Clemson football: 2022 NFL draft class could set programs records

Looking ahead to the 2022 NFL Draft, Clemson football will have quite a few guys hear their names called throughout the weekend –which has become the norm under head coach Dabo Swinney.

However, unlike 2021 where Clemson football should have multiple former players called in the first round, Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, 2022 more than likely will not be the same.

With the exception of 2018, Clemson football has had at least one first-round draft pick since the 2013 draft class and in four of those years – 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 – at least two Tigers heard their names called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the NFL first round.

In the 2022 NFL Draft, Clemson football will more than likely tie a program record for NFL draftees. The 1983 class saw 10 former Tigers get drafted over the weekend – led by former defensive back Terry Kinard.

Clemson football could lose a lot of talent to the 2022 NFL draft

Justyn Ross, Xavier Thomas, Braden Galloway, Lyn-J Dixon, Mario Goodrich, B.T. Potter, Davis Allen, Andrew Booth Jr, Joseph Ngata, Frank Ladson Jr, James Skalski, and Nolan Turner are just a few examples of the players that could hear their names called a year from now.

There are plenty of others like KJ Henry that will be eligible to leave for the draft and could make a huge jump on NFL radars in 2021.

While there is plenty of NFL talent on the Clemson football roster, only one of those that will be eligible will hear his name called in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft – Justyn Ross.

That isn’t taking anything away from guys like Thomas, Skalski, or Turner but Ross is simply different and checks off every box that NFL teams are looking for in first-round talent. He is explosive, elite, has every conceivable measurement and the work ethic to match.

The measurements and explosiveness are what sets Ross apart from all the other potential NFL draftees on the Tigers roster and those are something that NFL teams cannot wait to get their hands on.

In the history of the Clemson football program, only three receivers have ever been drafted in the Top 10 – Jerry Butler (5th in 1979), Sammy Watkins (4th in 2014), and Mike Williams (7th in 2017). Depending on the bounce-back year that Ross has in 2021, he could join the exclusive club this time next year.