Carman, Rodgers Selected on Day 2 of 2021 NFL Draft
CLEMSON, S.C. — Offensive lineman Jackson Carman (No. 46 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals) and wide receiver Amari Rodgers (No. 85 to the Green Bay Packers) were both selected on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft on Friday evening. Including the selections of quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne in the first round on Thursday, Clemson now has four selections through the first three rounds of this year’s draft.
For the second straight draft, it was the Cincinnati Bengals that were the first on Day 2 to select a Clemson Tiger. A year ago, the Bengals opened the second round by selecting wide receiver Tee Higgins at No. 33 overall. This year, the Bengals selected Carman, a Cincinnati native, at No. 46 overall, making him the highest-selected Clemson offensive lineman since the Detroit Lions selected guard Dave Thompson with the No. 30 overall selection in the 1971 NFL Draft.
Rodgers continued the tradition of “Wide Receiver U” with his selection by the Packers in the third round. Rodgers became Clemson’s 10th draft pick at wide receiver since 2013 and extended Clemson’s school-record number of consecutive drafts with a wide receiver selected to six, currently the nation’s longest active streak.
This year’s draft marks the third straight year that Clemson has produced four selections over the first three rounds. Clemson has had at least three players selected through the first three rounds in five of the last six drafts.
The 2021 NFL Draft will resume at noon ET on Saturday with Rounds 4-7. Notes and comments from Clemson coaches following each selection are available on ClemsonTigers.com Draft Central.
Draft notes and comments from Clemson coaches through Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft are included below.
CLEMSON NOTES
– Produced at least three Top 50 picks for the third consecutive draft, the longest such streak in school history. Prior to this 2019-21 stretch, Clemson’s last such draft was 1987 (ironically also a year in which a Clemson RB — Terrence Flagler — was selected at No. 25 overall).
– Produced four Top 100 picks for the third year in a row and for the fourth time in the Dabo Swinney era (2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021).
– Has produced four selections in the first three rounds in each of the last three drafts. Clemson has had at least three players selected through the first three rounds in five of the last six drafts.
– Became only the 51st program ever to produce a No. 1 overall pick since inception of the draft in 1936.
– Became the seventh current ACC program to produce a No. 1 overall pick, joining Florida State, Miami (Fla.), NC State, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech. However, Clemson became the third program ever to produce a No. 1 pick while a member of the ACC, as Miami, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech’s No. 1 picks predated their tenure in the ACC.
– Has now produced a first-round pick in eight of the last nine drafts, dating to the 2013 NFL Draft. The only draft in that span in which Clemson did not have at least one first-round pick was 2018. Clemson, Alabama and Florida are the only programs to have produced a first-round pick in at least eight of the last nine drafts.
– Has now produced a Top 10 pick in three consecutive drafts for the first time in program history. Entering the 2021 NFL Draft, only Clemson, Alabama, LSU and Ohio State had produced a Top 10 selection in each of the previous two drafts.
– Has now produced multiple first-round picks in three consecutive drafts for the first time in program history. Clemson and Alabama are the only schools to produce multiple first-round picks in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts.
– After producing multiple first-round picks on defense in each of the previous two drafts, Clemson produced multiple first-round picks from the offense for the third time in school history, joining the 1979 and 2017, both of which featured quarterback/receiver duos.
– Clemson and Alabama (QB Mac Jones and RB Najee Harris) became the fifth and sixth programs since 2000 to produce a quarterback/running back duo in the first round of a single draft, joining LSU (QB Joe Burrow and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2020), Georgia (QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno in 2009), USC (QB Matt Leinart and RB Reggie Bush in 2006) and Auburn (QB Jason Campbell and RBs Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams in 2005).
– With Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne both being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round, the duo became the QB/RB duo from a single school ever drafted by the same team in the first round of an NFL Draft in the Common Draft era.
– Lawrence and Etienne became only the sixth pair of college teammates to be drafted by a single team in the first round in the Common Draft era, joining Georgia T Isaiah Wynn and RB Sony Michel (New England in 2018), Auburn CB Carlos Rogers and QB Jason Campbell (Washington in 2005), Miami DE Bill Hawkins and RB Cleveland Gary (Los Angeles Rams in 1989), Arkansas LB Billy Ray Smith and RB Gary Anderson (San Diego in 1983) and Michigan State RB Clint Jones and WR Gene Washington (Minnesota in 1967).
– Extended its streak of consecutive drafts with at least one selection to 19 since 2003, representing the second-longest streak in school history behind a 24-year streak across the 1951-74 NFL Drafts.
– Has now had at least one player selected in the first round, the second round and the third round of each of the last two NFL Drafts. They represent the only two drafts in school history in which Clemson has had a player selected in each of the first three rounds.
CARMAN NOTES
– Became the 67th player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the 10th second-round pick of Swinney’s tenure.
– Became Clemson’s highest-selected offensive lineman since the Detroit Lions selected G Dave Thompson with the No. 30 overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft.
– Gave Clemson back-to-back drafts with at least one offensive lineman selected for the first time since 2007-08.
– Became the first No. 46 overall pick in school history.
