Clemson Finishes 2019 NFL Draft With Six Total Selections

CLEMSON, S.C. — The Day 3 selections of defensive end Austin Bryant and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow brought Clemson’s total number of draftees in the 2019 NFL Draft to six on Saturday. The Detroit Lions selected Bryant in the fourth round (No. 117 overall), and the Oakland Raiders added Renfrow in the fifth round (No. 149 overall).

Clemson’s six picks in 2019 led the ACC, outpacing Miami (five), Boston College (four) and NC State (four) among conference programs to produce at least four picks this year. Clemson has produced at least five picks in five of the last six drafts, joining Alabama and Ohio State as one of only three programs in the country to do so.

With the six selections in 2019, Head Coach Dabo Swinney has now presided over 57 draft picks during his full-time tenure in Clemson, dating back to the 2009 season. He and Jimbo Fisher are tied for the fourth-most draft picks of any coach in that time frame, and the duo ranks tied for second among head coaches who remain active entering the 2019 season.

Bryant’s selection on Day 3 ended a 40-year drought between picks from Clemson for the Lions, as he became Detroit’s first selection from Clemson since 1979. He was the fourth Clemson defensive lineman selected in 2019, resulting in Clemson’s entire starting defensive line from its 2018 national championship squad being selected within the first 117 picks of the draft. Clemson’s output marked the 10th time in the Common Draft era (since 1967) that a school produced at least four draft picks on the defensive line in a single draft, joining NC State (2018), LSU (2013), Florida (2007), Wisconsin (2005), Miami (2003), Texas (1992), Miami (1990), Notre Dame (1972) and Grambling State (1970).

Renfrow’s selection by the Raiders in the fifth round gave Oakland three players from the same school in a single draft for the first time in the franchise’s history. It represents only the second time Clemson has had three players drafted by the same team in a single draft, joining three selections from Clemson by the New York Giants in 1983. Renfrow joins Clemson’s fraternity of NFL wide receivers, a group that combined for 34 receiving touchdowns in the NFL in 2018, the most by wide receivers from any school.

Updated notes for Clemson’s 2019 draft class as well as updated notes on each individual selection are included below.

CLEMSON NOTES

• Recorded six selections to give the program at least five picks in five of the last six drafts. Clemson is one of only three schools with five or more picks in at least five of the six most recent drafts (Alabama and Ohio State). 

• Has now placed 29 players in the NFL Draft over the last five years, tied with the 2013-17 drafts for the program’s most prolific five-year stretch since the NFL adopted the seven-round format in 1994.

• Led the ACC with six selections in 2019, surpassing Miami (five), Boston College (four) and NC State (four) among conference programs with at least four selections.

• Moved Head Coach Dabo Swinney into a tie for the second-most draft picks of any currently active head coach since his first full season in 2009 (57).

• Produced three first-round picks for the first time in school history, surpassing the previous record of two, set in the 1979, 1982, 2015 and 2017 NFL Drafts.

• Produced three players selected as defensive linemen from a single school in a single draft for the first time in NFL Draft history. (Note: In 2006, NC State’s Mario Williams, Manny Lawson and John McCargo went with the Nos. 1, 22 and 26 picks, respectively, though Lawson was officially submitted as a linebacker professionally.)

• Had a school-record four defensive linemen selected, breaking the previous single-draft school record of three from 2016 (Shaq Lawson, Kevin Dodd and D.J. Reader).

• Watches its entire starting defensive line from 2018 be drafted in the first four rounds in a span of the draft’s first 117 picks.

• Joined NC State (2018), LSU (2013), Florida (2007), Wisconsin (2005), Miami (2003), Texas (1992), Miami (1990), Notre Dame (1972) and Grambling State (1970) as the only teams to produce four draft picks on the defensive line in a single draft in the Common Draft era (since 1967),

• Pushed its total of defensive linemen selected in the Head Coach Dabo Swinney era (since the 2009 NFL Draft) to 17.

• Has now had multiple defensive linemen selected five times in the last nine drafts (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019).

• Produced three drafts picks for the Oakland Raiders in Clelin Ferrell, Trayvon Mullen and Hunter Renfrow, marking the Raiders’ first time selecting three players from the same school in a single draft in franchise history.

• Watched teammates be selected by the same NFL team in a single draft for the 17th time, joining the 1946, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1983, 1991, 1998, 2003, 2015, 2016 and 2017 drafts.

• Had three players selected by a single team in a single draft for only the second time, joining the New York Giants’ selections of Terry Kinard, Andy Headen and Frank Magwood in the famed 1983 NFL Draft.

• Had two players (Ferrell and Mullen) selected by the same NFL team in the first two rounds of a draft for the first time in school history.

• Was one of only three schools to produce three first-round picks in 2019 (Alabama and Mississippi State).

• Had two players selected in the Top 15 for the first time in a single draft for the third time in school history, joining the 1960 (Lou Cordileone and Harold Olson) and 2017 NFL Drafts (Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams).

