Over the past two weeks, many former Clemson Tigers have regained their footing as the NFL season approaches the halfway point. Here are four alumni who have excelled at the next level in weeks 7 and 8:
Dexter Lawrence II, Defensive Tackle | New York Giants
The North Carolina native and two-time national champion with the Tigers continues to be on an absolute tear for the Giants this season, placing himself in the mix for NFL defensive player of the year.
In a 28-3 loss to the divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles, Lawrence recorded five tackles, three hurries and two sacks, putting him at the top of the NFL sack list with nine total. He is now the league’s first defensive tackle to lead in sacks since Aaron Donald in 2018. Additionally, the powerful interior force has been double-teamed on 63.3% of his pass rushes, the highest percentage of any player in the past five seasons.
He followed up his strong performance in Week 7 with a four-tackle game in a loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the box score stats show he didn’t have an impeccable game, the actual film tells the difference, as he constantly created pressure and forced negative plays throughout the game.
A.J. Terrell, Cornerback | Atlanta Falcons
The former Clemson standout has had an up-and-down season for the Falcons but has put together increasingly impressive performances over the past two weeks of the season.
In a 34-14 loss against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7, the 6-foot-1 cornerback tallied four tackles and two pass deflections.
The following week, Terrell had his best game of the season, totaling seven tackles. He also pitched in a pass deflection and jumped a route early in the fourth quarter to secure his second interception of the season, which left the Falcons in a prime position to defeat the Buccaneers 31-26.
Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback | Jacksonville Jaguars
With Travis Etienne out the past two weeks due to a hamstring injury, Lawrence has been the main priority in keeping Jacksonville’s offense alive.
The 2022 Pro Bowler faced a young Patriots squad in Week 7 and had an extremely efficient game, completing 15 out of his 20 passes and throwing for 193 yards and one touchdown. The duo of Lawrence and backup running back Tank Bigsby helped Jacksonville prevail in a 32-16 win.
The Packers slowed down the Jaguars’ momentum in Week 8 after forcing two turnovers in the game. A costly fumble by Lawrence late in the game eventually led to a close 30-27 loss for Jacksonville. Nevertheless, the 220-pound quarterback still had a solid game, throwing for 308 yards and accounting for three touchdowns from scrimmage.
Tee Higgins, Wide Receiver | Cincinnati Bengals
The former Clemson star receiver has dealt with lingering injuries throughout the 2024 NFL season, playing in just five games so far. However, he’s still consistently contributed when active, accounting for 341 yards and three touchdowns.
In a 21-14 win over the Cleveland Browns, Higgins caught four of his eight targets for 82 yards and a touchdown, averaging 20.5 yards per reception.
His Week 7 performance was followed up by him pulling his quad while running a route during practice this past Friday. Despite continuing to practice in some capacity for the rest of the week, he was placed on the inactive list for Week 8.
