Nice job with the rankings,
Leo. I think this class could, eventually, prove to be much better than most expect. Drew Allar, Nussmeier and Klubnik were all rated as 1st round pick by the "draft experts" pre-season. So, what happened?
I've watched Clemson quite a bit the last few years. And as much as I like
Klubnik, I never saw him as a 1st round pick.
Allar and
Nussmeier, that's a different story. I always thought Allar had first round potential. Still do! Obviously playing for a raisin-sack, incompetent clown like Ben Franklin didn't help. Then the injury really cost him. Nussmeier might not be a first round type after a rough year, but should be considered a serious NFL prospect (i.e Tyler Shough), if developed properly. Did not see enough of Robertson and Payton, I did not watch at all this season. I know Payton is a great athlete. If not for racial "stacking", could be considered a
legit NFL tailback prospect?
I've made my comments regarding
Carson Beck. I don't disagree with you. I've mentioned his
"green arms" might be an issue with NFL teams, in addition to his overall personality. Tattoos isn't an issue for most black QB's like Dak Prescott, ect. but will could be for a White QB.
Other points:
Nick DeGennaro, to me, is a 3rd round prospect (or better), if he was a tight end -- racial slotting? Only reason he's being downgraded is because he's a White wide receiver. Look at how silly he made
Oregon's DB's look (crazy video) in the playoff game. He was doing this with a very mediocre throwing QB. By the way, personality wise, DeGennaro is extremely similar to Mendoza: Both exceedingly polite and very religious.
Good to see Nick and
Dean Connors impressed enough at their lower tier AS Games to get an invite to East-West week. That probably means, at the very least, they are considered potential 5th to 7th round picks, with room to (possibly) improve going forward. Could Senior Bowl invites be next? We all know a ton of "affletes" leave the Senior Bowl early, which opens spots for "overachievers", eager to impress.
Isaac TeSlaa went that route in 2025 -- kept going up the All-Star game ladder!
Announcers in last night's AS Game threw fairly heavy praise towards both
Lincon Pare and
Cash Jones (Georgia), as RB's -- I figured Jones might be seen a "slot-receiver" in the NFL. The announcers, however, said scouts really liked Jones, in particular, as a tailback. I think Pare is the much better pure RB prospect, but would be good to see both make it.
Finally, the Hula Bowl was a disaster (financially and logistically), but here is the "All-Hula Bowl" team, from those that watched all the practices and game:
