Ranking Clemson's NFL Draft Departures from Least to Most Impactful Entering 2026

Clemson sent nine players to the NFL Draft this year, but as the Tigers head into 2026, not every departure will impact the program the same.

Nine Clemson players are off to the NFL, but which departures will hit hardest as the Tigers reload for 2026? | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This past weekend's 2026 NFL Draft proved that talent evaluators still hold Clemson in high regard. Despite the Tigers' worst season in 15 years, the program sent nine players to the pros, tied for third-most among college teams in the country and matching the program's 2016 class for the most picks in the modern NFL Draft era.

The players drafted over the weekend include Blake Miller, Peter Woods, T.J. Parker, Avieon Terrell, Antonio Williams, Cade Klubnik, Wade Woodaz, DeMonte Capehart and Adam Randall.

With that said, let's dive into who Clemson will miss the least and who they will miss the most from this group.

9. RB Adam Randall | Round 5, No. 174 | Baltimore Ravens

Adam Randall had a stellar first season at RB in 2025, setting him up to be drafted by Baltimore on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Starting us off at nine is the positionless Adam Randall, who was a huge offensive piece for Clemson during their down year, totaling 1,068 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns in his first year at running back.

While the 6-foot-2, 235-pound converted running back has experience both in the backfield and as a pass-catcher, which brought a different dynamic to the offense, the depth at the position isn't bad whatsoever. Not to mention, the position is one of the easiest to replace, leaving Randall to take the No. 9 spot on the list.

Entering 2026, true sophomore Gideon Davidson will take over the starting role. He entered the program ahead of last season as a top-three running back in his class, but didn't see as many snaps due to the emergence of Randall and mediocre playcalling. Now, he'll have all the opportunity to showcase the talent that earned him his ranking in the first place.

SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr. will also receive significant snaps, as he's one of the fastest players in all of College Football and is coming off a career year with the Mustangs that saw him compile 659 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on just 84 total plays. He wasn't Clemson's only offensive transfer for no reason.

8. LB Wade Woodaz | Round 4, No. 123 | Houston Texans

After being projected as a UDFA across a majority of sites, the Houston Texans unexpectedly picked up Wade Woodaz with a fourth-round selection. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Woodaz was a solid contributor throughout his Clemson career, especially in 2024, but earned a draft selection that many didn't see coming, including myself.

He lands near the bottom of the list, not as a knock on his ability, but simply because ranking is relative. When measured against first-round picks and Day 2 talents, he naturally falls here. He also wasn't even projected to be drafted on most sites, let alone a fourth-rounder.

The linebacker room heading into 2026 is one of the sketchier position groups on the roster, largely due to the Luke Ferrelli situation, but the depth concern extends beyond any one player. Woodaz's departure is certainly a loss; it's just one of the most manageable in this class.

7. WR Antonio Williams | Round 3, No. 71 | Washington Commanders

After a year that began with injuries, which forced him to miss four consecutive games, Antonio Williams fell to the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Williams proved to be a legitimate NFL-caliber talent throughout his time at Clemson, finishing among the top five in program history in receptions and receiving touchdowns despite missing the majority of his sophomore season and four games in 2025.

What keeps him at seven is the depth behind him, as both T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr., who've combined for 169 receptions, 2,733 yards and 20 touchdowns across two seasons, will fill in as the primary offensive weapons,

Not to mention, the Tigers just got three four-star wide receivers in the 2026 class, including top 75 talent Naeem Burroughs, who will line up as the No. 3 wideout this upcoming season. If not for all these high-potential players behind him, Williams would make the top five.

6. DT DeMonte Capehart | Round 5, No. 155 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers

DeMonte Capehart sits alongside Peter Woods as one of the two defensive tackle starters to be drafted this year. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound nose tackle developed into an extremely valuable piece along Clemson's defensive line, especially in the run game, over his six-year tenure. He's also a freakish athlete, as many realized at the NFL Combine just a few months ago.

His departure certainly adds to the concerns about the interior defensive line heading into next season. Still, it's very difficult to evaluate his exit in isolation, as the bigger story at his position, Peter Woods, is happening, too.

His individual loss gets absorbed into a larger problem rather than standing on its own, and when you mix his late-blooming production with that, he lands at No. 6 on this list.

Furthermore, I'll talk about the depth, and who's likely next in line to fill the two starting defensive tackle roles once we get to Woods.

5. CB Avieon Terrell | Round 2, No. 48 | Atlanta Falcons

Although Avieon Terrell's stock fell due to a nagging hamstring injury, he still enters 2026 as one of the best rookie cornerbacks in the league. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

A versatile cornerback like Terrell is a meaningful loss for any program, and the depth chart behind him raises legitimate questions, especially after a year where the passing defense finished in the bottom 20 nationally.

The next corner in line, Ashton Hampton, has flashed the potential but has also shown notable consistencies, allowing nearly 400 yards last season. Additionally, projected starting nickelback Corian Gipson looked very impressive coming off an injury last year, but still has little experience as a starter.

The transfer additions are also a mixed bag. Elliot Washington II brings real experience after producing as a backup at Penn State, while Auburn transfer Donovan Starr is more of a developmental piece after seeing limited playing time as a true freshman in 2025.

