CLEMSON in the NFL

Will Shipley is headed to the Eagles.
Will Shipley is headed to the Eagles.

Will Shipley drafted in fourth round round by Eagles
by - Sat Apr 27 13:29:33 GMT-04:00 2024

A Clemson offensive playmaker is headed to the NFC East.

Will Shipley was selected with the 127th overall pick within the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.

He is Clemson's first offensive player picked this draft and a third player overall, joining Nate Wiggins (30; Ravens) and Ruke Orhorhoro (35; Falcons).

Shipley's pick is slotted $4.8 million overall with a $732,000 signing bonus (Spotrac).

Coaches reaction

Head Coach Dabo Swinney: “Wherever Will Shipley got drafted, he was going to be underrated. Didn’t matter if he went in the third round or the seventh round. He’s an underrated guy. I say that because he’s just one of those people that I don’t know you can really appreciate unless you get to work with him and you get to see him work on a daily basis: how he practices, how he prepares, how he competes. I think he’s still just now coming into the best version of himself as a running back. The other thing about Shipley that I think teams love is that he’s dynamic. He can change the game with the ball in space. He can break tackles between the tackles. He can play receiver for you in the slot or make plays on the outside, and he can impact the game as a special teams guy in the return game. He brings a lot to the table, not to mention he’s an unbelievably smart kid. He never made below a 4.0. He will bring a fire and an energy. When he shows up and he steps on the practice field, he’s just a guy you notice every single day. He elevates everyone’s competitiveness because he’s only got one gear. I’m excited about what he’s going to bring. They’re getting a really, really good football player that will have a chance to make an impact as a rookie.”

Running Backs Coach C.J. Spiller: “Will has exceptional talent that makes him special from the rest because not only can he run the rock, but he is a guy you can move all around the field. He brings special teams value, so I know he will have an immediate impact. They are getting a five-star person. His leadership skills are what set him apart from everyone else and I know the entire building and community will love him.”

Clemson notes on Shipley's selection

– Shipley became the 80th NFL Draft selection in Dabo Swinney’s head coaching tenure and the 15th fourth-round pick of his tenure.

– Shipley became the 13th Clemson player drafted by the Eagles all-time, joining G Frank Gillespie (1949), T Nathan Gressette (1954), G Clyde White (1955), C Wingo Avery (1955), C Jim Padgett (1958), T Jack Smith (1959), G Jim Payne (1959), G Eric Harmon (1991), SS Brian Dawkins (1996), DB C.J. Gaddis (2007), DE Ricky Sapp (2010) and S K’Von Wallace (2020).

– Shipley’s draft destination (Philadelphia), round (fourth) and overall selection (No. 127) were identical to K’Von Wallace’s selection by the Eagles in 2020. Shipley became the fourth Clemson player selected at No. 127 all-time, joining DT Archie Reese (1978), Malliciah Goodman (2013) and K’Von Wallace (2020).

– Shipley became the 18th Clemson running back selected in the Common Draft era (since 1967).

– Shipley joined James Davis (2009), C.J. Spiller (2010), Jamie Harper (2011), Andre Ellington (2013), Zac Brooks (2016), Wayne Gallman (2017) and Travis Etienne (2021) to become the eighth Clemson running back selected in the Dabo Swinney era.

– Of the 54 underclassmen granted special eligibility in the 2024 NFL Draft, Shipley was one of only four to enter the draft early with a college degree already in hand (Miami’s Kamren Kinchens, Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry and Texas’ Byron Murphy).

– Shipley enters the NFL as the only FBS player confirmed to ever accrue 4,000 career all-purpose yards and a perfect 4.0 GPA while graduating in only three years.

Clemson bio

Dynamic and versatile running back who recorded 2,747 yards and 31 touchdowns on 526 career rushing attempts and 602 yards and two touchdowns on 85 career receptions in 1,526 offensive snaps over 36 career games (27 starts) from 2021-23 ... also credited with 34 career kickoff returns for 904 yards (26.6 avg.) as well as one pass attempt for a two-yard touchdown ... exited after three years in the Top 10 in school history in total touchdowns (33), rushing touchdowns (31), 100-yard rushing games (10), all-purpose yards (4,253) and kickoff return yards (904) ... also finished ranked 11th in rushing yards (2,747) ... made an instant impact as a freshman in 2021 and followed that campaign with a 2022 season in which he became the first player in ACC history to be selected as a first-team All-ACC honoree in three different categories (running back, all-purpose and specialist) and was one of four finalists for the Paul Hornung Award (nation's most versatile player) ... one of only three FBS players to record 1,200 all-purpose yards in all three seasons from 2021-23 (Kent State/Ball State's Marquez Cooper and Buffalo's Ron Cook Jr.) ... joined Clemson's Travis Etienne, Louisville's Lamar Jackson and North Carolina's Giovani Bernard as the only ACC players to rush for 11 or more touchdowns in both their freshman and sophomore campaigns since 2000 ... three-time All-ACC Academic Team selection and academic standout who in 2022 became Clemson's first Academic All-American since 2012 and the first Clemson running back ever to earn the honor ... with another Academic All-America selection in 2023, he joined Don Kelley (1970-71), Steve Fuller (1977-78), Kyle Young (1999-2001) and Chad Carson (1999-2001) to become the fifth multi-time Academic All-American in program history ... became the ninth player in school history to score 30 career touchdowns and the eighth player at Clemson ever to rush for 30 touchdowns ... community leader who in 2023 became a Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist and Clemson's ninth all-time selection to the AFCA Good Works Team for his service and philanthropy ... became the first Clemson scholarship player on record to graduate in three years with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

NFL draft prospect rankings

PFF: 145

ESPN (Mel Kiper Jr.): Not in Top 150

ESPN (Matt Miller): 135

ESPN (Jordan Reid): 129

The Athletic: Not in Top 100 (4th round projection)

NFL.com grade/analysis

Grade: 6.16 (“Good backup with potential to develop into starter”)

Analysis: “He’s a flexible runner who reads up to the linebackers and curates his runs with a feel for both defensive positioning and run lane development. He can balance through contact but is unlikely to move NFL piles. Shipley does a nice job of setting up opponents from anywhere on the field and has the agility to hop and hurdle over bodies. He’s not a workhorse and still has work to do in order to solidify himself as a third-down option, but the athletic talent and skill level could create an early pathway into a spot as a productive RB2.” - Lance Zierlein

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