Six different Tigers appear in early 2026 NFL draft first round projections

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It was a relatively quiet NFL draft week when it comes to Clemson, but that may be very different after a highly anticipated 2025 college football season.

An ACC favorite to make to a College Football Playoff return, the bevy of way-too-early 2026 NFL draft outlooks are very high on pro prospects from the Tigers.

PFF has three Clemson prospects in its Top 5 for a '26 big board with T.J. Parker (2), Peter Woods (3) and Cade Klubnik (5) and four in the Top-11 (Avieon Terrell):

"Parker has a devastating bull rush thanks to his power at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds. He has all the makings of a top-10 selection next April if he can put together a similarly strong junior year," said PFF. "Between Parker and Woods, Clemson projects to have two top-five picks along its defensive line next year. The latter spent the majority of his sophomore year playing out of position at edge defender and still earned an 83.3 overall PFF grade on the season. Over his first two seasons of college football, he’s both the highest-graded and most valuable returning Power Four defensive tackle, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.

"Woods leads that same group with an 89.7 PFF run-defense grade and 14.9% pass-rush win rate since 2023. His power and agility at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds make him a nightmare for any offensive lineman."

On Klubnik, who sits just a spot behind Texas' Arch Manning: "Only Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders threw more touchdowns than the junior (36), and those two were regarded as two of the best quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Klubnik was also fifth among all quarterbacks in America with 28 big-time throws. The former top quarterback recruit in the 2022 high school class is finally starting to live up to the hype and has the potential to take a loaded Clemson roster to the promised land as a senior."

USA TODAY has all but Klubnik of that group in a first-round projection plus Antonio Williams rounding out the 32 picks. Parker is projected at No. 5 overall and Woods is No. 8.

"With a modest build at 5-11 and 180 pounds, Terrell doesn't quite size up physically to his older brother, Atlanta Falcons standout cornerback A.J. Terrell. But his route-recognition and ball skills help him play with an urgency that would make him an attractive option for the Ravens, who ranked 31st in passing yards allowed last season and are seemingly always on the hunt for high-end cornerbacks," the outlet said of Terrell as a possible No. 29 pick for Baltimore.

Klubnik is included in a trio with Parker and Woods for a CBS Sports' first-round projection. In the exercise, the LA Rams are seen as a possible destination for Klubnik.

"The Matthew Stafford era in LA can't go on forever, though they'll give it another big run this fall. Even if Los Angeles picks a QB in the next few rounds, which it should, I can see Sean McVay going for some nice long-term security here in Klubnik, who came on like gangbusters to end the 2024 season. McVay would make things easy for Klubnik, a dual-threat who thrives when under duress and has gotten much better at taking care of the football. Klubnik has a great winning pedigree going back to high school," Blake Brockermeyer said.

Draft Network has five Clemson first-round projections, led by Woods (5) then Parker (7), DeMonte Capehart (16), Williams (28) and Terrell (31).

Clemson early 2026 NFL draft lookahead

PFF big board: Parker (2), Woods (3), Klubnik (5), Terrell (11).
USA TODAY: Parker (5), Woods (8), Terrell (29), Williams (32).
CBS Sports: Woods (5), Parker (10), Klubnik (27).
Draft Network: Woods (5), Parker (7), Capehart (16), Williams (28), Terrell (31).

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