The dust is still settling on the 2023 NFL Draft, but it’s never too early to look ahead to next year.
For Clemson, it will almost certainly be another one that comes with multiple draft picks.
Who might they be?
Age, position, production and sheer talent are variables that always make predicting the draft a crapshoot. But here’s a look at some of the players still on the roster, in no particular order, that could have a good chance of hearing their name called in the 2024 draft.
Xavier Thomas
Five years into his time at Clemson, Thomas could’ve taken his chances by declaring for this year’s draft. There was no guarantee he would’ve been selected, though, so the 6-foot-2, 250-pounder edge defender is back for a sixth season.
He’ll need to get through the 2023 season with a clean bill of health, something that’s been difficult for Thomas to do so far in college. A bout with COVID-19 in 2020 and a broken foot last year derailed those seasons for the talented pass rusher. But if Thomas remains available and puts together a productive final season with the Tigers, he could shoot himself up draft boards at what is a premier position at the next level. He has 30 tackles for loss in 49 career games.
Tyler Davis
Davis could be next in the line of NFL interior defensive linemen that Clemson has produced recently.
Like Thomas, Davis was eligible for this year’s draft but elected to use his COVID year to return in part because of a desire to try to boost his stock. A second-team All-American last season, Davis is a rare breed as he heads into his fifth season as a starter up front.
At 6-1 and 300 pounds, Davis is stout at the point of attack and could give a team versatility with the ability to play various techniques in the trenches. Durability could be a question as Davis battled multiple injuries that limited him to a combined 16 games during his sophomore and junior seasons. But he’s been productive when healthy, recording 26 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in 43 career games.
Ruke Orhorhoro
Orhorhoro is yet another defensive lineman that could have tested the draft waters this year, but he ended the 2022 season on the shelf with a bum shoulder. With a solid 2023 season, Orhorhoro, whose name is already being whispered as a potential first-rounder, could find himself in the NFL a year from now.
Orhorhoro is an athletic 6-4, 295-pound defensive tackle with a basketball background. He broke onto the scene in 2021 when he racked up 42 tackles, including eight for loss, in nine starts while filling in for an injured Bryan Bresee. With Bresee off to the NFL, Orhorhoro is set to take over alongside Davis as the Tigers’ full-time starting defensive tackle next season, which could be his last as a Tiger if he stays on the field. Orhorhoro has missed the last two springs with injuries.
Barrett Carter
Carter is heading into his junior season, which means he’ll be eligible for the 2024 draft. And there’s not much Carter can’t do on a football field.
Carter was rated as one of the nation’s top athletes when he signed with Clemson as part of its 2021 recruiting class. He’s primarily played at the Sam and Will linebacker spots for the Tigers since, but with a unique blend of speed and athleticism, Carter is also capable of lining up at safety or even nickel on the back end of the defense. Or as Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has more succinctly put it, Carter is a “pure football player.”
In today’s NFL, Carter’s ability to run sideline to sideline as well as cover in space will be coveted. The only question seems to be how soon does Carter declare for the draft? He’s accumulated 89 tackles in 26 career games so far and led the Tigers with 10 pass breakups last season.
Jeremiah Trotter
Perhaps no player on Clemson’s roster did more to buoy his future draft stock last season than Trotter.
Another member of the Tigers’ rising junior class, Trotter burst onto the scene in his first season taking over for James Skalski at middle linebacker. He led the team with 92 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss. Trotter also had 6.5 sacks and six pass breakups for good measure, showing he’s more than serviceable in coverage. That kind of versatility figures to appeal to NFL teams in their search for three-down linebackers.
Of course, as the son of former All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, the younger Trotter also has strong NFL bloodlines. Expectations are already high as Pro Football Focus has Trotter coming off the board with the 10th overall pick in its way-too-early 2024 mock draft.
Perhaps the only knock on Trotter is his smaller stature at the Mike ‘backer position (6-0, 230 pounds). But he may be another highly productive season away from alleviating many of those concerns as well.
Will Shipley
One of the headliners of Clemson’s rising junior class, Shipley could be one of the more versatile running backs in next year’s draft class should he choose to declare.
The former five-star recruit is coming off the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his college career. Shipley also became the first player in ACC history to earn all-conference honors at three positions (all-purpose, specialist). He’s caught 54 passes and also served as Clemson’s primary kickoff returner since his freshman season, racking up 704 return yards in his first two seasons as a Tiger.
There will always be a great debate regarding the value of backs in the draft given the relatively short shelf life of the position at the next level. But the kind of backs that possess Shipley’s skill set are still highly coveted. Look no further than Alabama’s former do-it-all back, Jahmyr Gibbs, going to the Detroit Lions with the 12th overall pick this year.
Andrew Mukuba
Mukuba may be the most versatile defensive back on Clemson’s roster, which, like Carter, is going to appeal to NFL teams in a big way.
A former four-star prospect, Mukuba has been in the starting lineup since arriving on campus two years ago. He’s manned the strong safety spot, where he was a freshman All-American in 2021. The 6-foot, 190-pounder can also line up at nickel and corner, where he got one of his 11 starts a season ago.
While safety and nickel are his most natural positions – co-defensive coordinator Mickey Conn said this spring the Tigers don’t plan on playing Mukuba at corner anymore if they can help it – versatility and talent have rarely been questioned when it comes to Mukuba’s game. Durability, though, is a different story after Mukuba dealt with a laundry list of injuries last season that stunted his development and shook his confidence.
But if Mukuba can have a healthy, productive bounceback season as a junior, he could find himself soaring up draft boards. Some early mocks for next year already have Mukuba tabbed as a first-round pick.
Nate Wiggins
Clemson’s secondary is loaded with talent and experience with all four starters back, and Wiggins has as much upside as any of them.
Wiggins is the prototype that NFL teams look for in their corners: Tall, rangy and fast. At 6-2 and 185 pounds, Wiggins’ blend of length and speed makes it difficult for receivers to get much separation from him.
Wiggins admittedly had to get serious about his mental approach to the game after arriving at Clemson as a four-star recruit. He seemingly put it all together in his first season as a full-time starter a year ago when he led the team with 12 pass breakups. Wiggins is already viewed by some as a budding first-round talent, and another season like the one he just had would go a long way toward cementing that status.