CLEMSON in the NFL

Ruke Orhorhoro is headed to Atlanta.
Ruke Orhorhoro is headed to Atlanta.

Clemson D-lineman Ruke Orhorhoro drafted in second round by Falcons
by - Fri Apr 26 19:28:08 GMT-04:00 2024

The first Clemson Tiger is off the board for Day 2 of the NFL draft.

The Atlanta Falcons traded with Arizona up to the 35th overall pick to select Ruke Orhorhoro on Friday.

He joins a Clemson pro-filled team with Grady Jarrett on the D-line, as well as AJ Terrell in the secondary, Ray-Ray McCloud III at receiver/punt returner and Bradley Pinion at punter.

Orhorhoro is a second Clemson defender picked this draft, joining All-ACC cornerback Nate Wiggins' 30th overall selection on Thursday for Baltimore.

The pick contract is slotted $9.8 million with a $3.9 million signing bonus (Spotrac).

Coaches reaction

Head Coach Dabo Swinney: “This is going to be fun. Ruke is a guy that I think everybody is in love with his measurables — he’s big, he’s athletic, he’s got great length, he can really run. He’s got position diversity and can play multiple spots on the defensive line. He’s a high-character guy. He’s a graduate. The thing that everybody likes about Ruke is that he’s not quite a blank canvas but he still very much has his best football in front of him. He’s a guy that didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. Watching him develop at Clemson every single year, to me, Ruke is a great example to a lot of kids in today’s world that if you’ll just stay and put the work in, if you’ve got the talent then you will develop. He’s a guy that redshirted, didn’t play much as a redshirt freshman, was a rotational guy as a sophomore, and then his redshirt junior and senior years, he became a starter and now he’s a high draft pick. He’s just kept his head down, stayed the course, continued to work, and he has really, really developed into a great football player. But, again, his best football is still in front of him and that’s what everyone is excited about. He’s a guy I think will make an impact early on as a rookie.”Associate Head Coach/Defensive

Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Tackles Coach Nick Eason: “Ruke’s competitive nature is contagious. He will elevate any team and have everyone rowing in the same direction. He can dominate any industry, any market, against any competition, at any time. He is a true warrior.”

Clemson notes on the pick

– Orhorhoro became the 79th NFL Draft selection in Dabo Swinney’s head coaching tenure and the 12th second-round pick of his tenure.

– Orhorhoro’s selection combined with the Baltimore Ravens’ selection of Wiggins in the first round gave Clemson selections in both the first and second round for the 10th time in school history (1960, 1987, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021).

– Orhorhoro became Clemson’s eighth all-time NFL Draft selection by the Atlanta Falcons, joining DB Rod McSwain (1984), CB Reggie Pleasant (1985), RB Kenny Flowers (1987), DE Malliciah Goodman (2013), DE Vic Beasley (2015), DT Grady Jarrett (2015) and CB A.J. Terrell (2020). The Falcons also selected LB Randy Smith in the 1966 NFL Supplemental Draft.

– Each of Clemson’s last three selections by the Falcons — DE Vic Beasley, DT Grady Jarrett and CB A.J. Terrell — have earned at least one Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection.

– Orhorhoro became the second No. 35 overall pick in Clemson history, joining Joe Blalock, who was selected at No. 35 overall in the fifth round of the 1942 NFL Draft.

– Orhorhoro became the 21st member of Clemson’s front seven to be drafted since the 2015 NFL Draft. Entering the 2024 NFL Draft, Dabo Swinney ranked first among active coaches and second among all coaches — active or inactive — in front-seven draft picks produced in that span.

– Orhorhoro became the ninth Clemson defensive lineman selected in the first two rounds of a draft since the 2015 NFL Draft.

– Orhorhoro (who played his prep career in River Rouge, Mich. adjacent to Detroit) became the first Clemson player since the NFL moved away from its long-time location in New York City to be selected in a draft being held in his home metro area.

Clemson bio

Vocal leader who earned All-ACC honors in his final season at Clemson ... credited with 97 tackles (25.5 for loss), 12.0 sacks, nine pass breakups and two fumble recoveries in 1,526 career snaps over 53 games (30 starts) from 2019-23 ... played five offensive snaps in Clemson's jumbo package (two in 2021, one in 2022 and two in 2023).

NFL draft prospect rankings

PFF: 67

ESPN (Mel Kiper Jr.): 45

ESPN (Matt Miller): 71

ESPN (Jordan Reid): 75

The Athletic: 51 (2nd-3rd round projection)

NFL.com grade/analysis

Grade: 6.25 (“Will eventually be average starter”)

Analysis: “His game is built upon leverage and explosiveness, but in 2023, he added a little more polish. Orhorhoro can get distracted by individual battles and needs to keep his focus trained on pursuing the ball and making positive plays. His foot quickness and sudden hands shine in the running game and as a pass rusher when he has space to work, so teams would be wise to keep that in mind when it comes to his alignments. The pass rush still needs improvement, but he projects as an ascending talent and future starter in odd or even fronts.” - Lance Zierlein

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