By Will Vandervort
CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney says in his opinion, DeAndre Hopkins should have stayed one more season at Clemson.
The Clemson head coach said Friday Hopkins got as high as a second-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board and his advice to his star wide receiver was to stay one more year. Hopkins went against that advice Thursday afternoon and announced he was going to forgo his senior year and enter the 2013 NFL Draft.
Swinney was not surprised by Hopkins’ decision, though.
“I think it was close with Nuk,” he said. “I felt like he needed another year. Another year would be beneficial to him from an overall growth standpoint. That’s my opinion.
“I have said this before, unless you are a first-rounder, I don’t think it is worth giving up your senior year of college. That’s what my life experience tells me.”
Hopkins’ decision made it the third straight year Clemson has had a player jump early to the NFL. Last year, former tight end Dwayne Allen left and in 2011 former defensive end DaQuan Bowers decided to turn pro after his junior year. The difference in those two, however, was the fact they were both projected as first-round selections.
Neither one of them were drafted in the first round, though. Because of a knee injury, Bowers slipped to the second round where he was drafted to the Tampa Buccaneers, while Allen fell to the third round and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts. Both Allen and Bowers are off the productive careers in the NFL, and Allen was just named to two different All-Rookie Teams in the last week.
Swinney says, whether Hopkins gets drafted in the first round or not, he will be productive in the NFL. But, he says Hopkins from a contract standpoint, probably would have benefited by playing one more year at Clemson.
“I hope he can be (a first-round pick) and I hope he can possibly move up somehow, but I don’t know,” Swinney said. “(The draft) is an inexact thing. Receivers usually slide the other way.”
Swinney says an NFL team could be real high on Hopkins, but if their need is at offensive tackle or defensive end, they will skip him because they feel like they can find good receivers in any round, where offensive and defensive linemen are harder to find.
“At the end of the day, he is a grown man and he has to make decisions that are best for him. That he believes in his heart,” Swinney said. “When they make those decisions, your support them, it is as simple as that.
“I know this, he is going to be a great pro whoever gets him. There is no doubt. It’s not a matter of can he go and play. I think he will play at a high level. I think he will be a great player.”
Hopkins had one of the best seasons in Clemson history in 2012. The native of nearby Central, SC and Daniel High School had 82 receptions for 1,405 yards and 18 touchdowns in 13 games. He established ACC records for touchdown receptions in a season, consecutive games with at least one touchdown reception (10) and most games with a touchdown reception (12).
He finished the season with 13 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns in Clemson’s win over seventh-ranked LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. His yardage total was a record for the 45-year old bowl game.
He was named to a national All-Bowl team as selected by Sports Illustrated earlier this week.
“I think he has the potential to play a long time if he can stay healthy and all of that kind of stuff. I think he will be productive,” Swinney said. “I think it will be tough. I think he can be (a first-round pick), but it will be tough. I think he is deserving of that.”