What To Watch For: 2023 NFL Draft

NFL DRAFT DETAILS

WHAT: 88th Annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting

WHERE: Kansas City, Mo.

WHEN: 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 27 (Round 1); 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 28 (Rounds 2-3); Noon ET on Saturday, April 29 (Rounds 4-7)

TIMING: Round 1: 10 minutes per selection. Round 2: Seven minutes per selection. Rounds 3 through 6, including compensatory picks: Five minutes per selection. Round 7, including compensatory picks: Four minutes per selection.

TELEVISION: The 2023 NFL Draft will be televised nationally by NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and can be heard nationwide on Westwood One Radio, SiriusXM NFL Radio and ESPN Radio.

Click portraits below for bios of Clemson’s draft-eligible players. Click here for pro testing results.

STARS UNDER SWINNEY

Including his interim head coaching stint in 2008, Dabo Swinney has served as head coach for a total of 71 draft picks from Clemson, the second-most of any college coach — active or inactive — in that span.

NFL DRAFT PICKS BY ALL COACHES SINCE 2008
(2009 NFL DRAFT)

COACH: PICKS
1) Nick Saban: 113
2) Dabo Swinney: 71
3t) Urban Meyer: 65
3t) Brian Kelly: 65
3t) Jimbo Fisher: 65

NFL DRAFT PICKS BY ACTIVE COACHES SINCE 2008
(2009 NFL DRAFT)

COACH: PICKS
1) Nick Saban: 113
2) Dabo Swinney: 71
3t) Brian Kelly: 65
3t) Jimbo Fisher: 65
5) Kirk Ferentz: 52

In that time frame, Swinney has produced 15 first-round picks, the second-most among active coaches.

FIRST-ROUND PICKS BY ACTIVE COACHES SINCE 2008
(2009 NFL DRAFT)

COACH: PICKS
1) Nick Saban: 41
2) Dabo Swinney: 15
3t) Kirby Smart: 12
4t) Jimbo Fisher: 10
4t) Brian Kelly: 10

NEXT-LEVEL TIGERS

Since embarking on a run of six consecutive College Football Playoff berths starting in 2015, the Tigers have produced 36 NFL Draft picks, sixth-most in the country.

NFL DRAFT PICKS SINCE 2015 SEASON (2016 NFL DRAFT)

SCHOOL: PICKS
1) Alabama: 65
2) Ohio State: 61
3) LSU: 54
4) Georgia: 50
5) Michigan: 44
6) Florida: 43
7) Clemson: 38
Penn State: 37
9t) Oklahoma: 36
9t) Notre Dame: 36

Clemson has produced 56 NFL Draft picks during its current streak of 12 consecutive 10-win seasons, the seventh-most picks from a single school dating back to the 2011 college football season (2012 NFL Draft).

NFL DRAFT PICKS SINCE 2011 SEASON (2012 NFL DRAFT)

SCHOOL: PICKS
1) Alabama: 97
2) LSU: 81
3) Ohio State: 79
4) Georgia: 72
5) Florida: 65
6) Oklahoma: 59
7) Clemson: 56
8t) Notre Dame: 55
8t) Michigan: 55
10) Florida State: 53

GIMME FIVE?

Clemson has produced at least five selections in three of the last four NFL Drafts, including six selections in 2019, seven selections in 2020 and five selections in 2021. Clemson’s streak of three consecutive drafts with at least five picks from 2019-21 one shy of the longest streak in school history, set from 2014-17.

Only two schools have had at least five draft picks selected in a single draft more times than Clemson (seven) in the last nine years.

DRAFTS WITH 5+ PICKS (SINCE 2014 NFL DRAFT)

SCHOOL: YEARS
1t) Alabama: 9
1t) Ohio State: 9
3t) Clemson: 7
3t) Florida: 7
3t) Georgia: 7
3t) LSU: 7
7) Penn State: 6
8t) Michigan: 5
8t) Stanford: 5
8t) Notre Dame: 5
8t) UCLA: 5

DID YOU KNOW?

