NFL coaches heap praise on Dabo Swinney, Clemson football program

Clemson had six players drafted in this past weekend’s NFL draft, with all six being selected in the first five rounds.

Defensive linemen Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee were the first to come off the board, going back-to-back at No. 28 and 29 in the first round Thursday night.

Murphy was selected by the Bengals, while Bresee landed with the Saints.

Linebacker Trenton Simpson was next to come off the board, hearing his name called Friday night as he was drafted by the Ravens.

Clemson had three players drafted on Saturday as KJ Henry, Jordan McFadden and Davis Allen all went in the fifth round.

Henry was selected by Washington, while McFadden and Allen will both be playing in Los Angeles. McFadden will suit up for the Los Angeles Chargers, while Allen was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams.

Multiple NFL head coaches said after the draft that they like selecting players from the Clemson program.

“When you sign up to go play at Clemson, you know you’re competing for championships,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “The standard’s going to be very high. And that’s our standard here, as well. We want to compete for championships. We have a very high standard. We want players who understand that and have been through it before, and we know that Myles has done that.”

Murphy was named first-team All-ACC this past season after finishing with 45 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss. He helped Clemson win the ACC championship in two of his three seasons, and the Tigers reached the College Football Playoff when Murphy was a freshman.

Rams coach Sean MvCay said after selecting Davis Allen that he respects Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and his program. Allen started 25 games in his career and was a permanent team captain this past season.

“Allen was a guy that we had targeted,” McVay said. “I got a text right away from Dabo Swinney, who I have tremendous respect for. This guy is a complete player. It’s like throwing into a pillow – he’s got great, soft hands. He can be a part of the blocking surface, and so there’s a lot of versatility and it’ll be great to get him in here.”

Allen was third on the Clemson team with 39 catches for 443 yards last season.

In addition to head coaches, Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz had plenty of good things to say about the Clemson program as well, after Baltimore selected Trenton Simpson in the third round.

The Ravens believe they got good value for Simpson, who was viewed as a potential first-round pick heading into the draft.

Simpson started all 12 games he appeared in last season and tied for third on the team in tackles with 77, including four tackles for loss.

“His character is off the charts. There at Clemson, they rave about him,” Hortiz said. “We get a lot of information from them about their players, and he comes from a great program and a great place. When you put everything together, it feels like a good pick.”