2018 NFL Draft: How the returning Clemson’s Defenders Impact the Draft
By Jon Dove
This week Clemson’s Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant all decided to forgo the 2018 NFL Draft and return to school.
The depth of the 2018 NFL Draft defensive line group took a major hit when three Clemson defenders decided to return to school. Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant all had a chance to go in the top 3 rounds if they entered the draft.
Their decision to return to school will make life difficult for NFL teams looking to address the defensive line. Ferrell’s decision leaves only three true pass rushers as 1st round worthy prospects on my big board.
That group includes Bradley Chubb, Arden Key and Sam Hubbard. There are a few others on the fringe but come with more question marks. Even Key and Hubbard are far from clean prospects at this point.
Michigan’s Maurice Hurt really benefited from Wilkins’ decision as he is now my top rated interior rusher. It could also push up other defensive tackles prospects like Vita Vea and Derrick Nnadi. The ability to locate high impact defensive linemen will be tougher this year.
There will also be a major impact on the college football landscape. Clemson’s defense should be one of the better units in the country. These three players returning to school gives them more depth, overall talent and experience.
We should all expect to see Clemson ranked highly in the preseason polls that are released. They could realistically be the favorite to win the National Championship in a lot of experts eyes.