• Clemson has had at least one first-round draft choice in eight of the last 10 years. Clemson is one of only five schools with at least one first-round pick in at least eight of the last 10 drafts, alongside Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Ohio State.
• In the 2019, 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts, Clemson produced multiple first-round picks in three consecutive drafts for the first time in program history. Clemson and Alabama were the only schools to produce multiple first-round picks in each of those three drafts.
• Since 2013, Clemson has produced first-round picks from the QB, RB, WR, DE, DT, LB and DB position groups. The only other school with at least one first-rounder at all those positions in that span is Alabama.
• Clemson is one of only seven schools to have produced multiple draft picks in each of the last 20 NFL Drafts (Florida, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio State and USC).
• Clemson has had at least one player chosen by 29 of the 32 NFL franchises since 2003. The lone exceptions in that time frame are the Patriots, who last selected a Tiger in 1991, and the Panthers and Ravens, who have never selected a Clemson player.
• Clemson has had at least one player selected in 20 consecutive drafts since 2003, representing the second-longest streak in school history behind a 24-year streak across the 1951-74 NFL Drafts.

SINGLE-DRAFT RECORDS

Clemson’s single-draft record is 10 selections, set in a 12-round draft in 1983. Clemson’s most in a seven-round draft (and the most under Dabo Swinney) is nine, set in 2016.

Eight members of Clemson’s 2023 draft-eligible class earned invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine as potential draft picks. If all eight were to be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, it would tie for the fifth-most in a single draft in Clemson history.

MOST SELECTIONS FROM CLEMSON BY YEAR

YEAR: TOTAL
1) 1983: 10
2t) 2016: 9
2t) 1984: 9^
2t) 1960: 9*
5) 1991: 8
^Includes 3 selections in NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL Players
*Includes 5 AFL selections (four of whom were also selected in the NFL Draft)

FIRST ROUND RECORDS

In 2010, the NFL changed the format of the NFL Draft, moving from conducting the first three rounds on a Saturday and the final four rounds on a Sunday to a format that featured Round 1 on Thursday night, Rounds 2-3 on Friday night, and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday. In many years since, prime-time has become Clemson’s time.

Clemson has produced multiple first rounders in the NFL Draft seven times. In 1979, the dynamic quarterback-receiver duo of Steve Fuller and Jerry Butler became the first pair of Clemson teammates to go in the first round of the same draft, as Butler was selected fifth overall by the Buffalo Bills and Fuller went 23rd overall to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Three years later following Clemson’s first national championship, the Tigers produced another first-round duo, as defensive tackle Jeff Bryant was selected sixth overall by the Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Perry Tuttle earned the 19th overall selection from the Bills.

The other five instances have both come under current Head Coach Dabo Swinney. Clemson’s beloved 2014 defense produced two first rounders in defensive end Vic Beasley (No. 8 to Atlanta) and linebacker Stephone Anthony (No. 31 to New Orleans) in the 2015 NFL Draft. Two years later, the 2016 national champion Tigers placed two offensive stars in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, sending wide receiver Mike Williams to the then-San Diego Chargers at No. 7 and quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Houston Texans at No. 12.

In 2019, Clemson produced three first-round picks in a single draft for the first time in school history, with Clelin Ferrell (No. 4 to the Raiders), Christian Wilkins (No. 13 to the Dolphins) and Dexter Lawrence (No. 17 to the Giants) all going in the first round from Clemson’s 2018 national championship squad. It marked the first time in NFL Draft history that a single school produced three players selected as defensive linemen in the first round of a single draft.

In 2020, Clemson produced No. 8 overall pick Isaiah Simmons (Arizona Cardinals) and the No. 16 overall pick A.J. Terrell (Atlanta Falcons), giving Clemson multiple first-round picks in back-to-back years for the first time in program history. Clemson pushed that streak to three in 2021 when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected both Trevor Lawrence (No. 1) and Travis Etienne (No. 25) in the first round, making them the first QB/RB duo from a single school ever drafted by the same team in the first round of an NFL Draft in the Common Draft era.

TWENTY-ONE STRAIGHT?

Entering the 2023 NFL Draft, Clemson has had at least one player selected in the NFL Draft in 20 consecutive years. Another selection in 2023 would push the streak to 21, adding to Clemson’s second-longest such streak. Clemson had at least one player selected in the NFL Draft every year across the 1951-74 NFL Drafts, a span of 24 years.

