While the Clemson Tigers continue their spring workouts this week, former Tigers are trying to impress NFL scouts around the country.
The NFL scouting calendar is transitioning from pro days, which are typically held on campus, to NFL site visits, or commonly known as Top 30 visits. Each NFL team can invite up to 30 prospects to their respective facility for in-depth visits.
In this case, it’s the final chance NFL teams get to ask questions and glean more information before the NFL draft starts on April 24 in Green Bay, Wis.
ESPN recently got ambitious and put together its own seven round NFL mock draft, plotting out a course for every selection in the draft, all 257 picks. When the dust settled, five Clemson Tigers football players found themselves in the mock.
The Tigers’ highest-selected player was linebacker Barrett Carter, taking in the third round (No. 99 overall) by the New York Giants.
The site reasoned that Carter’s ability as a three-down linebacker made him a valuable pick in the compensatory portion of the round. With Clemson he racked up 12.5 sacks, three interceptions and 30.5 tackles for loss.
Clemson didn’t wait long for the next selection, as safety RJ Mickens went No. 111 overall to the Carolina Panthers.
A valuable member of the tigers back line throughout his career, Mickens finished his Clemson career with 229 tackles and seven interceptions. He also comes from an NFL lineage. His father, Ray Mickens Sr., played in the NFL for nine years.
The Tigers waited until the sixth round for defensive tackle Payton Page to come off the board, as he was selected No. 181 overall by the Los Angeles Chargers. Page played more than 1,000 snaps in four years with the Tigers and finished with 69 tackles.
Tight end Jack Briningstool also went in the sixth round, No. 201 overall to the Los Angeles Rams. He left Clemson as its all-time leader in career receptions by a tight end with 127 catches. He was a two-time All-ACC honoree who had 17 touchdown receptions.
Offensive guard Marcus Tate went in the seventh round at No. 242 to the Atlanta Falcons. He started 37 of his 42 games with the Tigers and was named a 2024 All-ACC selection. He became only the third Clemson true freshman offensive lineman since 1972 to start a season opener.
The Tigers went 10-4 overall and lost to Texas in the first round of the expanded 12-team playoff. Clemson’s biggest offseason addition was defensive coordinator Tom Allen, the respected former Indiana Hoosiers head coach who is joining the program to fix its flagging defense from a season ago.