Clemson football report: Former Tiger DL tears Achilles at NFL workout

Former Clemson football defensive lineman Xavier Kelly has reportedly torn his Achilles tendon during a workout session with the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday.

Kelly was one of just three players practicing when the injury occurred and he was carted off the field after not being able to put any pressure on his leg, according to reports.

Kelly graduated from Clemson in December of 2019 with a degree in sports communication and spent the last season with the Arkansas Razorbacks as a graduate transfer. He played in six games with Arkansas and accumulated eight tackles and one sack.

He was later signed as an undrafted free-agent by the Ravens, but the season-ending injury will be a major blow to any chance he might’ve had at extending his football career.

If things don’t work out in the NFL, Kelly absolutely has a bright future and Clemson football fans already know it

Kelly may get another opportunity to workout for an NFL team in the future- perhaps in 2022 following his recovery- but it would seem that the overwhelming odds at this point is that his football career, other than if he wanted to play in a minor league or in the CFL, has likely come to a close.

Clemson football fans who know anything about Kelly know that he put in the work while he was with the Tigers and left as a graduate. Though he was a 4-star coming out high school, Kelly was never able to lock up a starting role and got lost in the shuffle at times on the defensive line depth chart.

Still, he stayed the course and continued to develop. He was the epitome for what you want out of a team player and proved that to be true over the course of his career with the Tigers and the Razorbacks.

If things don’t work out in the NFL, there’s no doubt that Kelly has a bright future ahead of him in whatever direction he chooses to take.

For those that don’t know, Kelly is a world-class artist who has shown extraordinary ability to paint and draw. Below are some pictures of his work:

There’s no doubt that whatever he decides to do next, he’ll be successful and we wish Xavier Kelly nothing but a speedy and full recovery.