Clemson football: NFL dreams are not over for those undrafted

Several former Clemson football players were faced with a hard reality over the last several days – the NFL is tough and it does not care where you went to college.

Of course, guys like Chad Smith and Sean Pollard knew coming into the draft that they would be a longshot to hear their names being called. The good news is that their NFL dreams are nowhere near over.

Both players will more than likely be invited to try out as rookie free agents when the NFL allows such a weekend to take place. While this does not guarantee them a contract or a roster spot on an NFL teams 90 man preseason roster, it will give them a chance to get in front of NFL coaches in order to show them that they at least deserve a chance for a more in-depth look over the coming months.

Of the three Clemson football products that were not drafted this weekend, Gage Cervenka, Chad Smith, and Sean Pollard, the most likely to end up on a 90 man roster is Gage Cervenka.

He has a lot of traits that NFL teams love – strength and as a former wrestler, he understands leverage and how to use an opponent’s strength against him. The good news with Gage, he is still really new as an offensive lineman and will continue to grow and get better.

Sean Pollard will have a chance if he picks the right franchise to tryout for. That is part of the not being drafted that can work in a player’s favor. Sure, hearing your name called on national TV is great, but when you go undrafted, you can have a say in which team you would like to visit.

If Pollard and his team did their homework, they should already have a list of teams that are need of interior offensive lineman (guards and centers) and should be able to make a decision quickly as teams are filling out their rosters.

All in all it was a great draft for former Clemson football standouts. The 2021 draft should be a special one.