Clemson Football: What ’20 NFL Draft will say about ’19 Tigers

While Clemson football failed to secure their third national title in the last four seasons, their 2019 season was above average and the 2020 NFL Draft will verify that.

For the last couple of months, NFL draft experts have written all about the number guys that will be selected in the upcoming draft. A program like Alabama, LSU, UGA, and Ohio State are set to have quite a few selections in the Top 100 picks.

Clemson will have one, Isaiah Simmons. No, he will not be the only former Tiger selected, but he will be the only one taken in the first two days. Other players like John Simpson, Tremayne Anchrum, and K’Von Wallace will be drafted at some point, but none of them are expected in the first three rounds.

SEC fans love to talk about their conference domination during the three days of the NFL draft but Clemson again showed in 2019 that their coaching develops and gets the most out of every single player on its roster.

Whether people want to admit it or not, college football coaches do not care about NFL draft picks. They do not get paid to put guys in the NFL. They get paid to win college games. Sure, they talk about guys getting drafted, but Coach Swinney specifically doesn’t mention draft picks because he knows that it is out of his control and there is a lot that has to happen in order for a guy to get drafted and then do well at the next level.

Need a comparison? Alabama is currently blaming their 11-2 season and non-playoff year on a lack of NFL talent. They will have four players drafted in the first 15 picks and because none of them are on the defensive side of the ball, it is allegedly a sign of the roster issue. Keep in mind, Alabama has had a top-two recruiting class every year for the last decade whereas Clemson had one Top 3 class at that same time.

The 2019 season again showed that the Clemson football staff continues to overachieve while everyone else in the country continues to make excuses.