LONGEST CONSECUTIVE DRAFT STREAKS
(CLEMSON HISTORY)

DRAFTS: NO.
1) 1951-74: 24
2) 2003-22*: 20
3) 1987-99: 13
*Active

After having no selections in the 2002 NFL Draft, Clemson’s current streak started when DT (and current Clemson Defensive Tackles Coach) Nick Eason and DE Bryant McNeal were both selected by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. That also marked the first time in history that two Clemson teammates were selected by the same team in the same round, a feat later accomplished by the Jacksonville Jaguars’ selections of Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

#WRU

Clemson has become an NFL pipeline for quality receivers over the last decade.

A 2020 Sports Illustrated analysis confirmed the distinction adding, “How prolific has Clemson been? Eleven of their receivers who entered the league between 2010 and ’19 started at least one game in the NFL. The Tigers are led by DeAndre Hopkins and his three All-Pro nods—only Central Michigan alum Antonio Brown has more. Added up, it’s enough to hold off a Michael Thomas–led Ohio State group, in large part because the Buckeyes didn’t have a single first-round pick in the 2010s.”

Since the 2013 NFL Draft, Clemson and Ohio State are tied for most wide receivers selected in the NFL Draft.

MOST WIDE RECEIVERS DRAFTED SINCE 2013 NFL DRAFT

School: No.
1t) Clemson: 11
1t) Ohio State: 11
3t) LSU: 10
3t) Alabama: 10
5) Georgia: 9

Tee Higgins narrowly missed becoming Clemson’s fourth first-round pick at wide receiver in an eight-year span, as he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the first pick of the second round in 2020.

Since the 2013 NFL Draft, NFL teams have selected a total 42 wide receivers in the first rounds. Clemson accounts for roughly seven percent of those selections, as its three first-round receivers (Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and Mike Williams) in that span that have combined for 1,507 career NFL receptions for 21,239 yards and 135 touchdowns while signing contracts with total career values exceeding $311 million. That figure excludes salaries for Clemson products who weren’t selected in the first round like Higgins ($10 million) and Pro Bowler Hunter Renfrow ($36 million).

TOGETHER AGAIN

While odds may seemingly be slim with only 32 teams and 259 picks in this year’s draft, Clemson could actually have a pair of teammates drafted by a single team for the seventh time in a nine-year span. A total of 19 NFL Drafts have featured at least one team drafting a pair of Clemson teammates, including the 1946, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1983, 1991, 1998, 2003, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021 drafts.

In addition, in 1984, the New York Giants selected Jim Scott in the NFL Draft and added James Robinson via the Supplemental Draft for USFL Players. The 1960 AFL Draft also featured both Lou Cordileone and Harold Olson’s selections by the Buffalo Bills.

For three-and-a-half decades, the Giants held the record for the most Clemson players selected in one draft, selecting Terry Kinard, Andy Headen and Frank Magwood in the famed 1983 NFL Draft. In 2019, the Raiders matched that mark, selecting Clelin Ferrell, Trayvon Mullen and Hunter Renfrow in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Raiders made a little more Clemson teammate history in 2020, selecting Tanner Muse with the No. 100 overall pick and John Simpson with the No. 109 overall pick. The span of nine picks represented the shortest span of picks between one team selecting two Clemson players in school history, passing the 14 picks between the Denver Broncos’ selections of Nick Eason and Bryant McNeal in 2003.

In 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars made Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne the first quarterback/running back duo from a single school ever to be drafted by the same team in the first round of an NFL Draft in the Common Draft era.

The 1991 and 1998 NFL Drafts both featured two sets of Clemson teammates sticking together in the selection meeting. In 1991, Chris Gardocki and Stacy Long were both selected by the Chicago Bears while Dexter Davis and Vince Hammond went to the Phoenix Cardinals. In 1998, the St. Louis Rams selected Raymond Priester and Glenn Rountree and the Miami Dolphins selected Lorenzo Bromell and Jim Bundren.

Eighteen of the NFL’s 32 active franchises have selected Clemson teammates in a single draft. The teams to do so include the Bears (1991), Bills (1960 AFL Draft), Broncos (2003), Browns (1968), Cardinals (1991), Chiefs (1979), Cowboys (1970), Dolphins (1998), Eagles (1955 and 1959), Falcons (2015), Giants (1960, 1983 and 1984, including Supplemental Draft of USFL Players), Jaguars (2021), Packers (1946), Raiders (2019 and 2020), Rams (1998), Steelers (1951 and 1972), Texans (2017) and Vikings (2016).

