Clemson football: 2021 NFL Draft shows why Tigers are here to stay

The Clemson football program saw five more players selected in the NFL Draft this past weekend. As a result, the Tigers have had at least five players taken in the NFL Draft for three-straight years, which is one shy of the program record (2014-17).

In addition to the five draft picks overall, Clemson football fans saw two players go in the first-round in Trevor Lawrence (No. 1 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars) and Travis Etienne (No. 25 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was the first time in Clemson history that two players from the program had been selected by the same team in the first-round.

But what may be even more impressive is the track record that Dabo Swinney is beginning to build. With the two first-round picks, Swinney has had a player go in the first-round in eight of the last nine drafts. He now has 69 total draft selections, which is second to only Nick Saban since 2009.

The 2021 NFL Draft shows that Clemson football is here to stay

In a year where basically every single one of your defensive stars elected to come back to school for another season, Clemson boasted five draft picks on the offensive side of the ball.

More than anything, this draft proved that the Tigers aren’t going anywhere.

When you look at the history of the draft over the last decade, you continue to find two coaches who are having success consistently putting players in the league: Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney. Everyone else is just playing catch-up.

Clemson isn’t going anywhere as long as Swinney is at the helm and he continues to prove this year-in and year-out following draft time.

NFL teams take notice of Clemson football because they respect the talent and development that’s coming out of the program. As a result, we’re going to continue to see recruits consider the Tigers when they’re looking ahead to their professional career.