CLEMSON FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN NFL DRAFT

The 2009 NFL Draft is coming up in about two months and several Tigers that played on the 2008 team have a chance of being selected by one of the 32 NFL teams. I posted an article back in late December with projections from several popular websites with mock NFL drafts. Since that time, many NFL draft prospects have played in a bowl game (all of our players) and many also participated in the East West All Star Game (Kelly) or the Under Armour Senior Bowl (Hamlin, Davis and Harper).

Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to look at updated projections that take those games and other factors such as injuries, etc. into account. Based on my research on these sites and the fact that four out of the five following players were invited to a post season all-star type of game, I believe the Clemson players who probably have the best chance of being drafted are (in no particular order): Michael Hamlin, James Davis, Dorrell Scott, Aaron Kelly, Cullen Harper and Chris Clemmons.

It's important to note that between now and the draft which begins April 24, there are two other important events that take place. The first is the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine, which begins this Wednesday, Feb.18. This event, according to NFL.com, is "the annual job fair for prospective new NFL players" where they're put through tests, drills and interviews. Over 300 of the very best college football players across the nation are invited to the event.

The second event is the college "Pro Day" workouts. These take place at various college and university campuses across the nation between March 1-April 2. While these are one-day events that are not as thorough nor exhaustive as the Combine, they are still very important and give NFL personnel the chance to evaluate prospects. Given that these two events have yet to take place, I will update the projections once more in mid-April.

One interesting sidenote is that Aaron Kelly is not listed as an invited participant in the NFL Combine on the NFL.com website. Furthermore, I checked their site for the NFL Pro Day workout participants at the university closest to Clemson (Furman) and his hometown (Georgia Tech) as well as every other location across the country. Aaron is not listed anywhere. I've sent him a message, hope to get a reply soon and will post an update if and when I do.

As for my personal projections, I believe Hamlin will be the first Clemson player taken- probably in the 2nd or 3rd round. Scott will likely go in the 3rd round, Davis in the 4th or 5th and Harper in the 5th or 6th. The wild card is Kelly. He could go as early as the 4th, as late as the 7th or not at all. It's hard to believe, considering his stats and accolades but I think his size (190 lbs.) is what NFL teams are questioning.

These draft sites only have the first 3 rounds projected thus far, with the exception of NFL Draft Site. Here's how our players are projected:

MICHAEL HAMLIN- S
Walter Football- early 3rd round pick, 66th overall
NFL Draft Source- late 3rd round pick, 87th overall
Consensus Draft Services- late 3rd round pick, 87th overall
NFL Draft Site- mid 3rd round pick- 71st overall

JAMES DAVIS- RB
Walter Football- late 3rd round pick, 92nd overall
NFL Draft Source- not listed in any of their 3 rounds
Consensus Draft Services- not listed in any of their 3 rounds
NFL Draft Site- early 4th round pick, 99th overall

DORRELL SCOTT- DT
Walter Football- mid 3rd round pick, 82nd overall
NFL Draft Source- not listed in any of their 3 rounds
Consensus Draft Services- early 3rd round pick, 68th overall
NFL Draft Site- early 4th round pick, 103rd overall

CULLEN HARPER- QB
Walter Football- not listed in their first 4 rounds
NFL Draft Source- not listed in any of their 3 rounds
Consensus Draft Services- not listed in any of their 3 rounds
NFL Draft Site- mid 6th round pick, 177th overall

AARON KELLY- WR
Walter Football- not listed in any of their 4 rounds
NFL Draft Source- not listed in any of their 3 rounds
Consensus Draft Services- not listed in any of their 3 rounds
NFL Draft Site- not listed in any of their 7 rounds

CHRIS CLEMMONS- S

Walter Football- not listed in any of their 4 rounds

NFL Draft Source- not listed in any of their 3 rounds

Consensus Draft Services- not listed in any of their 3 rounds

NFL Draft Site- late 6th round pick, 186th overall

Do you have comments, questions, or want to post your own projections? Have any info. on Aaron Kelly? Click on "comments" at the bottom of the article and get a discussion started!