Clemson football: Potential landing spots for Travis Etienne in 2021 NFL Draft

Travis Etienne 2021 NFL Draft landing spot No. 4: Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a restructured contract means at least one more run at trying to make a Super Bowl at the tail end of the current era. But in order to do that, the Steelers need to seriously consider the viability of their recent offensive approach.

Despite clear signals from the front office that they have doubts about Big Ben, the veteran quarterback has been throwing the ball a ton. Part of that is due to the inconsistent availability of James Conner, who’s set to hit free agency. In any case, though, Pittsburgh needs to get back to pounding the rock.

Etienne could provide the Steelers that option while also opening up the offense further. Again, his ability to be a workhorse back while also being a weapon in the passing game is elite. That’s something Pittsburgh could use as they aim for one final deep playoff run.

Travis Etienne 2021 NFL Draft landing spot No. 3: Atlanta Falcons

No, the Atlanta Falcons aren’t going to take Travis Etienne with the No. 4 overall pick. That would be a massive error on the part of the organization. Having said that, picking early in the second round, Atlanta could hope that Etienne falls to them or they could be in position to trade up for the Clemson star. No matter which option of those two is in play, there’s no question that Etienne would offer a tremendous service to the Falcons.

Matt Ryan and the Falcons passing game have gotten a bad reputation because of the team’s overall lack of success. But the big key in that arena has been the bad defense and how one-dimensional the offense has been. Todd Gurley wasn’t the answer — but Etienne might be. His versatility and explosiveness would not only give Atlanta a weapon in his own right but open up the field for Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and the like.