Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne arguably made up the greatest backfield in ACC history.
The two former Clemson stars combined to win three consecutive ACC Player of the Year honors, with Lawrence winning it in 2020 and Etienne winning it in 2018 and 2019.
Not only did they help lead the Tigers to the 2018 National Championship, but they never lost a regular season game together and they were 34-2 over the last three seasons.
So what if they got the opportunity to continue their partnership in the NFL? One NFL Draft analysts says it is possible. The NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein says there is a possibility the Jacksonville Jaguars could take both Tigers in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft.
The Jaguars are already expected to take Lawrence with the first overall pick in the draft. As of Tuesday, they also own the No. 25 pick in the draft. Do they dare try and team up Lawrence and Etienne for another four years or longer?
“When you draft Travis Etienne, a guy with amazing contact balance, power, physicality, he’s got speed, he can play all three downs. You get him for not only the four, but the plus year, the fifth year. And then on top of that you’ve got a chance to franchise him,” Zierlein said on NFL Total Access Monday evening. “So, what you’ve got then is potentially a running back on a six-year deal. One of the arguments about running backs is they don’t have that same value.
“I would argue a really, really good running back like Travis Etienne has a lot of value when you look at the salary over those six particular years, either five to six, especially when you’re trying to build a corps with a quarterback who already knows him in Trevor Lawrence.”
The question is will Etienne still be around at No. 25? The Steelers are in need of running back and they pick at No. 24, while there is a rumor the Bills might trade up to steal Etienne from the Steelers.
The Arizona Cardinals are also a player for a running back at No. 16. ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. has reportedly said he would not be surprised if Etienne, Alabama’s Najee Harris and North Carolina’s Javonte Williams all went in the first round.
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks
