Clemson Rookie’s Preseason Performance Earns Top Grade
By: Gavin Oliver August 13, 2025

Former Clemson safety R.J. Mickens enjoyed a strong performance in Week 1 of the NFL preseason. In fact, he graded out better than any other first-year player at his position.

Mickens, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the sixth round (No. 214 overall) of this year’s NFL Draft, posted a 93.0 grade in the Chargers’ 27-13 win over the New Orleans Saints this past Sunday.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mickens was the highest-graded rookie safety from Week 1 of the preseason.

Not only that, but Mickens was also the fourth highest-graded rookie, regardless of position, by PFF overall grade from Week 1 of the preseason.

“Mickens tied for the position lead in PFF tackling grade (85.7) and tied for the third-best PFF coverage grade (90.4) with fellow rookie Kitan Crawford. He was targeted twice in coverage against the Saints and allowed one catch for only 5 yards,” PFF’s Lauren Gray wrote.

“The Clemson product broke up a pass, dropped an interception and recorded five tackles with one stop across 44 coverage snaps.”

Per PFF, the only rookies that graded out higher than Mickens in the opening week of preseason action are Chargers cornerback Eric Rogers (96.6), Minnesota Vikings guard Joe Huber (94.7) and Los Angeles Rams guard Willie Lampkin (94.1).

An NFL legacy, Mickens recorded 229 tackles (13.5 for loss), seven interceptions, 15 pass breakups and a fumble recovery in his Clemson career from 2020-24. He became the 10th player in school history to play 60 career games, and he started 30 of those contests.

Last season, Mickens finished third on the team with a career-high 85 tackles (including a career-high 6.0 for loss) while adding seven pass breakups and two interceptions over 13 games (all starts).

Mickens is the son of former Texas A&M All-American defensive back Ray Mickens, Sr., who was a third-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft by the New York Jets and played eight seasons with the franchise.

Mickens and the Chargers travel to play the Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., at 7 p.m. ET this Saturday.