CLEMSON TEAMMATES SELECTED BY ONE TEAM IN A SINGLE DRAFT

1946 Green Bay Packers: G Jim Hough & T Frank Saunders
1951 Pittsburgh Steelers: B Ray Mathews & B Dick Hendley
1955 Philadelphia Eagles: G Clyde White & C Wingo Avery
1959 Philadelphia Eagles: T Jack Smith & G Jim Payne
1960 Buffalo Bills^: T Lou Cordileone & T Harold Olson
1960 New York Giants: T Lou Cordileone & FB Doug Cline
1968 Cleveland Browns: G Harry Olszewski & RB Jackie Jackson
1970 Dallas Cowboys: DB Charlie Waters & T Ivan Southerland
1972 Pittsburgh Steelers: TE John McMakin & DB Don Kelley
1979 Kansas City Chiefs: QB Steve Fuller & WR Stan Rome
1983 New York Giants: FS Terry Kinard, LB Andy Headen & WR Frank Magwood
1984 New York Giants: DT James Robinson* & DE Jim Scott
1991 Chicago Bears: P/PK Chris Gardocki & T Stacy Long
1991 Phoenix Cardinals: CB Dexter Davis & DT Vance Hammond
1998 Miami Dolphins: DT Lorenzo Bromell & T Jim Bundren
1998 St. Louis Rams: RB Raymond Priester & G Glenn Rountree
2003 Denver Broncos: DT Nick Eason & DE Bryant McNeal
2015 Atlanta Falcons: DE Vic Beasley & DT Grady Jarrett
2016 Minnesota Vikings: CB Mackensie Alexander & S Jayron Kearse
2017 Houston Texans: QB Deshaun Watson & DT Carlos Watkins
2019 Oakland Raiders: DE Clelin Ferrell, CB Trayvon Mullen & WR Hunter Renfrow
2020 Las Vegas Raiders: S Tanner Muse & G John Simpson
2021 Jacksonville Jaguars: QB Trevor Lawrence & RB Travis Etienne

^ AFL Draft
* Supplemental Draft of USFL players

HOMECOMING?

Mock drafts might not mean much, but don’t tell that to the mother of projected first-round pick Myles Murphy.

“I’m from Atlanta, and there was a mock draft that my mom saw and she got excited it said I was mocked at eight to Atlanta and I might stay home,” Murphy said.

Of the eight Clemson players invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, six hail from a state with at least one NFL team and could be awaiting a potential homecoming:

Georgia (Falcons): TE Davis Allen, DE Myles Murphy
North Carolina (Panthers): DE K.J. Henry, LB Trenton Simpson
Maryland (Ravens & Commanders): DT Bryan Bresee
California (49ers, Rams & Chargers): WR Joseph Ngata

Clemson’s other two combine participants also have potential geographic ties to an NFL team. Offensive lineman Jordan McFadden hails from Spartanburg, S.C., home to the site of the Carolina Panthers’ training camp at Wofford College, while placekicker B.T. Potter is from Rock Hill, S.C., a Charlotte suburb where the Panthers had planned until recently to build a new team headquarters.

Since the institution of the Common Draft in 1967, Clemson has had eight players selected by NFL teams from the players’ home states.

CLEMSON PLAYERS SELECTED BY THEIR HOME STATE TEAM
(COMMON DRAFT ERA)

1994: T Andre Hewitt (Dayton, Ohio — Cleveland Browns)
1995: LB Wardell Rouse (Clewiston, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
2009: S Chris Clemons (Arcadia, Fla. — Miami Dolphins)
2012: CB Coty Sensabaugh (Kingsport, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans)
2015: DE Vic Beasley (Adairsville, Ga — Atlanta Falcons)
2015: DT Grady Jarrett (Conyers, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons)
2020: CB A.J. Terrell (Atlanta, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons)
2021: T Jackson Carman (Fairfield, Ohio — Cincinnati Bengals)

TWO STILL TIGER-LESS IN THE DRAFT

Clemson has had at least one player selected by 30 of the 32 active NFL franchises.

The Baltimore Ravens have never selected a player from Clemson since arriving in Charm City in 1996. The city has been host to nine Clemson draft picks though, including one by the AAFC’s Baltimore Colts and eight by the NFL’s Baltimore Colts before the franchise’s relocation to Indianapolis.

