NOTE: Daily coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft will be completed in the thirty-day countdown leading until April 23rd, or the first day of the selection event.

Extensive film studies, statistical reports and player reviews all led to in-depth analysis on over 150 collegiate athletes who have entered the 2026 NFL Draft since the conclusion of the 2025–26 College Football season.

In a season with much loftier expectations from the Clemson faithful, the Tigers never truly hit their stride as an offensive powerhouse like they were originally projected. Clemson was 72nd in college football in points per game and ninth in overall yards per game (392.2).

Defensively, the Tigers were very adaptable in preventing the run game, allowing the third-least rushing yards per game (105.5) in their conference, although not as proficient within the secondary. Clemson dropped their final game of the season in the Pinstripe Bowl against Penn State, 22–10.

Head coach Dabo Swinney was very vocal about his involvement with such a dismal season, stating that "it's nobody's fault but mine," in an interview with ESPN last March. It was Swinney's worst season at the helm of the Tigers since 2010, his second year on the headset.

Nevertheless, when Clemson shows up to the football field, players find a way of emerging from adversity; moreover, the Tigers are extremely controlled at developing talent, the likes of which have become first-round talents over the last few seasons in Death Valley.

Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

Something that I've found consistently compelling for scouting players in the secondary has been their aggression in finishing plays through contact, either caused by themselves or in making difficult tackles without much regard for their own health.

While this sounds fairly terrifying, I only use this description to emphasize how interesting Aveion Terrell has been through his college career. In his first two seasons at Clemson, Terrell recorded three interceptions and 16 pass defenses.

His junior season? Terrell traded interceptions in for three sacks and five forced fumbles, the most of any Clemson Tiger in 2025.

He's been so welcome to his versatile nature that the possibilities with Terrell are endless, all seemingly dependent on his draft landing spot and position at the next level.

Given his less-than-six-foot size, it's likely that Terrell lacks the physical tools to consider him a lockdown corner on the boundaries, and he'll project more within the interior, given his speed.

Additionally, Terrell has a tendency to helplessly gamble on routes, longing to jump the pass and get his hand on the ball in man coverage instead of staying on top of the wideout downfield.

After further analysis, I am loving the idea of Terrell, a definite first-round defensive back, as a Nickel corner that can blitz the QB on a consistent basis.

Big Board Rank: #17 (CB2)

Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

Woods had a fairly quiet couple of seasons for the Clemson Tigers as he recovered from a significant leg injury in his sophomore season.

After becoming fully healthy and playing 10 of 12 contests in 2025, Woods was able to snag two sacks on nine solo tackles and 30 combined tackles, a career-high for the 6Ɖ" junior defensive tackle.

The first portion of Woods' game that couldn't go unnoticed was his immediacy in shedding blocks and recording pressures and tackles in the backfield against runningbacks. Even with his large stature and likely weighing in at over 315 lbs, Woods covers ground like a heat-seeking missile, quickly getting off of run blocks to force the backfield creators to adjust their routes.

He assesses every play like its the most important of the game, leading to high-effort plays that might fly under-the-radar on box scores but "boisterizes" offensive lineman just trying to earn their halfback a few additional yards.

I recognize a few of the issues with Woods' overall pass rush skills, as it seems like his pure, raw power isn't strong enough to earn him pressures on quarterbacks, and the stat sheet isn't fluffed with a ton of impressive numbers, and that could hold him back from being perceived as the most damning tackle in the draft.

However, the physicality and run stopping ability of Woods highlights a couple desirable assets for NFL defenses.

Big Board Rank: #27 (DT1)

Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

God, it feels like Blake Miller has appeared on draft boards ever since he committed to Clemson in 2022, hasn't it?

It was nice to finally get a touch on what he's capable of at the next level and, believe me, there's a ton to form an excited opinion about. The unique footwork of Miller shines immediately from turning on the tape, with his tiny, faint and essentially leisurely steps from snap to dropback on pass blocking attempts.

In evaluatory terms, they truly do show his consistency in how "textbook" Miller really plays off his edge. He kicks his right leg out in an exaggeratory manner each and every pass snap and keep his arms level with his chest and perpendicular to the ground, holding them out and shoving edge rushers away from his position without having an overwhelming amount of physicality.

Speaking on this, strength, as a determining factor for selecting offensive linemen, has become superfluous, and the undervalued trait of steady blocking should become a much more coveted trait for right tackles, specifically, given that their side is treated with less importance than the blind side.

In this vein, while Miller doesn't possess elite-level strength, there's a ton of additional features to his run blocking and impact blocking that certainly raises him above a tier among the lower-level lineman prospects, and there's not a shadow of a doubt that he won't be efficient in the NFL.

Big Board Rank: #28 (OT4)

T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson

The three-year Clemson Tiger leapt onto the draft scene following an immaculate sophomore campaign, recording 11 sacks and six forced fumbles in all 12 regular season games.

In 2025, Parker emulated a similarly good season, sacking the quarterback five times and crossing the 125-tackle mark over all three collegiate years.

Right off the bat, Parker displays some impressive physical attributes that likely aided him in being so well-regarded in this year's NFL Draft. He's quick off the snap and allows his lengthy reach to bend around the outside shoulders of offensive tackles and get into the backfield in one speedy motion.

Parker's finesse keeps linemen most focused on predicting his next moves over simply getting their feet set into pass protection, which certainly can get him past said linemen if they guess incorrectly. In terms of pure pass rush ability, Parker sets his sights onto the ball carrier, plants his feet and redirects his target much faster than the average edge rusher would be able to.

Clearly, Parker doesn't have the brute force to run over blockers as well as others around him, which could force him into being a little bit more one-dimensional as a rusher and divert tackles' attention elsewhere, but the refining of his traits could absolutely lead him to project as a high-level game impactor at the next level.

Big Board Rank: #33 (EDGE9)

Paul Czarnecki is the former Editor-In-Chief and Sports Editor of UCCS' student newspaper, the Scribe. Czarnecki's coverage credits include in-stadium coverage of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, in addition to 50+ articles providing in-depth analysis of the 2024 and 2025 NFL Drafts and more than 20 articles discussing draft prospects in the 2024 NBA Draft.