Dabo Swinney says Clemson receivers have chance to be better pros than college players
CLEMSON -- As annual spring college football games come to a close, the next best thing on the docket for fans to consume is the NFL Draft.
Because of the return of three defensive linemen, Clemson’s five-year streak of first-round draft picks will come to a close, but there a still a few players fans will have their eyes on.
Two of which will be receivers Deon Cain and Ray-Ray McCloud who decided to forego their senior season and enter the Draft together.
The two receivers won’t be the highest players on many Draft boards, but Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said the potential for them to break out is right around the corner.
“I am excited for those guys and their future opportunities,” Swinney said on the Spring ACC Head Coaches Media Teleconference. “To be honest with you, I think both of them have a chance to be better pros than maybe they were as college players.”
Swinney was quick to mention that receiver is a relatively new position for these players. McCloud was a running back in high school while Cain could be seen throwing touchdown passes.
Once they got to college, a position change was in order. The two have only played receiver for two-and-a-half years.
Cain was Clemson’s No. 1 option at receiver in 2017 and caught 58 passes for 734 yards, and six touchdowns. His best year by far was his sophomore season with Deshaun Watson at quarterback and with Mike Williams getting a lot of attention.
In 2016, he caught 20 fewer passes than his junior season, for just ten fewer yards (724). He also reeled in nine touchdown passes that season where co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said Cain was “a hungry young guy.”
“Deon has the chance to be a great pick up for someone,” Swinney continued. “He’s dynamic, he can play multiple positions, and the same thing: he really just now has the foundation in place to be a great receiver. He’s got good experience like last year when we kind of started over.”
Cain is a projected to get picked in the second or third round, according to NFL.com. He’s been compared to Roddy White and is called a “classic Clemson receiver” by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
As for McCloud, NFL.com projects him to get picked up as an undrafted free agent.
McCloud made a lot of noise for Clemson this season in the return game as well as at receiver. He showed his versatility at Clemson’s 2018 Pro Day where he took part in receiving drills, backpedal drills with the cornerbacks, and caught a few punts in front of the NFL scouts on hand.
In 2017, McCloud had 49 catches, 503 yards, and scored a touchdown. He finished his career with 1,226 yards catching and four receiving touchdowns.
At punt return, McCloud was a weapon for Clemson. He returned 25 punts in 2017 for 303 yards, including a 77-yard return for a touchdown at North Carolina State.
“Ray-Ray is a dynamic guy,” Swinney said. “He’s going to have to be an impactful guy as a returner. I think he will. There’s a lot of versatility to his game that I think has a bright future.”
McCloud and Cain are two of the latest receivers to come out of Clemson, which has produced successful NFL talent at that position in recent years. The duo will try their best to live up to self-proclaimed “Wide Receiver U” name.
“It’s still all in front of them,” Swinney added. “They are still very much developing guys that have the skills and tools but I think now they have a real foundation to build upon.”
The NFL Draft will take place from April 26-28 in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium.