Lawson: "I'm the best defensive end in this class" |
Clemson has a tremendous legacy of putting talented defensive lineman in the NFL, and
Shaq Lawson is ready to be the next great Tiger.
"I feel like I'm the best (defensive) end in this class," Lawson said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "The tape shows it all." Lawson finished the season with 86 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hurries. "I feel like half of my sacks this (past) year came standing up and half with my hand in the dirt," Lawson said. "I feel comfortable with it. I felt comfortable with it when I was doing it during the linebacker drills at the Combine." Lawson had an exceptional showing at the 2016 NFL Combine and backed up what scouts saw on his 2015 football film. "I was happy with my performance," Lawson said of the Combine. "Every day I trained I got better. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to show teams how explosive I was." He ran an official 4.70 time which was the fourth fastest time of the defensive lineman group. He also recorded a 10 ft broad jump, an impressive 33" vertical jump, 7.16 time at the 3-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle time of 4.21. Lawson met with 22 NFL teams (15 minutes each) at the NFL Combine including the Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins according to NFL.com. One of the reasons that Lawson is motivated in football is because of his late father who passed away in a car accident. "I play this game for my father," Lawson said. "I fell in love with the game of football. I've been dreaming of this moment since I was a little boy when I would watch the draft."
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
