponent’s defensive backfield.