Mel Kiper has 3 Clemson players in first round of latest mock draft. Here’s why
Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell had his hands full with LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the national championship game. There was talk that the performance could hurt Terrell’s draft stock.
Chase caught nine passes for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns that night against Clemson, with most of his damage coming while Terrell was defending him.
That game was a low point of Terrell’s junior season and one of the lowest of his career. It led NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller of Bleacher Report to suggest that a return to school would be the “smart move” for Terrell.
About three months later Terrell’s decision to turn pro appears to be a good one — his stock has continued to rise since the end of the college football season. The Georgia native made an appearance in the first round of Mel Kiper of ESPN’s latest mock draft, going No. 24 overall to the New Orleans Saints.
“Well, Terrell is a guy who has got decent length, very athletic. He has good recovery ability. And when you have decent arm length, you recover, you can break up passes that guys with shorter arms couldn’t,” Kiper said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. “He had that hiccup late (against LSU), but you can’t go by one game. One game can’t determine a player’s fate. Everybody has a disappointing game here and there. But I think in terms of the overall grade, it’s late first, early second for me.”
Kiper also mentioned the Minnesota Vikings, a team that drafts No. 25 overall, as a potential landing spot for Terrell.
In addition to Terrell, Kiper also has Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons and receiver Tee Higgins in the first round of his latest mock draft.
Kiper has Simmons going No. 4 overall to the New York Giants, and he previously called Simmons the most NFL-ready player in this draft class.
“Certainly I think Isaiah Simmons, with the versatility he has, would be the No. 1 guy on that list,” Kiper said. “He can run, he can cover. He covers like a safety, corner. He can get after the quarterback. I think he would be the one guy you would just highlight because he’s so versatile. I think he would be the most so-called NFL-ready player.”
Kiper has Higgins going No. 30 overall to the Green Bay Packers, dropping him 11 spots after previously having Higgins landing with the Las Vegas Raiders at 19.
Kiper previously said that he has Higgins in a group with Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Alabama’s Henry Ruggs as the top four receivers in the draft.
“Tee Higgins I would put in that group as well, to an extent. He ran pretty good at his pro day. It was one of the last pro days that happened,” Kiper said. “Obviously you would have liked to see him be a little more physical in those final two playoff games, but Higgins is probably right now to me at 4 (as far as receivers).”
