Clemson Tight End Jake Briningstool, 'I Think He's the Greatest of All Time'
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On Thursday, Clemson defensive tackle Payton Page and linebacker Barrett Carter participated in drills at the NFL Draft Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Page was third in the broad jump with a leap of 9 feet 8 inches and fifth in the vertical leap with 33 inches. Carter was fifth among linebackers with a time of 4 41 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle run. Both athletes chose to skip the 40-yard dash and will run on campus at the Tigers Pro Day.
Safety RJ Mickens and tight end Jake Briningstool compete on Friday at 3 p.m. on the NFL Network.
Here are a few snippets from Briningstool's 22-minute interview with the media on Thursday.
On which teams he met with thus far in Indy:
“So far, I met with the Dolphins and the 49ers.”
Miami: “I had a really good meeting. We sat down watching film and went through some of my tape. Then got the opportunity to talk and tell them about my personal life, about my family.”
San Francisco: “We had a really good meeting. They went through my film. They have a great tight end [George Kittle] already. Somebody that's been the best ever to play this position. So to be able to learn from him will be a dream come true.”
On which Clemson player no one is talking about but will be next year:
“Olson Pat-Henry. He's going to be a dog. He'll be up here sometime in the next two years. He's a really good player. He's a student of the game. He works hard, and he's going to be a real good one.”
On which Clemson freshman from last season he would bet his first NFL paycheck on making it to the NFL:
“Wesco [Bryant] and T.J. Moore. It was a lot of fun to play next to those guys. We made a lot of plays together, but now they're going to be stars.”
Wesco: ”I just think his speed. I think that's something you can't really coach. I think he has a lot of God-given abilities, and he can take the top off of a defense.”
On former Clemson players having success in the league:
“It's been sweet. That’s the reason why I chose Clemson. It's just different. I want to play next to elite players. I want to be coached by elite coaches, and I want to compete for championships. So, I think that's the coolest thing about Clemson. It's no surprise that these guys are excelling at the next level.”
On Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney:
“I think he's the greatest of all time. He's done a really good job building his program from the ground up. He does everything his way. I really respect how he runs his program. How he treats his players. And that man just wins at the end of the day.”
On having teammates Barrett Carter, Phil Mafah, R.J. Mickens, Payton Page, and Marcus Tate in Indy:
“It's a dream come true. This is something that we've talked about ever since we stepped on campus for the first time in January. But just all of us being able to be here together and share this experience. I think it’s been super cool.”