NFL Draft Preview: Clemson LB Baylon Spector Just Wants Name Called This Week

Baylon Spector has tried to give himself every opportunity to have his name called during the 2022 NFL Draft.

The former Clemson linebacker used an invite to the NFL Combine to develop relationships with teams. He worked out at the East-West Shrine Bowl with collegiate players who will certainly be drafted. He showcased his skill set at Clemson's Pro Day, and he also has an enormous amount of film for scouts and NFL executives to evaluate.

Thursday-Saturday, it's about hoping all that work pays off.

"I just want to hear my name called (in the NFL draft)," Spector said during Pro Day. "Wherever I go, whoever takes me, I'll be super happy and put my best foot forward and start preparing."

There aren't many certainties this time of year for draft hopefuls. Spector is slated to be a late-round pick by draft experts, which means Saturday is likely the earlier he will be selected.

All it takes is that one team to fall in love with a prospect, and Spector has been able to meet with "17-20" of the league's 32 teams. He estimated about two handfuls of them have spoken with him on multiple occasions during the draft process.

Participating in the East-West game helped him identify areas he needed to improve, like using his hands better, playing in the box and getting off of blocks. He also had to show there that he could play man-to-man coverage, something he wasn't asked to do very often in Clemson's zone scheme for linebackers.

But Spector said he felt like he had a good week of doing that back in February.

At Clemson, Spector recorded nearly 200 career tackles and nine sacks in 53 games. He started his last two seasons at weakside linebacker beside fellow draft hopeful James Skalski.

He showed off athleticism at the Combine and could make some money for himself as a chase-down linebacker in the NFL. If he doesn't get selected by the end of Saturday, Spector should get a chance as an undrafted free agent to make the league.

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