• Matched its school record for picks in the first two rounds, tying the four selections in Rounds 1-2 in 2016 (Shaq Lawson, Kevin Dodd, Mackensie Alexander and T.J. Green). Clemson’s four defensive selections through the first two days of the draft (Rounds 1-3) were the most of any school in 2019.

• Has now had at least one draft selection in each of the last 17 drafts since 2003, representing the second-longest streak in school history behind a 24-year streak across the 1951-74 NFL Drafts.

• Has now had at least one first-round selection in six of the last seven NFL Drafts.

• Produced five picks from its defense (Ferrell, Wilkins, Lawrence, Mullen and Bryant) prior to its first offensive selection (Renfrow). It marks only the third time in the Common Draft era Clemson has had the first five members of its draft class come from the defensive side of the ball, joining the 1999 and 2016 NFL Drafts, both of which featured defensive selections with the first six picks of their respective classes.

CLELIN FERRELL (ROUND 1, NO. 4 OVERALL) NOTES

• Became the 52nd player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the ninth first-round pick of his tenure.

• Was selected with the fourth overall pick, tying Banks McFadden (1939), Gaines Adams (2007) and Sammy Watkins (2014) for the highest selection by a Clemson Tiger all-time.

• Was selected by Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden, the same head coach who selected Adams at No. 4 overall in 2007 during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• Became the seventh player selected by the Raiders all-time and the fifth to be selected in the standard NFL Draft (quarterback Lowndes Shingler was selected by the Raiders in the AFL Draft in 1961, and guard James Farr was selected by the Raiders in the NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL Players in 1984).

• Represents the second first-round pick from Clemson in Raiders history, joining Chester McGlockton (No. 16 overall in 1992).

• Joined the Raiders after winning the 2018 Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s best defensive end. The award’s namesake spent nine of his 15 pro seasons with the Raiders. Ferrell is the first Hendricks Award winner selected by the Raiders since the award’s inception in 2002.

• Was the ninth Clemson defensive lineman all-time to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft (Jim Stuckey, Jeff Bryant, William Perry, Chester McGlockton, Trevor Pryce, Gaines Adams, Vic Beasley, Shaq Lawson).

• Represented Clemson’s 30th first-round pick in the NFL Draft all-time, dating back to Banks McFadden’s selection by the NFL’s Brooklyn Dodgers with the fourth overall pick in the 1940 NFL Draft.

• Became the third defensive lineman from Clemson selected in the first round since the 2015 NFL Draft (Vic Beasley in 2015; Shaq Lawson in 2016).

• Was the first edge rusher selected by the Raiders in the first round of the NFL Draft since the franchise selected four-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack with the fifth overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.

• Will play for Raiders Defensive Line Coach Brentson Buckner, who was an All-ACC honoree at Clemson prior to being drafted in the 1994 NFL Draft.

• Became the fourth No. 4 overall selection in Raider history, joining Amari Cooper (2015), Darren McFadden (2008) and Charles Woodson (1998), who combined for 12 Pro Bowls as of the conclusion of the 2018 NFL season.

CHRISTIAN WILKINS (ROUND 1, NO. 13 OVERALL) NOTES

• Became the 53rd player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the 10th first-round pick of his tenure.

• Marked the Dolphins’ ninth all-time selection from Clemson, joining Don Testerman (1976), William Devane (1984), Robert O’Neal (1993), Lorenzo Bromell (1998), Jim Bundren (1998), Phillip Merling (2008), Chris Clemons (2009) and Cordrea Tankersley (2017).

• Surpassed Merling (No. 32 overall) as the highest pick from Clemson in Dolphins draft history and becomes Clemson’s first first-round pick in that franchise’s annals.

• Ranked as the third-highest defensive lineman selected by the Dolphins since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, trailing Dion Jordan (No. 3 in 2013) and Marco Coleman (No. 12 in 1992).

• Will play for Dolphins Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby, who coached Wilkins from 2015-16 while serving as Clemson’s Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Ends Coach from 2011-16.

• Became the fourth defensive lineman from Clemson selected in the first round since the 2015 NFL Draft (Vic Beasley in 2015; Shaq Lawson in 2016; Ferrell in 2019).

• Was the 10th Clemson defensive lineman all-time to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft (Jim Stuckey, Jeff Bryant, William Perry, Chester McGlockton, Trevor Pryce, Gaines Adams, Vic Beasley, Shaq Lawson, Clelin Ferrell).

• Represented Clemson’s 31st first-round pick in the NFL Draft all-time.

• Marked Clemson’s second selection at No. 13 overall all-time, joining Harold Olson’s selection by the St. Louis Cardinals at No. 13 in 1960.

• Became the sixth Campbell Trophy recipient to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, joining Alex Mack (California), Peyton Manning (Tennessee), Chad Pennington (Marshall), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia) and Tim Tebow (Florida).

DEXTER LAWRENCE (ROUND 1, NO. 17 OVERALL) NOTES

• Became the 54th player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the 11th first-round pick of his tenure.

