Clemson sent three more players to the NFL Saturday while two more USC players were selected. The drafted Tigers were OG John Simpson by the Raiders in the 4th round; SAF K’von Wallace by the Eagles in round 4, and OL Tremayne Anchrum to the Rams in the 7th round. Drafted Gamecocks were DE DJ Wonnum by the Vikings in the 4th round and LB TJ Brunson by the Giants in the 7th round.
Also drafted from the state Saturday were CB Troy Pride of Greer and Notre Dame, taken in the 4th round by the Panthers and PK Tyler Bass of Dutch Fork and Georgia Southern, the 6th round pick of Buffalo.
Clemson finished with 7 total draftees giving them a total of 31 over the last 5 years, the most prolific stretch in school history. USC totaled 4 picks, the most for the Gamecocks since 2015.
Notes on Simpson, Wallace and Anchrum by Clemson Athletics Communications
SIMPSON NOTES
- Became the 62nd player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the 13th fourth-round pick of Swinney’s tenure.
- Became the first Clemson offensive lineman drafted since Brandon Thomas’ selection in the third round (No. 100 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.
- Represents the fifth-highest Clemson offensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft in the Common Draft era since 1967, trailing Harry Olszewski (No. 64 in 1968), Joe Bostic (No. 64 in 1979), Wayne Mass (No. 99 in 1968) and Thomas (No. 100 in 2014). It makes Simpson the third-highest Clemson offensive lineman selected since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
- Was the 11th Clemson player selected by the Raiders all-time, including an AFL Draft and Supplemental Draft selection. Prior to last year, the Raiders had gone nine years since their most recent selection from Clemson (Jacoby Ford in 2010). The Raiders have since drafted five Clemson players across the 2019-20 drafts.
- Made the Raiders the first franchise ever to select multiple Clemson players in back-to-back drafts and made them the first franchise to select five Clemson players in a two-draft span.
- Set a Clemson record for the shortest span between two Clemson players being picked by one team by virtue of being selected nine picks after the Raiders also selected Tanner Muse. The previous one-team span had been 14 picks, set by the Denver Broncos in 2003 when they selected Nick Eason and Bryant McNeal 14 picks apart.
- Became Clemson’s second player selected with the No. 109 overall pick all-time, joining LB B.J. Goodson (2016).
WALLACE NOTES
- Became the 63rd player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the 14th fourth-round pick of Swinney’s tenure.
- Became the 15th defensive back (and sixth safety) selected in the Swinney era, dating back to the 2009 NFL Draft. Clemson has now had at least one defensive back selected in 10 of the last 12 NFL drafts.
- Became Clemson’s third player selected with the No. 127 overall pick all-time, joining DT Archie Reese (1878) and DE Mallicah Goodman (2013).
- Became the Eagles’ 12th selection from Clemson all-time and Philadelphia’s first since selecting DE Ricky Sapp in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
- Represents the third Clemson defensive back selected by the Eagles all-time, including when Philadelphia selected Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins in the 1996 NFL Draft.
ANCHRUM NOTES
- Became the 64th player to have played for Head Coach Dabo Swinney to be drafted into the NFL, including the fifth seventh-round pick of Swinney’s tenure.
- Joins Chris Hairston (2011), Brandon Thomas (2014) and John Simpson (2020) as offensive linemen selected in Swinney’s tenure.
- Became the first Clemson player ever selected with the No. 250 overall pick.
- Represents the Rams’ 12th all-time selection from Clemson, including the team’s first since selecting DT Dorrell Scott in 2009. He is the fifth Clemson offensive lineman selected among that group and the first since C Dustin Fry in 2007.
- Became the first Clemson player selected by the Rams in Los Angeles since P Dale Hatcher in 1985. The Rams’ six most recent selections from Clemson prior to Anchrum came during the organization’s stint in St. Louis before returning to Los Angeles.
- Will play in Los Angeles, where his father, Tremayne Anchrum Sr., played basketball at the University of Southern California.
Notes on Wonnum and Brunson from USC Athletics Communications
Wonnum: Senior BUCK who was one of five permanent team captains… also was a captain as a sophomore, just one of three players in school history with that distinction… was a second-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press… named honorable mention all-conference by Pro Football Focus… was on the Mayo Clinic list for Comeback Player of the Year… selected by the Carolina coaches as the Comeback Player of the Year… also was a Nutrition Award, Strength & Conditioning, and Dr. Harris Pastides Outstanding Student-Athlete Award winner… accepted an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine… finished the season with 37 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks… appeared in 43 games with 30 starts over his career… logged 137 career tackles including 29.5 tackles for loss (ninth on the school’s all-time list) and 14.0 sacks.
Brunson: Senior linebacker who was one of five permanent team captains named following the season… selected to play in the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl… picked by his teammates for Leadership Award for defense… started all 12 games in 2019 and made 38 career starts… finished second on the squad with 77 tackles including 6.0 tackles for loss… also had five pass breakups… logged 283 career tackles, including 164 unassisted tackles, tying for 10th on the school’s all-time list.