The other team without a Clemson draft pick to its historical ledger is the Carolina Panthers, a franchise whose very roots trace back to Death Valley. The franchise that is now housed less than 150 miles from Clemson’s campus has never selected a Clemson Tiger despite playing all of their home games in their inaugural 1995 campaign at Memorial Stadium.

MOST RECENT PLAYER DRAFTED BY ACTIVE NFL FRANCHISES:

HISTORY MADE IN 2021

The 2021 NFL Draft was historic for Clemson, as it produced the program’s first No. 1 overall draft pick in history when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence was the third player in Clemson Athletics history to be selected No. 1 in the professional ranks of a Tiger’s respective sport, a group that has since been joined by Hamady Diop of Clemson’s men’s soccer program in 2023.

Lawrence earned his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2022, leading the Jaguars to their first playoff berth since 2017 and only their fourth division title since the team’s inception in 1995.

Included below are Clemson’s highest draft picks in program history and department history.

TOP PICKS IN CLEMSON FOOTBALL HISTORY:

TOP PICKS IN CLEMSON ATHLETICS HISTORY:

NOTES ON THE SELECTION OF TREVOR LAWRENCE IN 2021:

• Lawrence surpassed Banks McFadden (No. 4 in 1939), Gaines Adams (No. 4 in 2007), Sammy Watkins (No 4 in 2014) and Clelin Ferrell (No. 4 in 2019) as highest NFL Draft selection from Clemson all-time.
• Lawrence became the third No. 1 overall pick in Clemson Athletics history, joining baseball’s Kris Benson (1996) and men’s soccer’s Robbie Robinson (2020).
• Lawrence the sixth top-five pick in Clemson Football history and the 14th top-five pick in Clemson Athletics history. Including top-five selections Philip Mayaka and Kimarni Smith in the MLS SuperDraft earlier this year, 2021 marked the fourth year in school history in which Clemson has had multiple top-five picks across all sports, joining 1996 (baseball’s Kris Benson and Billy Koch), 2007 (football’s Gaines Adams and baseball’s Daniel Moskos) and 2019 (football’s Clelin Ferrell and women’s soccer’s Sam Staab). 2021 marked Clemson Athletics’ first year with three top-five picks across all sports.
• Lawrence joined Florida State’s Jameis Winston (2015), NC State’s Mario Williams (2006), Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick (1999) and Bruce Smith (1985), Miami’s Russell Maryland (1991) and Vinny Testaverde (1987), Syracuse’s Ernie Davis (1962) and Virginia’s Bill Dudley (1942) as the only No. 1 overall picks from current ACC programs. Of the previous selections, only Winston and Williams competed as members of the ACC.
• Lawrence, along with 2019 No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell and 2020 No. 8 overall pick Isaiah Simmons, gave Clemson three consecutive drafts with a Top 10 selection for the first time in Clemson history.
• Lawrence gave the NFL have back-to-back No. 1 overall picks with a national championship to their credit for the first time since the 1991 NFL Draft (Miami DT Russell Maryland) and 1992 NFL Draft (Washington DE Steve Emtman). Lawrence won a national championship during the 2018 season, and last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Joe Burrow, won a national championship during the 2019 season.

IN THE CARDS

Few NFL franchises have been as nomadic as the Cardinals, who have laid claim to four different municipalities in three different metro areas since their inception in 1920. Clemson has had at least one player selected by every iteration of the Cardinals, including four by the Chicago Cardinals, seven by the St. Louis Cardinals, two by the Phoenix Cardinals and two by the Arizona Cardinals, including linebacker Isaiah Simmons in 2020.

The Cardinals’ 15 selections from Clemson are the third-most by any single franchise all-time, trailing the New York Giants (18, plus a supplemental selection from the USFL in 1984) and Pittsburgh Steelers (17). The Bills (13) rank fourth, while four franchises (49ers, Bears, Colts and Rams) are tied for fifth with 12 Clemson selections each all-time.

COMPREHENSIVE DRAFT HISTORY

Clemson has produced a total of 284 professional draft selections by major American leagues, including the NFL Draft, NFL Supplemental Draft, NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL Players, AFL Draft and AFL Redshirt Draft. The list includes 270 players, as 14 were selected multiple times and/or in multiple leagues prior to the Common Draft era (since 1967).