Roundtable: Who Will Be Most Productive Tiger of 2020 NFL Draft Class?
Which former Clemson Tiger will produce the best pro career following the April 23-25 NFL Draft? The AllClemson.com staff takes different approaches to answering that question:
Offensive Lineman John Simpson is my choice for who will be most the most productive coming out of Clemson from this draft class. Isaiah Simmons, A.J. Terrell and Tee Higgins are amazing players, but I feel that any team that decides on Simpson in the mid-second round to early third round will get a gem for their offensive line. This pick will be a treat to whichever QB is leading the offense. — Connor Watson
Clemson is expected to have two defensive players taken in the first round next week, but I'm going with a guy expected to go in the later rounds. Safety K'Von Wallace will be a great pick up for any team looking for defensive backfield help. Wallace led Clemson DBs with 81 tackles last season, so he has a nose for the football. He also showed up in the biggest games with nine tackles against Virginia in the ACC Championship, six tackles against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and led the team with 13 tackles in the national championship game against LSU. — Travis Boland
This question seems obvious — linebacker Isaiah Simmons. He has a chance to be the highest Tiger player ever drafted and has an unbelievable skill set as, not only a linebacker, but an overall defender. But he is not my pick for who will be the most productive Tiger in the 2020 draft. That honor is reserved for A.J. Terrell. While Terrell may not have fared well in his collegiate finale against Ja’Marr Chase and LSU, the junior cornerback has the length, fluidity and speed that teams covet.— Zach Lentz
Clemson will once again have a chance to state its claim as WRU with Tee Higgins making the early jump to the NFL. The 6-4, 216-pound junior accounted for 1,167 yards through the air and 13 touchdowns this past season. Higgins leaves Clemson tied for the most career receiving touchdowns (27) with Sammy Watkins and Deandre Hopkins His reliable hands and athletic prowess will have the Oak Ridge, Tenn., native vying for first-team reps from day one. — Christopher Hall
If nobody else wants to pick the 6-4, 238-pound athletic freak of the draft class, so be it. Linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons, who lit up the combine with a 4.39 40-yard dash, is one of the best college football players I've covered in the last decade. He can rush the QB, cover the field from sideline to sideline, drop back into coverage and could possess the skillset to slow some of the NFL's best tight ends. His 2019 season (102 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 INTs) is evidence of what he can do numbers-wise when used correctly. That could be the tricky part, but he's an easy bet to live up to being the first Tiger selected. — Brad Senkiw
I have to go with Isaiah Simmons. There are just so many different ways a defensive coordinator can use him. He can play close to the line of scrimmage, he can cover, and he has that rare combination of athleticism and speed that is rarely seen in players his size. - Jason Priester
