Two Clemson Tigers Land on ESPN’s All‑Time Best Draft Picks

During the most recent NFL season, the Clemson Tigers ranked among the top 20 schools with the most active players in the league. Known for consistently producing talent, the program’s alumni continue to represent the university positively well after their time in a Tigers uniform.

A recent example of this came when Ben Solak ranked his top NFL draft picks of all time, covering picks 1 through 262, and two former Tigers earned spots on the list.

The first player to earn a spot on the list was former Tigers safety Brian Dawkins, who was selected at No.61.

“Dawkins has all the pieces to be a selection in this exercise,” Solak Said. He did most of his damage with the team that drafted him, was consistently dominant over a long stretch (he made his first Pro Bowl in 1999 and last one in 2011) and was an iconic player in Philadelphia. The gold jacket certainly helps, as well.

Throughout his time at Clemson, Dawkins made 247 tackles and 11 interceptions while being named an All-American in 1995 and making three All-ACC teams (1993,1994,1995). 

Dawkins was inducted into Clemson’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, and became the namesake of the Brian Dawkins Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, an award given to a former Clemson player who has been successful both on and off of the field.

As a pro, he was somehow even more dominant. He established himself as one of the hardest-hitting safeties in NFL history while making nine Pro Bowls and earning four First-Team All-Pro selections. Following a 16-season career in which he racked up 1,147 tackles and 59 interceptions, he was later elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Another Tiger to earn a spot on the list was Dwight Clark, who was the 249th pick of the 1979 NFL Draft. 

He’s not wrong. Most NFL fans still have the image etched in their minds of “The Catch”, when Clark leapt to snag a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone, sending the 49ers to Super Bowl XVI.

Compared to his NFL career that saw him make multiple Pro Bowls and win two Super Bowls, his time at Clemson was actually rather pedestrian.  Through four seasons, he made 33 catches for 571 yards and three touchdowns.

In the NFL, Clark caught 506 passes for 6,750 yards and 48 touchdowns, serving as one of Joe Montana’s most consistent targets.

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