McFadden says he's ready for Orange Bowl send-off, NFL challenge

Jordan McFadden will play his final game as a Tiger in the Orange Bowl (Orange Bowl photo).

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Wed Dec 28 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON - It’s official, fifth-year offensive lineman Jordan McFadden is going pro. But first, he’s helping the Tigers take care of business in the Orange Bowl, going against No. 6 Tennessee this Friday (8 p.m./ESPN).

“We’re treating it like a playoff game,” McFadden said. “These are two great teams and at the end of the day, we came to play the game.”

From the offensive line perspective, perhaps McFadden faces more of a challenge in practice than he will in the Orange Bowl. The Volunteers only have had 27 sacks this season. They also have one less turnover than Clemson with 20, however, they come more from fumble recoveries (11) than interceptions (9).

Speaking with the media, McFadden discussed more than the upcoming Orange Bowl. While that is his primary focus, he is also looking ahead as he has been invited to the Shrine Bowl, as well as officially declaring for the NFL Draft.

When discussing going pro, he said, “It will be a challenge but a fun experience. I’m ready for it.”

Per NFL Draft Buzz, which ranks every player based on a variety of statistical categories, McFadden ranks No. 259 in the country and No. 47 among offensive linemen. While he is small for an offensive lineman at 6-foot-2 inches and 305 pounds (weight ranks in the No. 23 percentile), his speed makes up for that. His forty-yard dash ranks in the No. 81 percentile. These statistics mean that he definitely has the potential to be a good guard in the NFL since he has a smaller size but incredible speed. Many of the top NFL teams, including the San Francisco 49ers, are in need of an interior offensive lineman, so there are a lot of things that work in McFadden’s favor headed into the draft.

He is projected to get drafted at the beginning of the fifth round at No. 132 overall by the Houston Texans per Oliver Hodgkinson of Pro Football Network, one of the only mock drafts for the entire draft currently. Interior offensive linemen are a need for them, although the Texans also have many other needs. So, McFadden could end up at a better team than Houston, particularly since there are usually a good deal of trades that affect the later rounds of the NFL Draft.

McFadden is one of three Clemson players that have declared for the NFL Draft. The other two are defensive end Myles Murphy and tight end Davis Allen. Final decisions for the NFL draft aren’t due until Jan. 16 for any more Tigers considering the jump.