Clemson’s NFL pipeline just keeps rolling. Two former Tigers, both household names in Death Valley and now stars at the next level, have been named first-teamers on Pro Football Focus’s All-PFF Team—a roster that features the very best the league has seen over the last 20 years.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence—two of the most decorated Tigers in recent memory—earned these top-shelf honors after already locking down spots on their respective franchise All-PFF teams. Their Clemson roots run deep, and now their NFL resumes are just as impressive.
Offensive Selection: DeAndre Hopkins
Hopkins, who first made a name for himself torching ACC defenses in orange and white, earned his spot on the overall NFL roster after already being named to the All-PFF teams for both the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. In 195 career games, he’s piled up 1,006 catches, 13,295 yards, and 85 touchdowns—numbers that put him among the NFL’s elite.
Hopkins’ run in Houston was remarkable, with three PFF grades in the 90s—92.0 in 2018, 90.2 in 2017, and 90.6 in 2015. Even after heading west to Arizona, he kept the bar high, posting an 87.1 grade in 2020. No matter the jersey, the former Tiger just keeps producing.
Hopkins is still hunting that elusive Super Bowl ring, but he’s not slowing down.
Defensive Selection: Dexter Lawrence
On defense, it’s no surprise to see Dexter Lawrence—now anchoring the Cincinnati Bengals’ front—grab a first-team spot. PFF analyst Nathan Jahnke broke down just how dominant Lawrence has been, stacking him up with the best nose tackles of the era.
"Dexter Lawrence II and Damon Harrison are the two players with overall PFF grades above a 92.0 on over 1,000 snaps while lined up at nose tackle. They have identical 92.4 grades and have played over 2,000 snaps at nose tackle," Jahnke wrote. "The two reached that grade in different ways. Nose tackles don’t typically have much success as a pass-rusher, but Lawrence has been excellent. He boasts a 15.5% pass-rush win rate while lined up at nose tackle, and the 10 other players with over 1,000 nose tackle snaps range from 2.6%-8.5%. Lawrence was also very good against the run, and his well-rounded play gives him the top spot."
He earned PFF first-team All-Pro honors in both 2022 (91.6 grade) and 2023 (92.9 grade), plus Pro Bowl nods and AP second-team All-Pro selections. Even after those monster years, he kept the standard sky-high with an 89.9 grade the next season.
In seven NFL seasons, Lawrence has started 102 of 109 games, piling up 30.5 sacks, 40 tackles for loss, 103 quarterback hits, and five forced fumbles. That kind of production is exactly what Clemson fans expected from one of the most disruptive forces to ever wear the paw.
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