• Was the 18th Clemson player selected by the Giants in the NFL Draft all-time, moving out of a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most of any NFL franchise.

• Was the third first-round pick from Clemson in Giants’ draft history, joining Lou Cordileone (No. 12 overall in 1960) and Terry Kinard (No. 10 in 1983).

• Represented the Giants’ highest selection along the defensive line since drafting the two-time Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul with the No. 15 overall pick in 2010.

• Became the fifth defensive lineman from Clemson selected in the first round since the 2015 NFL Draft (Vic Beasley in 2015; Shaq Lawson in 2016; Ferrell and Wilkins in 2019)

• Was the 11th Clemson defensive lineman all-time to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft (Jim Stuckey, Jeff Bryant, William Perry, Chester McGlockton, Trevor Pryce, Gaines Adams, Vic Beasley, Shaq Lawson, Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins).

• Represented Clemson’s 32nd first-round pick in the NFL Draft all-time.

• Marked Clemson’s first selection at No. 17 overall all-time.

TRAYVON MULLEN (ROUND 2, NO. 40 OVERALL) NOTES

• Became the 55th player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the eighth second-round pick of Swinney’s tenure. All eight second-round picks under Swinney have come from the defensive side of the ball.

• Became the 13th defensive back selected in the Swinney era dating back to the 2009 NFL Draft.

• Joined Marcus Gilchrist (2011), Mackenzie Alexander (2016) and T.J. Green (2016) as one of four defensive backs under Swinney to be selected in the second round of the NFL Draft.

• At the No. 40 overall selection, was Clemson’s highest defensive back selected in a draft since Tye Hill’s selection at No. 15 overall in 2006.

• Pushed Clemson’s current stretch of drafts with at least one defensive back selected to nine of the last 11 drafts.

• Represented the second Clemson player selected by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft, joining DE Clelin Ferrell, marking the first time the Raiders had taken multiple Clemson products in a single draft.

• Was the eighth Clemson player selected by the Raiders all-time.

• Joined Don Willis (1939) and Dexter McCleon (1997) as one of three Clemson players selected No. 40 overall all-time. Willis was the first draft pick in Clemson history, and McCleon played 10 NFL seasons that included a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.

AUSTIN BRYANT (ROUND 4, NO. 117 OVERALL) NOTES

• Became the 56th player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the 12th fourth-round pick of his tenure.

• Was the fourth Clemson defensive lineman selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, breaking the school’s single-draft school record of three set in 2016 (Shaq Lawson, Kevin Dodd and D.J. Reader).

• Was the sixth Clemson player selected by the Lions all-time, joining Joe Blalock, Dreher Gaskins, Dick Marazza, Dave Thompson and Jonathan Brooks.

• Ended a 40-year drought of Clemson picks by the Lions, as he was Detroit’s first selection from Clemson since Jonathan Brooks in the fourth round of the 1979 NFL Draft.

• Joined Vance Hammond (1991) and Curtis Whitley (1992) as one of three Clemson players to go No. 117 overall all-time.

• Gave the Clemson defense at least one fourth-round pick in six of the last eight drafts, joining Coty Sensabaugh (2012), Malliciah Goodman (2013), Bashaud Breeland (2014), B.J. Goodson (2016) and Carlos Watkins (2017).

HUNTER RENFROW (ROUND 5, NO. 149 OVERALL) NOTES

• Became the 57th player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the 10th fifth-round pick of his tenure.

• Was the ninth wide receiver in Swinney’s head coaching tenure to be drafted into the NFL. He is the 13th Clemson wide receiver under Swinney’s guidance to be drafted including Swinney’s stint as wide receivers coach from 2003-08.

• Represents Clemson’s eighth draft pick at wide receiver since 2013. Clemson’s seven selections at wide receiver since the 2013 NFL Draft were the most in the country entering the 2019 NFL Draft.

• Gave Clemson a draft pick at wide receiver for a fourth straight year, the longest such stretch in school history.

• Was the third Clemson player selected by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft, joining DE Clelin Ferrell and CB Trayvon Mullen, adding to the first instance of the Raiders selecting multiple Clemson products in a single draft.

• Was the ninth Clemson player selected by the Raiders all-time, including an AFL Draft and Supplemental Draft selection. The Raiders had gone nine years since their last selection from Clemson (Jacoby Ford in 2010) prior to taking three Tigers in 48 hours in the 2019 NFL Draft.

• Represented the third Clemson player selected by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft, marking only the second time in history that a team had selected three players in a single draft (1983).

• Was the first receiver selected by the Raiders in the first five rounds of a draft since picking three-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

• Snapped a streak in which Clemson’s defense was responsible for the program’s first five selections in the 2019 NFL Draft by becoming the school’s first offensive representative in the draft class.

• Was Clemson’s first selection at No. 149 overall all-time.

• Became the first Clemson player who began his career as a walk-on to be drafted into the NFL since the Atlanta Falcons selected Reggie Pleasant in the sixth round of the 1985 NFL Draft.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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