Former Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson might have pushed himself into the top 10 of April’s 2016 NFL Draft after his showing on Sunday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Lawson was the big winner by many of the so-called NFL Draft experts during the defensive line and linebacker workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“Lawson tested very well on Sunday,” Jordan Raanan of the NJ.com wrote. “He ran a 4.70 in the 40-yard dash, which was fourth-best among defensive linemen. He ran an impressive 20-yard shuttle (4.21 seconds). This is the kind of explosiveness scouts wanted to see from the 270-pounder. The kicker was that Lawson showed this explosion during drills as well.”

Lawson was one of four former Tigers that worked out at the combine on Sunday. Linebacker B.J. Goodson had the next best performance, as he finished inside the top 10 in three events—the three-cone shuttle, the 40-yard dash and the vertical jump.

Defensive tackle D.J. Reader also competed on Sunday as did defensive end Kevin Dodd, who only ran the 40. He pulled up on his second attempt and took himself out of the rest of the competition. His official 40-time was 4.86 seconds, which he accomplished on his first run.

Dodd and Lawson came into the combine as possible mid-first-round selections, but Dodd will more than likely have to prove his worth at Clemson’s Pro Day on March 10. As for Lawson, he was able to achieve what he wanted to accomplish.

“I wanted to show how athletic I was and what I could do with my skill set,” Lawson said to NFL.com after his workouts. “I felt like I came out there and showed that today.”

After he was done working out with the defensive line group, Lawson stayed and worked with the linebackers as well. He is considered to be a hybrid defensive end in the league, and he wanted to prove to the scouts he can play as an outside linebacker in the NFL if he has to.

“I feel like I can play both,” Lawson said. “This past season, half of my twelve and a half sacks came with me standing up. I dropped back a lot and have a great tape of me in coverage going against great guys. I feel like I can play both.”

Lawson says he is ready to play at the NFL level because of the standard a defensive player from Clemson has to live up to.

“We have to be aggressive and tough,” he said. “That’s what Coach (Dabo) Swinney, Coach (Brent) Venables and Coach (Marion) Hobby preach to us every day. They teach us to be aggressive and go have fun, and that’s what we did as a defense. We had fun all year.”

Lawson, who was a consensus First-Team All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, said he models his game like the late great Reggie White. He said he studied the Hall of Famer’s technique on YouTube, watching how he used his hands.

The Clemson defensive end led the nation with 25.5 tackles for loss, including 12.5 sacks.

“When I look at my game, I feel like I can play both (the run and the pass),” Lawson said. “I believe I am a great pass rusher. I have speed and power, and finesse moves. I always had the ability to stop the run since I have been growing up so I developed as a pass rusher this past year and I feel like I am one of the best pass rushers in this class right now.”

Despite scouts and general managers asking World History questions like what is the capital of Japan and who was the fourth President of the United States, Lawson says he was very pleased with his performance at the combine.

“I felt like I showed the teams and scouts what I am able to do athletic wise,” he said.

Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

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