A 2020 season that almost didn’t happen has Clemson senior receiver on NFL’s doorstep
Before Cornell Powell arrived at Clemson, and long before his breakout 2020 season, he set a goal for his single mother, Stephanie.
“She can take care of her grandkids every day, all day long. That would be her only job,” Powell said in 2016. “Until I get to that point, I’m not gonna stop.”
Fast forward to this year, where Powell is second on the team with 45 catches for 743 yards and five touchdowns. And this week he accepted an invitation the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the most-coveted showcase game for NFL hopefuls.
It’s a moment and opportunity Powell has dreamed about since he was a star at J.H. Rose High School in Greenville, North Carolina. And it all comes in 2020, a season that could prove life-changing for Powell and his family — and a year of college football that seemed on the brink of cancellation this summer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and others started the #WeWantToPlay movement in August, it wasn’t only about the biggest names in the sport having a chance to solidify their legacies and compete for a national title. It was also about players like Cornell Powell.
“This was kind of his year,” Lawrence said. “He had a really good spring and fall camp. He was expecting this year to be the year to prove himself, and without a season, he’s in a whole different situation.”
Finally breaking through at Clemson
Powell was a four-star recruit in the class of 2016 and had 65 receptions for 1,557 yards and 25 touchdowns as a high school senior. He was expected to come in and immediately contribute at Clemson. It was far from a seamless transition.
Powell struggled to consistently get on the field and make plays his first few years. Even last season he only had 15 catches for 122 yards. It was fair to wonder if Powell would ever meet the high expectations.
And with this year’s college football season in jeopardy over the summer, it was also fair to wonder if he had missed his chance to impress and earn an NFL shot.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney this spring said Powell was due for a big season, but there was still plenty of reason for skepticism. Swinney is known for talking up his players as much as any coach in the country, and he often predicts which guys will play in the NFL one day.
Powell, a fifth-year senior, had only caught 40 passes for 329 yards in 42 career games coming into this year. That’s an average of less than 8 yards per game.
“I didn’t know a lot about him because he hadn’t been on the field and done much,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy told The State this week. “We saw him on special teams pop up in the past when we were looking at Clemson special teams stuff.”
But that was it.
Powell even started off slow this year, catching 14 passes for 152 yards through the first six games, but he stepped up when Clemson really needed it.
With Lawrence testing positive for COVID-19 and missing the Boston College and Notre Dame games, Powell had 17 catches for 266 yards with true freshman D.J. Uiagalelei in at quarterback. He didn’t miss a beat once Lawrence returned, hauling in six receptions for 176 yards in a win over Pitt.
Powell tied a Clemson record with the three consecutive 100-yard games and joined Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins as the only Tigers with 150-plus receiving yards in back-to-back games.
“He has had a great year, been a great teammate,” Lawrence said. “And again, without a season, that changes a lot for him.”
An NFL future for Cornell Powell
Powell first appeared on the Senior Bowl’s radar this summer when Nagy had a conversation with Woody McCorvey, Clemson’s associate athletic director of football administration.
“Coach McCorvey gave us a heads up that this is a guy that they really believe in,” Nagy recalled. “They’ve always thought he is really talented. Just been log-jammed at that position and that position group at Clemson.”
Powell is quick to point out that he has played behind several current NFL receivers, including Tee Higgins, Hunter Renfrow, Mike Williams and Ray-Ray McCloud. After a breakout 2020 season, Powell is in a much better position to join them in the pros.
“I’ve spoken to about every team about him. He’s a guy they all wanted to see down here because he’s kind of a one-year wonder for them,” Nagy said. “This is going to be a huge week for Cornell to be seen by guys that are actually making the picks come April.”
The Senior Bowl is Jan. 30 in Mobile, Alabama.
Nagy, who worked as an NFL scout for nearly two decades, is almost certain Powell will be drafted. Nagy’s own goal is for every player who attends the Senior Bowl to get drafted. The question is where Powell will land, as he has the attention of draft prognosticators but is yet to show up in the various seven-round mock drafts that exist.
Without a season, and without several other Tigers wideouts battling injuries, who knows what Powell’s future might look like.
He could have returned and hoped for a big season in 2021, but at that point Justyn Ross, Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson could all be back in the offense. E.J. Williams is surging as well, and Powell is 23 years old.
“He’s helped himself a lot. He wouldn’t have been drafted without 2020 tape,” Nagy said.
Powell’s next chance to help his draft stock occurs in the Sugar Bowl against Ohio State on Friday. He’s continuing to put in the work so that his mom doesn’t have to.
“Going out there and making her proud and trying to make sure I do whatever I can to retire her one day; it’s definitely on my mind when I go out there and play,” Powell said. “I’m gonna get her whatever she wants, whatever that is.”
Cornell Powell’s Clemson career stats
- 2016: 12 rec., 87 yards, 0 TDs
- 2017: 8 rec., 57 yards, 1 TD
- 2018: 5 rec., 63 yards, 0 TDs
- 2019: 15 rec., 122 yards, 2 TDs
- 2020: 45 rec., 743 yards, 5 TDs
Clemson WRs in the NFL
Player listed with current team and year drafted or first signed as a free agent.
- DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona (2013)
- Tee Higgins, Cincinnati (2020)
- Artavis Scott, Houston (2017/FA)
- Sammy Watkins, Kansas City (2014)
- Mike Williams, San Diego (2017)
- Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas (2019)
- Deon Cain, Pittsburgh (2018)
- Ray-Ray McCloud, Pittsburgh (2018)
- Adam Humphries, Tennessee (2015/FA)
