By Staff Report.
Clemson, SC—Thirty-one former Clemson football players, including eight members of the 2010 Clemson team are in NFL training camps this weekend. Six members of last year’s team were drafted and two others signed free agent contracts.
Twenty of the 32 NFL teams have at least one player from Clemson on its roster and nine have at least two former Tigers. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks have the most former Tigers with three apiece.
The players with the most experience in the NFL are Brian Dawkins and Trevor Pryce. Dawkins is in his 17th year in the league after playing 14 years with the Eagles and two years with the Denver Broncos. Pryce is in his 15th season in the NFL. Both have been multiple Pro Bowl selections.
Two former Tigers shifted teams on Saturday and both ended up on the same team. Nick Eason signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals after spending the last three years with Pittsburgh. Former Clemson All-ACC receiver Chansi Stuckey also signed with Arizona after playing last year with Cleveland.
Notes Sixteen members of Clemson’s ACC Atlantic Division Championship team are in NFL camps….former Tiger C.J. Spiller has switched jersey numbers and will now wear number-28, the same number he wore at Clemson….he wore 21 last year for the Bills…Clemson has always had a strong tradition when it comes to defensive linemen….nine former Tiger defensive tackles or defensive ends are in NFL camps, including Da’Quan Bowers and Jarvis Jenkins, who were All-ACC players last year for the Tigers…Clemson has had at least one defensive end or tackle drafted each of the last six years …18 of the 31 players in camps played in at least one NFL game last year…Barry Richardson will be a 19th player when he signs with a team…Clemson has had 11 players drafted the last two years, seventh most in the nation for that period and the most for the Clemson program in consecutive years since 1998-99.
Tigers in NFL Camps
(As of July 30, 2011)
No Player, Pos Team
68 Thomas Austin, C New England Patriots
91 Da’Quan Bowers, DE Tampa Bay Bucs
28 Crezdon Butler, CB Pittsburgh Steelers
65 Miquel Chavis, DL Pittsburgh Steelers
30 Chris Clemons, S Miami Dolphins
53 Kavell Connor, LB Indianapolis Colts
73 Jamie Cumbie, DL Oakland Raiders
24 James Davis, RB Washington Redskins
20 Brian Dawkins, S Denver Broncos
Nick Eason, DE Arizona Cardinals
12 Jacoby Ford, WR Oakland Raiders
Marcus Gilchrist, CB San Diego Chargers
19 Tyler Grisham, WR Pittsburgh Steelers
25 Michael Hamlin, S Jacksonville Jags
75 Chris Hairston, OT Buffalo Bills
Jamie Harper, RB Tennessee Titans
56 Leroy Hill, LB Seattle Seahawks
24 Tye Hill, CB Detroit Lions
99 Jarvis Jenkins, DT Washington Redskins
41 Byron Maxwell, CB Seattle Seahawks
46 DeAndre McDaniel, S New Orleans Saints
97 Philip Merling, DE Miami Dolphins
81 Michael Palmer, TE Atlanta Falcons
93 Trevor Pryce, DE New York Jets
94 Ricky Sapp, DE Philadelphia Eagles
97 Dorell Scott, DT St. Louis Rams
28 C.J. Spiller, RB Buffalo Bills
Chansi Stuckey, WR Arizona Cardinals
30 Rendrick Taylor, FB Tampa Bay Bucs
59 Anthony Waters, LB New Orleans Saints
6 Charlie Whitehurst, QB Seattle Seahawks
Note: Barry Richardson, who played with Kansas City last year is a free agent and has not signed with a team yet.
