Clemson loses another wideout to the NFL

Clemson wide receiver Deon Cain has decided to forgo his senior year and enter the NFL Draft. The junior from Tampa, Florida is ranked the No. 16 wide receiver in the class, according to Walter Football.

He had a productive season for the Tigers as their number one target. Cain caught 58 passes for 734 yards and six touchdowns.

Cain was arguably more productive his sophomore when he wasn’t the main target. He caught 20 less passes (38), but only logged 10 yards less (724) and scored nine touchdowns.  

His performance his sophomore year put him on notice as one of the top threats in the country. After a little bit of a less productive season and some inconsistency, he's a projected 3-5 round pick in the draft.

Minus Deon Cain you can expect Tee Higgins‍ and Diondre Overton to get more opportunities in the downfield passing game.

2016: 

• Second on the team with nine touchdown receptions, part of 36 catches over 15 games and 449 snaps
• Averaged team-best 19.1 yards per reception, one of the top season figures in Clemson history
• Had breakout performance against No. 3 Louisville, hauling in two long touchdown catches from Deshaun Watson
• Posted two long touchdown catches against Syracuse and hauled in five passes total for 125 yards
• Had two big receptions for 69 yards in ACC Championship Game against Virginia Tech
• Had five grabs for 94 yards in the National Championship win over Alabama, including a 43-yard catch and run that sparked the Tigers early.

2015: 

• Had 34 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games (one start)
• 17.1 yards per catch average was best on the team and five touchdown catches tied for third most
• Snagged three catches for 36 yards in his first collegiate game
• Broke Sammy Watkins' freshman school record with a fifth straight game with a touchdown at South Carolina; hauled in a 55-yarder against the Gamecocks in the second quarter
• Posted two catches in the ACC Championship game against North Carolina
• Did not appear in the final two games due to suspension.

Before Clemson: 

• Consensus top-50 national player who was a quarterback most of his high school career
• His performance in practice and during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl contributed to his ranking spike; he had a 54-yard passing touchdown and 50-yard receiving touchdown in the game
• Fourth-highest rated signee entering the ACC in 2015
• No. 17 player and No. 4 wide receiver in the nation and No. 6 player in Florida by Rivals.com
• No. 18 player and No. 32 wide receiver in the nation and No. 9 player in Florida by 247Sports.com
• No. 25 player and No. 2 wide receiver in the nation and No. 9 player in Florida by ESPN
• No. 46 player and No. 7 wide receiver in the nation and No. 9 player in Florida by Scout.com
• Second-team All-American by USA Today
• AAAAAAA first-team all-state
• 1,892 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns along with five passing touchdowns as a senior
• 1,900 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior
• 1,627 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore