Clemson Has a Sleeper NFL Draft Prospect Whose Stock is Rising

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Heading into the 2026 college football season, the Clemson Tigers had a handful of players viewed as potential first-round talents for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Defensively, defensive end Will Heldt, linebacker Sammy Brown and cornerback Ashton Hampton were the primary names, and each of them have boosted their draft stock over the first four weeks of the campaign to date.

But suddenly, another Clemson defender is rising through the ranks: cornerback Elliot Washington II.

Washington transferred over from Penn State during the offseason and is off to a spectacular start with the Tigers, having racked up 13 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumbles and three passes defended thus far.

In fact, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. recently named Washington as a player to watch moving forward and said that he is probably a Day 2 pick right now.

Kiper added that former Penn State coach James Franklin "raved" about Washington.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back picked off a pair of passes during Clemson's win over California on Friday in a signature performance, but he really has been impressive all season long.

Washington spent three seasons with the Nittany Lions between 2023 and 2025, with his best year coming during his sophomore campaign when he recorded 26 tackles, an interception and six passes defended.

But it seems pretty clear that Washington has truly broken out with the Tigers.

The Sarasota, Fl. native will likely fly under the radar all season long due to Hampton's presence on the other side. Kiper himself called Hampton a first-rounder, and it's easy to see why. Hampton has been one of the most dominant corners in the country thus far.

That being said, it will definitely be interesting to monitor Washington the rest of the way to see how much more he can bolster his standing here in his senior year.

Meanwhile, Clemson has suddenly won three games in a row following its embarrassing Week 1 loss to LSU and will host Miami for a showdown in Death Valley this Saturday.

Given that the Hurricanes boast the best offense in the nation and a Heisman Trophy frontrunner in quarterback Darian Mensah, the Tigers' secondary will definitely have to be on its A-game this weekend.

Fortunately for Clemson, Hampton and Washington have comprised one of the better cornerback duos in college football through the first four weeks of 2026.

We'll see if the Tigers are able to pull off a massive upset this Saturday.

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