Five Clemson Tigers With First-Round Potential in Next Year's NFL Draft

When the NFL Draft comes around, one thing is for sure: the Clemson Tigers sees many of their players get drafted.

Just look back at the 2026 event, which concluded this past weekend. Even in a 7-6 season, head coach Dabo Swinney saw nine of his former players get a phone call to achieve their dreams of playing professional football. Not to mention, an extra three and counting have been signed as undrafted free agents.

Two Tigers, Blake Miller and Peter Woods, were selected in the first round, adding to Swinney’s long list of former players picked on Day 1. With next year on the radar, here are five players who could do the same in next year’s draft.

Will Heldt, Defensive End

Clemson defensive end Will Heldt will be the Tigers' main threat off the edge next season. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Seven of Clemson’s last 20 first-rounders came from the defensive line, and if anybody on the line is expected to be the standout defender, it’s Heldt.

The senior finished his first season as a Tiger with 15.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, leading the team in both of those statistics. He also broke up two passes and forced a fumble in 2025, cementing himself as a powerful threat off of the edge for Clemson going into next season.

A third-team All-ACC selection, the Purdue transfer has an important 2026 ahead of him, but he has the mechanics, and the length, to have the potential to hear his name called on Day 1 next year. Numbers will have to be strong once again if that wants to happen.

T.J. Moore, Wide Receiver

Clemson receiver T.J. Moore is looking to add more highlight-reel catches to his resume in 2026. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Going back to those last 20 first-rounders, three of those players were wide receivers, and if anybody has the talent to match the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams, it would be Moore.

The junior is expected to have a tremendous season in 2026, shining in expected starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina’s only start last season. He caught two touchdowns in that game against SMU, and that chemistry is only expected to grow.

At the wide receiver position, it’s Ohio State standout Jeremiah Smith and the rest of the field. Moore has the talent to make himself standout, and if Vizzina is able to have a strong first season as the starter as well, it will only inflate Moore’s chances of being a Day 1 product.

While he was a third-team All-ACC nod last season, the Key West, Florida, native will look to be one of the best receivers in the ACC for that to happen.

Sammy Brown, Linebacker

Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown is expected to make an important jump in his junior season. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Two linebackers came off the board in the first round of this year’s draft: Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles. That’s the quality that you need at the position to be selected on the first day of the event, but Brown could get the nod.

A first-team All-ACC player and third-team All-American, he totaled a team-high 107 tackles, 13.5 for a loss, five sacks, an interception and a forced fumble for the Tigers last season. He was a mainstay on offense, leading the defense in snaps as well, to be one of the most durable linebackers in the country at a young age.

Brown will need to put together another standout season at linebacker for this possibility to happen, but perhaps the best is yet to come with the Clemson linebacker with only two seasons under his belt thus far.

Elliot Washington II, Cornerback

Elliot Washington II transferred from Penn State and should be one of Clemson's starters at cornerback to begin the season. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rolling the dice on this one, but based on how Clemson’s staff has spoken about Washington throughout this spring, let’s give him the nod without even seeing an official snap as a Tiger.

In his first practice with the team, he logged two interceptions, becoming a mainstay as one of Clemson’s top cornerback throughout the spring. He has previous experience with defensive coordinator Tom Allen due to the two’s previous time at Penn State in 2024.

Allen’s vision for the secondary was completely remodeled from this offseason, looking to bring back a defense that saw several of Nittany Lions drafted in 2025. If that unit is successful in 2026, and Washington plays a vital role in it, it could be a trendy pick to select the cornerback early in a year from now.

Bryant Wesco Jr., Wide Receiver

Clemson wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. could see first-round projections in 2027 if he continues to produce for the Tigers. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The other standout of the wide receiver tandem, Wesco was on his way to a potential record-breaking season before suffering a neck injury in October, being sidelined for the remainder of 2025. If he plays like that again this season, he could be in this spot next year.

Playing in just over half the games last season, Wesco finished with 537 yards off of 31 receptions, an impressive 17.3 yards per catch in seven games. A year before in his freshman season, he finished with 708 yards off of 41 receptions, an identical average to 2025.

He has the deep-threat ability to notch over 1,000 yards in a season, and if he gets the volume, expect plenty of debate for the junior to receive first-round looks in 2027.

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