Clemson underclassmen talk NFL futures, plus where they might go in draft

Clemson has several underclassmen that could opt to turn pro after this year and enter the 2018 NFL draft.

One of those is redshirt sophomore defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who was asked about his future with the Tigers this week.

“It's not something that we really focus on. It's not fair to ourselves or our team or anybody to think about that now,” Ferrell said. “It's really just focused on playing the next game for Clemson. We're all in. We're so dialed in on this process and reaching our goals that we don't really have time to think about that stuff.”

Ferrell is projected to be selected as the No. 9 overall pick in USA Today’s latest mock draft, which was released Wednesday.

“Obviously you hear the talk and it's good that you have that talk because you know you have good guys that could potentially be really, really good players and that's what you want at a program but that's not really something you should focus on because it's not what's going to make you happy at the end of the day,” Ferrell said.

The mock draft has Clemson juniors Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant joining Ferrell in the first round.

Junior Deon Cain is projected to be a second-round pick, as is junior Mitch Hyatt.

Hyatt said he will make his decision with his family when the time comes.

"We've definitely talked about it and I've yet to come up with a decision,” he said.

Senior Dorian O’Daniel is projected to be a third-round pick, while senior Tyrone Crowder is projected to be a fourth-round pick.

Redshirt junior Kendall Joseph is also projected to go in the fourth round.

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Clemson underclassmen talk NFL futures, plus where they might go in draft."