The 2020 Clemson football team has several talented players who could end up being first-round picks before it’s all said and done.
The 2020 Clemson football team heads into the spring as one of the favorites to compete for the National Championship.
One of the reasons the Tigers are considered overwhelming favorites to get back to the CFB Playoff has to do with the amount of talent the program will put on the field in 2020.
As we prepare to head into the spring, there are several Clemson football players who will be looking to raise their draft stock this season.
Here’s a look at eight Tigers who are potential first-rounders in the 2021 NFL Draft.
8. WR Amari Rodgers
Amari Rodgers made the decision to come back to school earlier this year.
Rodgers didn’t quite have the explosiveness that we had grown accustomed to and part of that had to do with him coming off a torn ACL injury, in which he rehabbed in less than six months.
Rodgers is now practicing without the knee brace and is showing that old speed. Though he’s being overlooked by many national analysts, he’s going to take the College Football world by storm and could potentially vault himself up into becoming a late first-round pick before it’s all said and done.
7. TE Braden Galloway
Braden Galloway had to sit out the entire regular season last year serving a suspension, but he made a solid impact during the CFB Playoff.
Expect that to multiply this season.
If Galloway can prove his blocking ability to NFL scouts, he has the receiving skill and agility to become one of the most compete tight ends in the 2021 NFL Draft class- should he choose to declare.
Tight ends aren’t generally taken in the first-round, but if Galloway cements himself as the No. 1 overall TE prospect, he could get a look from one of the franchises late in the first-round.
6. Derion Kendrick
Derion Kendrick made the move to cornerback last spring and took the position by the reins.
Kendrick steps into his junior season with an opportunity to prove his NFL skill and make a major impact for Clemson football.
Kendrick has all the qualities to be an elite NFL cornerback: Speed, Cover ability, agility, physicality and confidence.
It will be about putting it all together this season.
If he can do that, there’s no reason to believe that the junior couldn’t become a top-three CB prospect and declare early with a first-round grade.
5. LT Jackson Carman
Jackson Carman steps into his junior season as the lone returning starter for Clemson football.
Carman is going to be a preseason All-American and one of the most sought-after tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft, assuming that he declares.
Offensive Tackles are at a premium in terms of draft prospects and Carman should be able to easily find a way to get into the first-round.
He has the size, footwork, speed and measurables to be a prospect that NFL scouts fall in love with next spring.
4. WR Justyn Ross
Justyn Ross fell off a little bit last season in terms of production and there were times where he was a bit quieter than Clemson football fans would’ve liked.
As a result, he’s being overlooked on many preseason lists but there’s still no reason to believe that he can’t vault himself up draft boards this season.
Ross has the body, athleticism and catch ability to be a big-time play-maker at the next level. He’s going to prove that this season and, as a result, will be one of the top receivers in next year’s draft class- assuming he declares, as well.
3. DE Xavier Thomas
Xavier Thomas had a strange 2019, to say the least.
He was a preseason All-American, but never reached that level on the field. He struggled with injuries and wasn’t able to shine quite as much in that 3-4 base that the Tigers ran.
This season, though, you can expect a full re-emergence from No. 3.
Thomas is going to show that explosive ability like never before and he’s going to be one of the nation’s sack leaders.
The result? He’ll be one of the top edge-rushers taken in the 2021 NFL Draft once he declares.
2. RB Travis Etienne
Travis Etienne didn’t come back for another season so he could fiddle around with draft grades.
Etienne would’ve likely been a second-rounder had he come out this season and now he’ll be looking to vault into the first-round as one of the top running backs taken in the draft.
Etienne has the talent to not only become a first-rounder, but compete for the Heisman Trophy. Look for him to have a big year and to complete destroy the all-time rushing record for the program that he already set in three seasons.
1. QB Trevor Lawrence
Leading our list is none other than QB Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence is considered the top prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft class currently and he has a solid chance of earning that No. 1 overall pick before it’s all said and done.
Lawrence is going to be a preseason All-American and he’s going to compete for the Heisman Trophy.
It’s going to be fun to see what the Clemson football QB can do before he declares after his junior season and to see if he can somehow lead the Tigers to a second National Championship victory.
Lawrence is a special player and will, without a doubt, be one of the top picks in next year’s NFL Draft.