Will Shipley and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are two of the newest Clemson pros and they each made the roster in Philly.  (Photo: Tommy Gilligan / USATODAY)
Will Shipley and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are two of the newest Clemson pros and they each made the roster in Philly. (Photo: Tommy Gilligan / USATODAY)

Clemson reps in the NFL to start the 2024 season


Ariana Pensy - Correspondent -

The players that comprised the initial 53-man rosters across the NFL came from a total of 290 different schools. Among those 290 schools, Clemson was one of the most prominent with a total of 30 players on the initial rosters ahead of Thursday's season start.

All 12 Tigers who were drafted back in the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts made their teams, with the exception of defensive end KJ Henry, who has since been claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals off waivers.

It should be noted that players who are starting the season on injured reserve (IR) do not count toward the initial roster. There are three former Tigers on IR - defensive end Myles Murphy with the Bengals cornerback Derion Kendrick (Los Angeles Rams) and Trayvon Mullen with the Baltimore Ravens.

Some of the other notable Clemson players on NFL rosters include quarterback-running back duo Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne Jr. who are both going into their fourth seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is going into season No. 12 and his second with the Tennessee Titans, while quarterback Deshaun Watson is going into his third season with the Cleveland Browns. If he plays all 17 games, it will be the first full season he has played since the NFL expanded the season from 16 to 17 games.

One player Clemson fans certainly remember is cornerback AJ Terrell. Terrell is one of five Clemson players on the Atlanta Falcons roster, the others being wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, defensive tackles Grady Jarrett and rookie Ruke Orhorhoro, and punter Bradley Pinion.

If 30 seems low for the number of Tigers that made the initial rosters, that is because it is lower than previous years. Last season, there were 38 Clemson players on the initial NFL rosters. The primary reason for this is that 13 Tigers who made NFL rosters last season did not survive roster cuts this year. Some noteworthy names that applies to are receivers Hunter Renfrow and Justyn Ross. The Kansas City Chiefs have not completely given up on Ross though as they signed him to the practice squad. Another player missing is guard Tyler Shatley who played with the Jaguars from 2014 to 2023 before being let go on Tuesday.

Clemson was No. 8 last season in the number of players to make initial NFL rosters and first among ACC colleges. Both of those have declined as the Tigers are now tied for first in the ACC, with Florida State and tied for No. 14 overall with the Seminoles, Tennessee and Southern California. There are seven SEC schools and five Big-10 schools, as well as Independent Notre Dame, with more players in the NFL than Clemson.

Looking on the bright side for Clemson fans - the Tigers continue to have more NFL players than the South Carolina Gamecocks. They also saw a decrease in the number of players they had make initial NFL rosters from 24 players in 2023 to 21 players in 2024. Thus, the Clemson Tigers continue to dominate the number of players going into the NFL from South Carolina colleges.

Clemson pros in 2024 currently

Atlanta Falcons

*CB AJ Terrell

*DT Grady Jarrett

*DT Ruke Orhorhoro

*Punter Bradley Pinion

*WR Ray-Ray McCloud

Arizona Cardinals

*OLB Xavier Thomas

Baltimore Ravens

*CB Nate Wiggins

*CB Trayvon Mullen (IR)

*LB Trenton Simpson

Buffalo Bills

*LB Baylon Spector

Carolina Panthers

*WR Deon Cain (practice squad)

Cincinnati Bengals

*DE Myles Murphy (IR)

*WR Tee Higgins

*DE K.J. Henry

Cleveland Browns

*QB Deshaun Watson

Dallas Cowboys

*CB Andrew Booth

Detroit Lions

*DT D.J. Reader

Jacksonville Jaguars

*QB Trevor Lawrence

*RB Travis Etienne

*LB Tanner Muse (practice squad)

Kansas City Chiefs

*WR Justyn Ross (Practice Squad)

Las Vegas Raiders

*DL Christian Wilkins

*OL Will Putnam (practice squad)

Los Angeles Chargers

*OL Jordan McFadden

Los Angeles Rams

*DB Derion Kendrick (IR)

*DT Tyler Davis

*TE Davis Allen

New Orleans Saints

*DT Bryan Bresee

New York Giants

*DL Dexter Lawrence

*OLB Isaiah Simmons

New York Jets

*WR Mike Williams

*OL John Simpson

Philadelphia Eagles

*LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

*RB Will Shipley

Seattle Seahawks

*S K’Von Wallace

Tennessee Titans

*WR DeAndre Hopkins

Washington Commanders

*EDGE Clelin Ferrell

*DE Carlos Watkins (practice squad)

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