Clemson football players worked out and performed drills in front of NFL scouts on Thursday in one of their final opportunities to impress before the upcoming NFL draft.
By all accounts, the participating Tigers did very well.
In total, 10 players participated in the Clemson Football pro day. On the defensive side of the ball, Xavier Thomas, Tyler Davis, Ruke Orhorhoro, Sherida Jones, Justin Mascoll, Jayln Phillips, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Nate Wiggins took part. On the offensive side of the ball, running back Will Shipley and offensive lineman Will Putnam were in attendance.
Wiggins had another impressive showing just as he did at the NFL Combine, running a 4.28 40-yard dash and displaying a 36-inch vertical leap. Wiggins did not participate in all drills after suffering an injury during the combine, but he did enough to once again impress.
Shipley showed off his speed and versatility with a 4.39 40-yard dash time with a 38.5-inch vertical and scoring a 10.2 in the broad jump. Putnam showed his quickness for a lineman with a 5.45 40- and 4.70-seconds time in the shuttle run.
Defensive end Xavier Thomas had one of the best performances of the day, posting a blazing 40-yard dash time of 4.56 seconds which is incredibly fast for a 253-pound defensive lineman. Davis impressed as well, with a 5.02-second 40 time which showcased his straight-line speed for a 6-foot-2 inch, 300-pound defensive tackle.
Sheridan Jones and Jayln Phillips were a bit slower for back-end defenders, with 40-yard dash times of 4.67 and 4.65 seconds respectively. Jones displayed a 34.5-inch vertical, which Phillips’ jump was measured at 32.5 inches.
Mascoll and Orhorhoro ran at clips of 4.84 and 4.89 seconds respectively. Ruke had the best broad jump of the two at 9.8 feet. Justin was measured at 9.2 feet.
The last of the Clemson players taking part was Trotter Jr. who only participated in a limited fashion. He did not take part in the vertical leap or broad jump displays and no 40-yard dash time was listed by Clemson athletics.
It was, in all, a good day for Clemson’s draft-bound Tigers. Wiggins is projected as a first-round pick and possible as the first cornerback off the board. Trotter Jr. is expected to be one of the top linebackers on the board, and Shipley’s speed and versatility as an all-purpose back should be alluring to a number of teams.
Time will tell where each of these Tigers begin their professional careers, but Thursday’s pro day at Clemson did much to improve the stock of several of Clemson’s prospects.
