Clemson football report: NFL team looking to trade up for Travis Etienne

While many are skeptical of the Clemson football running back going in the first-round, one NFL team is reportedly sold on Travis Etienne as their future.

ESPN’s Todd McShay reported that the Buffalo Bills are considering trading up in the first-round to select Etienne, who is considered by many to be the No. 1 running back in the draft.

During an appearance on the Ryen Russillo podcast, McShay said that Etienne was the ‘hottest running back in the class’ and that his stock is soaring as we head into Draft Week.

"“Etienne is the hottest running back in this class right now in terms of where his draft stock is going to be,” McShay said. “I’m told that Buffalo at 30 is talking to teams ahead of the (New York) Jets at 23 and Jacksonville at 25 and going ahead of Pittsburgh as well to try to get into position to get Etienne.“They think he is the best back and they obviously want to pair him up with Josh Allen in that backfield.”"

For Clemson football fans hoping to see two Tigers come off the board in the first-round, this has to be good news

McShay gets a lot of things wrong, no doubt, but if he is hearing from sources that a team sitting at No. 30 in the draft considering trading up, we should take notice.

Why? That means there are other teams who are also considering selecting him before pick No. 30.

It’s so difficult for a running back to earn first-round status simply because of the track record in the league and the short span of a career that they end up having. For Etienne to be considered good enough to be traded up for in the first-round tells us just how much value many franchises think he can bring to the league.

Many believe that Etienne will fall to Round 2 and I’ve been of that opinion, but the closer we get to Draft Night, the more it’s beginning to look as if Clemson fans might not have to wait all that long to see Etienne come off the board.

Teams like the Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills have all been linked to interest in him as their first-round pick and it’s looking more and more likely that he ends up being selected on Day 1 of the draft rather than as an early Day 2 selection.