As most of you know by now, Clemson had three players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft this past weekend in Green Bay, Wis. The Cincinnati Bengals selected linebacker Barrett Carter, the Los Angeles Chargers added safety R.J. Mickens and the Dallas Cowboys picked up running back Phil Mafah.

And though the draft was not a bust for the Tigers, it was not a complete success either. Carter’s selection came in the fourth round of the draft, marking the first time in 15 years Clemson did not have a player selected in the first three rounds of an NFL draft.

Granted, the Tigers’ streak of 23 years of having at least one player selected in the draft is still intact, as is the fact Clemson is one of only six schools to have produced multiple draft picks in each of the last 23 NFL Drafts, joining LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio State and USC.

However, the 2025 NFL Draft was proof to what many thought about the program the last several years in regard to the Tigers’ slip in talent. This draft class marked just the second time in the Dabo Swinney era Clemson had three or few players chosen in an NFL Draft.

In 2022, only Andrew Booth and Baylon Spector were picked.

As Clemson slipped a notch below the level it was when it made the College Football Playoff six straight years and won six consecutive ACC Championships, some wondered “Why?”

Was it a slip in recruiting? Was it Swinney’s unwillingness to use the transfer portal? Was it Clemson’s slow reaction to compete in the competitive pay-for-play world that is now college football?

All of it is probably true.

Though Clemson has won two ACC Championships and made the CFP in 2024, it was obvious the Tigers slipped a little on the playing field.

From 2015-’20, Clemson produced an 82-7 record, which included two national championships and four national championship game appearances. Since 2021, the Tigers are 40-14 with no national championship game appearances and just one CFP appearance.

Granted, lot of programs would love to be 40-14. I guarantee you the birds down the road in Columbia would love to have a four-year record of that stature.

But that is the difference between Clemson and South Carolina. Going 10-3 is not good enough at Clemson. It wants to be an elite program. It wants to beat the Georgias and Ohio States of College Football, like it used to do.

However, the Tigers’ gradual decline from 2021-’24, had its reasons, as I pointed out above. But what also needs to be pointed out is that Clemson’s ability to evaluate talent in the manner that Swinney’s staff does, did suffer a setback due to the COVID years.

Remember, in the recruiting cycles of 2020 and 2021, Clemson was not allowed to recruit athletes in the same manner due to NCAA restrictions surrounding the virus. That hurt Clemson with summer camp evaluations and selling Clemson itself to recruits.

The result, tied in with NIL and the transfer portal, is what we have seen – good teams, but not great teams.

However, that should change this year. These days, Clemson is very competitive in the pay-for-play world of college football and there definitely has been an uptick in recruiting.

Is Clemson ready to return to glory? I do not know but considering who and how many should get drafted in next year’s NFL Draft, it does appear the Tigers have a flux in talent, again.