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NFL Draft 2018: Top 32 draft prospects entering Championship Weekend

By Charles Rahrig V

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions flips over Dicaprio Bootle #23 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in what was originally ruled a touchdown then reviewed and pulled back to the 1 yard line during the first quarter on November 18, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions flips over Dicaprio Bootle #23 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in what was originally ruled a touchdown then reviewed and pulled back to the 1 yard line during the first quarter on November 18, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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SYRACUSE, NY – OCTOBER 13: Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers participates in warm ups before the game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on October 13, 2017 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeats Clemson 27-24. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY – OCTOBER 13: Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers participates in warm ups before the game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on October 13, 2017 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeats Clemson 27-24. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
26

Malik Jefferson

OLB, Texas

Malik Jefferson hasn’t formally announced that he’s declaring for the NFL Draft yet, but he will enter as perhaps the best pure outside linebacker prospect in this class. His motor has carried him to a huge year and he’s been a quarterback’s worst nightmare.

He finished his regular season campaign against Texas Tech, leading his team in tackles once again. Jefferson finished with 10 on the night in what was another double-digit tackle performance.

Just to put in perspective how productive he was this year, he finishes the regular season with 110 tackles and four tackles. To say he finds his way to the football would nearly be an understatement, to say the least.

Texas should be well represented in the first round of this draft class, with two players potentially going really high. Jefferson’s improved a bunch as a player this season and has been one of the bright spots in Tom Herman’s first season in Austin.

25

Christian Wilkins

DL, Clemson

Christian Wilkins has some unusual games and stat lines at times. Perhaps, it’s because of his versatility, but he tends to find himself finishing with stats that a lot of players at his position don’t often do.

In the season finale against South Carolina, Wilkins finished with zero tackles. However, he did have two passes defensed from getting his big arms in the air and making an impact on the passing game of the Gamecocks.

He also had a quarterback hurry. Needless to say, if Wilkins wasn’t going to be making tackles, he made sure to find himself useful in other ways. He finishes the regular season with 45 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Again, his impact comes from his versatility and his ability to be moved around. Now, the Clemson Tigers prepare for the biggest game of the season against Miami in the ACC Championship. They have title aspirations in their sights

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