NFL Draft Revisited: Clemson's 2016 Class

Clemson's historic 2016 NFL Draft class featured four juniors who left with eligibility remaining, including three from the secondary. There was only one first-round selection, but three Tigers went in the second round.

With the 2020 NFL Draft taking place Thursday-Saturday, AllClemson.com is taking a look back at every Clemson draft class since 2010.

Following Clemson’s first trip to the national championship game since winning its first title in 1981, there was a mass exodus from the 2015 roster following a loss to Alabama in the final contest.

The historic class featured four juniors who left with eligibility remaining, including three from the secondary. There was only one first-round selection, but three Tigers went in the second round.

Here’s a look at how that class unfolded and what those players have done since:

Highest selection: Shaq Lawson, a defensive end from Daniel High School in Central, S.C., went No. 9 overall to the Buffalo Bills. Lawson produced 20 sacks in three years with the Tigers and had 12.5 in 2015 to help lead Clemson to its first College Football Playoff berth. He didn’t keep that level of play going early with the Bills, however. Lawson had 10 sacks in his first three years in Buffalo, and after the team announced it wasn’t picking up his fifth-year option, he had a career-high 6.5 sacks in 2019. That led to a three-year, $30 million deal with the Miami Dolphins last month.

Historical note: Clemson’s 2016 NFL Draft class included the largest number of players (9) selected of the Dabo Swinney era and the most since 1983 (10).

What happened?: Defensive end Kevin Dodd is a player Swinney still refers to when talking about late bloomers and development. Dodd redshirted in 2011 before spending three seasons as a reserve, but he went on to make the most of his only season as a starter in 2015. He had 60 tackles and 12 sacks opposite Lawson, and he quickly became an NFL prospect. The Tennessee Titans made him a second-rounder (33rd overall). He had one sack and five tackles before he suffered an ankle injury late in 2016 and then had seven tackles and no sacks in 2017. The Titans cut Dodd the following year after he didn’t report to training camp, ending his NFL career.

Underrated draft pick: D.J. Reader was the 166th player chosen (5th round), and he produced four productive seasons at defensive tackle with the Houston Texans before recently signing a four-year, $53 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. Reader is considered one of the better nose tackles in the NFL after posting 73 career tackles and 6.5 sacks with the Texans.

Other Tigers drafted: Mackensie Alexander (second round, Vikings), T.J. Green (second round, Colts), B.J. Goodson (fourth round, Giants), Charone Peake (seventh round, Jets), Jayron Kearse (seventh round, Vikings) and Zac Brooks (seventh round, Seahawks). 

Quotable: “There's nobody more dedicated than me, who's put more time in or is more of a competitor than me. I'm telling you, I'm the best corner in this draft class," — Alexander.