Latest NFL.com projection has three Tigers going in first 40 draft picks

Trenton Simpson is hoping to hear his name called on night one in Kansas City's NFL draft later this month.

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Apr 10 10:35:56 GMT-04:00 2023

Clemson prospects will look to hear their names early in the April 27-29 NFL draft event in Kansas City.

The latest NFL.com four-round projection sees just that for three pro hopefuls.

On night one, NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter sees a pair of Tigers coming off the board, with Trenton Simpson at No. 17 to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Myles Murphy with pick 22 to the Baltimore Ravens.

"Simpson's an explosive player able to attack gaps inside and bring pressure on blitzes," Reuter said. "Murphy worked out for teams (last) week, showing he's moved past the hamstring issue that kept him from participating at the NFL Scouting Combine. He compares favorably to Bud Dupree, who also went 22nd overall (to the Steelers in 2015)."

Reuter has fellow Tiger defender Bryan Bresee going 40th overall to the New Orleans Saints on day two of the draft, and he's joined later in the day with KJ Henry as the last selection of the third round to the San Francisco 49ers.

Two more Tigers are slated to go on the final day of selections with offensive lineman Jordan McFadden to the Seattle Seahawks (pick 123 in the fourth round) and tight end Davis Allen to the Los Angeles Rams (pick 135 in the fourth round).

Pro Football Focus' latest first-round projection has two Tigers going there, later in the night:

29. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (VIA SF): EDGE MYLES MURPHY, CLEMSON

The Saints look to replace Marcus Davenport with another talented, athletic and physically imposing edge defender in Clemson’s Myles Murphy. A player who didn’t necessarily peak in college, Murphy was consistently good without reaching great. He finished 2022 with only a 14.3% pass-rush win rate, but the Saints would value his athletic traits.

31. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (VIA KC): DI BRYAN BRESEE, CLEMSON

The Vikings would be tempted by a receiver at this spot, and were I higher on Zay Flowers I might have made that move. They still badly need some interior impact on the defensive line, and the potential in Bryan Bresee is too much to overlook here. Last season, Bresee put up 24 pressures on 203 pass-rushing snaps, but his best football could easily be ahead of him, given the way his college career played out.