Three Clemson pros made CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco’s list of the NFL’s top 100 players heading into the 2026 season.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the highest-ranked former Clemson player at No. 65.

Lawrence is coming off a breakout 2025 season – his fifth NFL campaign, and first under Jaguars head coach Liam Coen. The former No. 1 overall draft pick was named an MVP finalist, as well as a finalist for Comeback Player of the Year. Though Lawrence didn’t win either award, it doesn’t take away from the stellar season he had while leading the Jaguars (13-4 regular season) to their first AFC South title since 2022 and first playoff berth since the same year.

“He finally flashed the star power in 2025 that many expected when he was the first overall pick in 2021,” Prisco wrote. “Lawrence finished fifth in the MVP voting, but didn’t really get going until Week 8 as he learned yet another new offense.”

Lawrence finished last season having completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 4,007 yards and a career-high 29 touchdown passes with 12 interceptions. He also recorded career highs in carries (82), rushing yards (359) and rushing touchdowns (nine) while accounting for a career-high 38 total touchdowns – the third-best mark in the NFL behind only Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (46) and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (39).

Lawrence will head into the 2026 season having completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 17,822 yards and 98 touchdowns with 58 interceptions, to go with 1,442 rushing yards and 23 more scores on the ground, over his NFL career from 2021-25. The 2022 Pro Bowler has surpassed 4,000 passing yards three times in the last four seasons.

Before the 2024 season, Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Jacksonville, including $200 million in guaranteed money and $142 million fully guaranteed at signing.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is the next highest-ranked former Clemson Tiger on Prisco’s list, coming in at No. 89.

Higgins earned his first career Pro Bowl selection last season. In 15 games, Higgins registered 59 receptions for 846 yards, and he tied for second in the NFL with his 11 touchdown receptions despite missing a couple of games due to concussions. He set a career-high with those 11 touchdown catches last season.

“Playing opposite Ja’Marr Chase, he is the No. 2 receiver on the team, but he would be a No. 1 on many others,” Prisco wrote. “The Bengals’ offense is different when he isn’t on the field. He had 11 touchdown catches last season.”

While Higgins had previously never been a Pro Bowler, the 27-year-old has been highly productive over his six NFL seasons since being selected by the Bengals in the second round (33rd overall pick) of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Entering the 2026 season, he has caught 389 passes for 5,441 yards and 45 touchdowns across 85 career regular season games, while recording at least 900 receiving yards in four of his first six seasons, including back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2021 and 2022. Higgins has also appeared in seven playoff games and ranks second in Bengals history in both postseason receptions (31) and postseason receiving yards (457).

After being franchise tagged by the Bengals two straight years, Higgins got paid in a big way in March 2025 with a four-year, $115 million deal.

Rounding out the trio of former Clemson stars on Prisco’s list is Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence at No. 91.

The Bengals made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason in April when they acquired Lawrence from the New York Giants in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As part of the trade, the Bengals signed Lawrence to a one-year, $28 million contract extension, keeping him under contract with the team through the 2028 season.

“He is a power player who can take over games, but his play wasn’t as good last season with the Giants,” Prisco wrote. “At his best, he is dominant in one-on-one situations, which is why the Bengals traded for him.”

Despite a down 2025 season with the Giants, by his own lofty standards, there’s no doubt Lawrence has established himself as a dominant interior defensive line presence in the league.

Lawrence collected three straight Pro Bowl selections from 2022-24 and also earned All-Pro honors in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He became the first Giants player to be voted to three straight Pro Bowls since safety Landon Collins from 2016-18, and if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending elbow injury in 2024, he could have very well earned his third consecutive All-Pro selection as well.

Heading into his eighth NFL season in 2026, Lawrence has racked up 341 total tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 30.5 sacks in 109 career games since being selected by the Giants in the first round (17th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.