– Marked the second straight season that the Bengals have used a second-round pick on a player from Clemson, joining their selection of wide receiver Tee Higgins with the No. 33 overall pick a year ago. The 2021 NFL Draft is actually the second straight draft that the Bengals have selected an LSU Tiger in the first round (Joe Burrow in 2020, Ja’Marr Chase in 2021) and a Clemson Tiger in the second round (Higgins in 2020, Carman in 2021).
– Marked the second straight year that Clemson has had an offensive player taken in the second round. Prior to Higgins’ selection in the second round last year, every Clemson second-round pick had come from the defensive side of the ball since the Seattle Seahawks selected WR Doug Thomas in 1991. Clemson’s previous 17 second-round picks prior to Higgins and Carman had been defensive players, including the previous eight who all played under Head Coach Dabo Swinney.
– Became the Bengals’ fifth all-time selection from Clemson, joining TE Jim Riggs (1987), DT Donald Broomfield (1999), DT Brandon Thompson (2012) and Higgins (2020).
– Was selected by his hometown Bengals, marking the second straight draft in which a Clemson player has been selected by his home state team (Atlanta CB A.J. Terrell in 2020). Carman will now play home games in Cincinnati fewer than 25 miles from his high school in Fairfield, Ohio.
RODGERS NOTES
– Became the 68th player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the seventh third-round pick of Swinney’s tenure.
– Became the 11th wide receiver in Swinney’s head coaching tenure to be drafted into the NFL.
– Became the 15th Clemson wide receiver under Swinney’s guidance to be drafted including Swinney’s stint as wide receivers coach from 2003-08.
– Represented Clemson’s 10th draft pick at wide receiver since 2013. Clemson’s nine previous selections at wide receiver across the 2013-20 NFL Drafts were tied for the most in the country in that span.
– Extended Clemson’s school-record number of consecutive drafts with a wide receiver selected to six, currently the nation’s longest active streak.
– Gave Clemson at least one receiver selected in eight of the last nine NFL Drafts, dating to DeAndre Hopkins’ selection in 2013.
– Became the first No. 85 overall pick in school history.
– Became the 11th Clemson player selected by the Packers all-time and the first since DT Donnell Washington in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Four of the Packers’ 11 all-time selections from Clemson have come in the third round, including Fred Cone (1951), Gary Barnes (1962), Washington (2004) and Rodgers (2021).
– Became the Packers’ highest-drafted wide receiver since selecting four-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams with the No. 53 overall pick in 2014.
COACHES’ COMMENTS
Head Coach Dabo Swinney on Jackson Carman:
“The Bengals are getting a first-round talent. Like Tee Higgins last year, Tee Higgins went in the second round, but he was a top-15 talent and I think you saw that in how he played. Tee Higgins was a ready-to-go guy right out of the gate with his best football still in front of him and he left early right after his junior year, and I would say the same exact thing about Jackson. We have had him here for two-and-a-half years and Jackson is a ‘day one’ guy. He is going to play day one; he is not a guy who is going to redshirt. He is ready to play and that is because you can’t find what he has. It is hard to find offensive linemen, first of all, but especially offensive linemen that are incredibly athletic, big, strong, and can play literally four positions — and more importantly has the knowledge to play four positions. He just gets it. He understands football. So wherever he went, his team was going to get a first-round talent. I think if he had been back, he would have been a top-15 pick. I think he is one of those guys that has a chance to play a long time, and if his body holds up, I think he’ll decide when football ends for him — he has got that type of upside to him. So I’m super excited about his future and excited for the team that gets him because I know how hard it is to find ready offensive linemen and that’s what you get with Jackson Carman. You get a guy that is ready to make you better the day he steps on the field.”
Offensive Line Coach Robbie Caldwell on Jackson Carman:
“They are getting a class young man. He’s very smart, very intelligent. He’s talented in football, of course, but he can do anything — sing, cook, play musical instruments — which tells you a little bit about his intelligence. He’s very athletic, a big guy who can run and bend. He can play guard or tackle, and I think they’re going a have great locker room presence on top of a great player.”
Head Coach Dabo Swinney on Amari Rodgers:
“The Packers are getting a true professional. He is the ultimate pro. This kid has handled himself like a pro since I met him, and I mean in everyaspect of his life. He is incredibly committed to excellence in every area: academics, his relationships, how he deals with media, how he responds to adversity, you name it. He is the same guy every day. He has an incredible mind to him. He has an incredible mental toughness and grit, and then he is just highly skilled. He brings a ton of experience. He has played a ton of football. He has incredible special teams value. He can do a lot of things there. He played his first two years on the outside, he played his last two years in the slot. He is crafty. He is a technician at his position, and he is a guy that’s going to be ready day one since he can play multiple positions and is incredibly smart. Again, he is built like a running back, but he has the length of a 6-foot-3 wideout and plays long. He is a tough yards-after-the-catch guy and I think is one of those guys that, like I said, is a true pro and will be a leader from the moment he gets there.”
Wide Receivers Coach Tyler Grisham on Amari Rodgers:
“Amari Rodgers is the total package. He is what you want in a player and in a person. He’s a high-effort guy who is going to lead by example. As a player, he is going to do everything you ask and more. Very versatile — can play the slot, can play outside and you can hand the ball off to him because he has such great center of gravity, contact balance and strength. He also can also take it the distance. He has great speed, great hands. He is the ultimate competitor. I could go on and on about him, but he’s the total package.”