The saving grace is the transfer safety group of Corey Myrick and Jerome Carter III, which defensive coordinator Tom Allen brought in, providing stability and speed on the back end. Still, the cornerback situation specifically is one to monitor closely in 2026, particularly with a program-wide recruiting trajectory that has been trending downward in recent cycles. 

4. QB Cade Klubnik | Round 4, No. 110 | New York Jets

While Cade Klubnik's draft stock took a massive drop off over the past year, he still leaves a hole at the most important position in football. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The round number, I'm sure, raises some eyebrows, but in this case, it's an accurate reflection of where Klubnik stands as a pro prospect right now.

That's not a criticism of what he accomplished at Clemson, either. He had a strong career, finishing statistically among the best quarterbacks in program history, had a stellar junior campaign, and led the Tigers to their first College Football Playoff appearance since 2020.

But based on the expectations he had entering last season — Heisman talks, National Championship contenders and more — regardless of injuries, an early Day 3 selection fits.

What makes his departure the most impactful, though, is the void at the position itself. Quarterback is the hardest role to replace at any level, and it goes beyond what's shown in the box score. Klubnik was the face of this program for three years. The culture and identity of the offense all ran through him. 

Now, redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina steps in with 283 snaps and one career start under his belt. That start came against SMU last year, and while it was an impressive performance, it happened against the second-worst passing defense in the country.

Vizzina knows this offense as well as any quarterback on the roster and is Clemson's best option at the position following the decision to go after zero signal callers in the transfer portal. But knowing a playbook and executing as a full-time starter in the ACC are two entirely different things, and 2026 will test whether Vizzina can step up to the plate and succeed or not.

3. DE T.J. Parker | Round 2, No. 35 | Buffalo Bills

T.J. Parker slipped just out of the first round after a disappointing 2025 campaign, being selected by the Buffalo Bills at 35. | Ken Ruinard - GREENVILLE NEWS-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Parker and Woods were neck and neck in terms of raw talent throughout their careers at Clemson, and both dealt with down production years in 2025. That context matters in this case. 

The Tigers may not be losing the same version of Parker who made his name in his first two seasons, where he compiled 89 tackles, 32 for a loss, 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. But a 35th overall pick is a 35th overall pick, and at his best, Parker was one of, if not the most disruptive force off the edge in all of College Football and warranted the status of a top 10 pick.

Stepping up in his position will be Will Heldt, who was statistically the best edge rusher on the team last season, as well as Jahiem Lawson (most likely) on the opposite end, who was having a career year in 2025 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.

2. OT Blake Miller | Round 1, No. 17 | Detroit Lions

While Blake Miller doesn't have the raw talent like Parker or Woods, the depth behind him plays a huge part in his ranking. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The program's all-time leader in snaps is an elite prospect by all measures, and Miller lived up to that billing while protecting Clemson's backfield over the past four years.

His departure is extremely significant, especially given the inexperience that remains behind him, but the problem in the trenches extends beyond just the loss of Miller; it leaks to injuries and other parts of the line, too.

The first blindside replacement contender is redshirt sophomore Mason Wade, who was the backup behind Miller for most of 2025 despite seeing just 50 snaps over the past two years. 

On the other hand, there's redshirt freshman Easton Ware, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. However, he was the first right tackle to take the field in Clemson's spring game, and saw a handful of first-team reps throughout the Tigers' spring practices. 

The primary reason Miller's departure lands at No. 2 is a mixture of an inexperienced offensive tackle and an inexperienced line as a whole, protecting an inexperienced QB1. If that combination struggles early, it could put even more pressure on an already unpredictable offensive situation.

1. DT Peter Woods | Round 1, No. 29 | Kansas City Chiefs

Even with a down junior season under his belt, Peter Woods still went in the top-30, proving just how much raw talent and high-upside matters in the NFL Draft. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As mentioned, the elite defensive tackle had a down year in terms of production, but when you look at his career stats, numbers alone aren't what separates him from the rest of the draftees. What puts Woods at the top is the full picture surrounding his departure. 

In his first two seasons with the Tigers, Woods was as dominant an interior lineman as Clemson has had in years; a dominant force who commanded double teams, showed versatility and unreal athleticism on the edge, and anchored the entire defensive identity. The 2025 step-back is certainly worth acknowledging, but the program is still losing a top-30 pick who was once a consensus top-10 pick.

The depth picture behind not only Woods but also Capehart is pretty complicated. Oklahoma transfer Markus Strong is a projected starter, though he logged just over 100 snaps across three seasons with the Sooners. The Brent Venables connection helps, but limited game experience is limited game experience. However, the Sooners had one of, if not the best, defenses in all of College Football this past year.

The other potential starter is redshirt junior Vic Burley, who stands 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds and is a former five-star recruit from the 2023 class. He had a standout spring, including a 2.5-sack performance for the Orange defense in the spring game last month. 

Another former five-star recruit, Amare Adams, is also a name to watch after recording five tackles across 10 game appearances as a true freshman in 2025. The wildcard was West Georgia transfer Kourtney Kelly, who was expected to contribute in a rotational role before tearing his ACL in late March. 

In retrospect, there's talent in the room — no doubt. But talent and production on the field aren't the same thing, and right now, Clemson is asking several largely unproven players to fill the void left by one of the best interior linemen in the entire country.