Travis Etienne is set to join Clemson football history

Former Clemson football running back Travis Etienne is worth a top-10 pick but is not projected to hear his name called until the early stages of the second round.

That is not a knock on Travis or on Clemson football and their development – that is simply where the NFL is at when they gauge and scout running backs.

With offenses no longer running the ball down opponent’s throats, general managers and coaches feel that they can find a serviceable back at any point in the draft and are not in a rush to call their names.

Ian Cummings from Pro Football Focus has Travis Etienne being the third back off of the board but not until the 40th pick to the Denver Broncos. He actually has Alabama’s Najee Harris going 16th and UNC’s Javonte Williams going 35th to the Atlanta Falcons.

CBS Sports Ryan Wilson has the draft turning out much differently for Travis Etienne.

While he indeed has the ACC best all-time running back falling to the second round, Williams has him as the first pick in the second round as well as the first running back took overall. He has Harris going 34th to the Jaguars and Williams being selected by the Dolphins with the 36th overall selection.

Travis Etienne is set to join Clemson football history

In the history of Clemson football, just seven former running backs or half-backs have been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft – Banks McFadden, Joel Wells, Pat Crain, C.J. Spiller, Kevin Mack, Terrence Flagler, and Kenny Flowers.

Travis will not break the record for the highest back ever drafted out of Clemson (Banks McFadden went 4th overall in the 1940 draft) he still has a chance at making some real money. Should Travis in fact be the first pick of the second round and join Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, his first contract will be a four-year deal worth $8.6 million, which will include a $3.6 million signing bonus.

Had he come out last year, Travis would have been the sixth or seventh running back taken in the draft and his total compensation would have been anywhere from $4.9-$5.7 million. The $3 million difference says coming back to Clemson was the right move.

We are 22 days away from the 2021 NFL Draft and as excited as we are to see where our favorite former Clemson football players land, they are just ready to see where they start their professional careers and can write the next chapter of their lives.