A highly touted cornerback entering the 2021 NFL Draft cycle, Clemson’s Derion Kendrick opted to return to school instead of take his talents to the next level. That decision now looks a bit suspect as Kendrick is now reportedly no longer a member of the Clemson football team moving forward.
The first team All-ACC cornerback, a player who has had his fair share of discipline issues, including missing three games in 2019, and one game in 2020 due to issues, now faces a tough task in rebuilding an NFL Draft stock that would have seen him taken in the top-three rounds this upcoming April had he declared. What path back to the NFL does Kendrick now have?
What path to NFL Draft does Kendrick now have?
Given his exponential talents, the converted wide receiver will likely find a new home to play football in 2021, by way of the transfer portal. It is rare, however, for a high profile team to pick up a player who has been dismissed from another big school. The former five-star recruit will now have to re-open his recruitment process in hopes of finding a new home.
There is, however, another option for Kendrick: the Supplemental Draft. While it is too late for Kendrick to reverse his course and enter the 2021 NFL Draft, he could enter the Supplemental Draft, where the likes of Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor, and Jalen Thompson of the Arizona Cardinals have landed in the NFL through.
One way or the other, Kendrick will now have a bright red flag flying by his name in the NFL Draft process, and will have much to overcome moving forward. What does the future hold for Kendrick? The options are all on the table for the now former Clemson cornerback.