NFL-ready defense makes Clemson preseason national title favorite
The Clemson Tigers will field a juggernaut defense in 2018. That should make them early favorites to win the National Championship.
When the Clemson Tigers fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl in the College Football Playoff, it felt like a sendoff for the best two-year run in program history. The year prior saw Deshaun Watson head off after an incredible National Championship season. The loss this past season to Alabama felt like a goodbye to a string of NFL-ready defensive talent poised to dominate at the next level.
Instead, Dabo Swinney perhaps pulled off his biggest heist yet as coach of the Tigers, by returning players that certainly would have been high picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Rather than moving onto the next era of Clemson football, a third run is set to begin and they should be championship favorites because of the talent of the defensive side. This is where building a legacy comes into focus and adding another would certainly do so.
In total, eight starters will be returning on defense for the Tigers in 2018. The biggest coup here is that the monstrous defensive line remains full intact along with most of the front seven that has built a strong reputation and led by example with the way they have taken control of the ACC.
Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell will continue to make up that defensive line that has been one of the best in the country. The biggest return to the Clemson defense as a whole this upcoming season is Wilkins. In 2017, the man that celebrated every touchdown on offense finished the season with 55 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.
As one of the most athletic defensive lineman in the country, that has played on the outside and in, Wilkins is highly touted for his versatility. With the way defenses run different sets at the next level and versatility is more key than ever, Wilkins would have been a high pick for that reason.
He’s still going to be next year when it is time for him to enter the NFL Draft, but for now, Clemson gets to reap the rewards of his service once more. Along with the tackles, sacks, and ability to disrupt plays in the backfield, Wilkins had a keen eye for deflecting passes.
His abilities are so vast, that he was one of the best in the nation at batting down passes and showing off that elite athleticism that certainly had scouts collecting more tapes than a defunct Blockbuster.
He’s had 15 past deflections over the past two seasons and should line up once again inside for the Tigers. Alongside Bryant, Lawrence and Ferrell, the Tigers have the chemistry that will allow them to get off to the fast start that they need.
All four should be first round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft with Lawrence being a possible top-five pick.
Behind them will see Kendall Joseph, Tre’ Lamar and Jalen Williams rounding out the front seven. Joseph is yet another NFL-ready defensive talent that put up big numbers from the weak-side last season. Joseph would finish the year out with 96 tackles.
We have seen time and time again how returning starters on defense change the landscape of college football. Alabama has made a living under Nick Saban winning title after title because of the stout defense carrying them on a weekly basis.
The Tigers will certainly have their fair share of challenges along the way. Should they make their return to the College Football Playoff this season for a third consecutive year, their defense will be tested against many great, young offensive weapons in the game. Jake Fromm, Tua Tagovailoa and others are just some of the potential names that could once again be dominating the College Football Playoff landscape.
It’s going to take more than just a defense filled with future NFL pros to take the Tigers back to the promised land. Kelly Bryant will have to take that next step as quarterback for Clemson. If he doesn’t true freshman and top recruit Trevor Lawrence could usurp him on the depth chart and be the program’s next all-time great.
Still, defenses in college football can practically carry an offense all the way if need be. Those are generational defenses. The ones that don’t come around all the time and are remembered fondly in history forever.
The 2018 Clemson Tigers have all the pieces in place to have one of those historic units that raise the bar from past predecessors.