At the midway point of the NFL season, ESPN released updated 2024 NFL Draft rankings (subscription required), with draft analyst Matt Miller giving who he sees as the top 50 prospects in next year’s draft class.
A trio of Clemson defenders appeared in Miller’s top 50, with junior linebacker Barrett Carter ranked the highest among them at No. 27 overall.
“The top weakside linebacker prospect, Carter is tailor-made for an off-ball playmaker position in the pros,” Miller wrote. “In his past 20 starts, Carter has 29 pass-rush pressures, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. He’s all over the field with his short-area quickness, field vision and instincts. He won’t fit every NFL team given his lack of bulk, but he brings a three-down skill set as a cover man, run defender and sometimes even pass-rusher.”
Junior cornerback Nate Wiggins is ranked two spots behind Carter, coming in at No. 29.
“Wiggins has locked down the CB1 spot for Clemson the past two seasons, showing excellent speed on a big frame,” Miller wrote. “In fact, one Clemson coaching source told me he’s the fastest player on the team. Wiggins is lean and can be susceptible to giving up catches on breaking routes, but his length and wheels are intriguing. And he is always around the ball despite limited targets, evidenced by 15 pass breakups since the start of last season. With two career interceptions, scouts will want to see better ball skills, but Wiggins has starter-level traits.”
Junior linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., meanwhile, checked in at No. 33 in Miller’s ranking.
“The son of a former NFL great of the same name, Trotter is a classic “thumper” at linebacker,” Miller wrote. “He excels when asked to move forward toward the ball, finding success on blitzes and stunts — he truly impacts all three downs. Trotter has six tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception this season. And he is able to make plays outside the tackle box on a consistent basis. Trotter reminds me of Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton with his short-area quickness and eye for the ball.”
Miller also gave his positional rankings with the top five draft prospects to watch at every position.
Carter and Trotter are ranked as the top two linebackers, respectively, while Wiggins is ranked as the No. 4 cornerback.
The 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled to be held in Detroit from April 25–27.
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