Clemson had two more defensive players and one offensive player selected in the NFL Draft on Friday night. DE TJ Parker was the first Tiger off the board Friday night as the #3 pick of round two to Buffalo. Thirteen picks later, CB Avieon Terrell was chosen by his hometown Atlanta Falcons, where he will join his brother AJ in the Falcons’ secondary. And wide receiver Antonio Williams was taken with the seventh pick of round three by Washington.
South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse was the first and only Gamecock chosen in the first three rounds. Cisse was the 20th pick of the second round by the Green Bay Packers, and that made him the first pick in the draft by the Packers who traded away their first round pick to the Cowboys in the deal for Micah Parsons last season.
Clemson release on Parker, Terrell and Williams:
Clemson’s five total selections across the first two days of the draft represent the program’s most through the first three rounds of a draft in school history.
Parker finished his Clemson career with 144 tackles (41.5 for loss), 21.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and five pass breakups over 39 career games (29 starts) from 2023-25. He was the only player in the nation to reach both five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries across the 2024-25 seasons.
“T.J. Parker is unique,” Head Coach Dabo Swinney said, the full comments of which are included below. “He’s long, he’s strong. He can really, really run at his size and he’s got the ability and the power to bull rush people, but he’s also got the speed and the tools to be a really, really good pass rusher.”
Terrell was a 2025 All-American and Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist recorded 128 career tackles (9.0 for loss), 30 pass breakups, three interceptions, 4.0 sacks, eight forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries over 39 games (31 starts) from 2023-25. The two-time All-ACC selection set Clemson records for a defensive back in forced fumbles in a season (five in 2025) and a career (eight from 2023-25). Terrell now joins his brother A.J. in Atlanta, as the duo joined William and Michael Dean Perry as the second set of brothers in Clemson history to both be selected in the top 50 picks of their respective NFL Drafts.
“Avieon is as good as we’ve had here,” Swinney said among his comments about Terrell. “Highly skilled. His brother was a first-rounder. To me, Avieon is a first-rounder talent-wise. I think he can play either corner spot, he can play the nickel, and he’s an elite competitor.”
Williams was a two-time All-ACC selection who recorded 2,336 yards and 21 touchdowns on 208 career receptions over 43 games (38 starts) from 2022-25. He exited Clemson ranked fourth in school history in career receptions and tied with Mike Williams for the fourth-most career touchdown receptions in school annals.
“Antonio is a day one performer when he walks in their building,” Swinney offered. “Antonio has really lived like a pro, prepared like a pro, played like a pro for his last couple years. He is a highly skilled receiver. If he was 6-2, he’d be a first-round pick.”
NFL Network analysis of Parker:
Powerful edge defender with NFL length whose 2025 tape might be closer to his pro projection than his gaudy 2024 numbers. Parker’s hand work is above average in both phases. He strikes early to set very firm edges, then sheds quickly to finish tackles. Average short-area burst limits his ability to pursue the run in space and threaten tackles in a race to the top of the rush. He can long-arm tackles into the pocket when he catches them right, but he fails to find quick solutions when that approach stalls. His rush production will be muted until he expands his approach but improvement is likely. Parker profiles as an average to above-average starter.
NFL Network analysis of Terrell:
Avieon shares the same bloodlines and coverage temperament as his brother, A.J., a first-round pick of the Falcons in 2020. Avieon Terrell is an athletic, fluid mover with clean transitions and enough speed to stay in phase on most vertical routes. He’s most effective in press-man coverage, where he mirrors releases with timing and discipline, staying crowded to the route. He concedes 50/50s to bigger targets at times, but is a constant catch irritant with good technique on all three levels. He can play wide or inside and is willing in run support, but he lacks ideal size. Terrell projects as an early starter thanks to his polish, ball skills and coverage versatility.
NFL Network analysis of Williams:
Williams is a bona fide ball player with good size and an ability to make mischief when he totes the pigskin. There is freestyling inside his routes that create uncertainty for corners but teams might drill down on attention to detail and better efficiency to keep him on schedule. He’s not a field-stretcher but he plays fast from snap to whistle and has the ball skills to bring in challenging catches. He’s more slippery than explosive with outstanding run-after-catch ability. Williams projects as a productive slot receiver with legitimate run/pass/catch talent that should appeal to creative play-callers.
USC release on Cisse:
Cisse, who measured 5-11 ½ and 189 pounds at Carolina’s Pro Day in March, spent one season in Columbia after beginning his career at North Carolina State. A Lakewood High School product, Cisse logged 65 tackles and 10 pass breakups with two interceptions in three seasons of college football.
Cisse made an immediate impression upon his arrival on the Carolina campus, earning both Newcomer of the Spring honors for the defense and co-Newcomer of the Spring accolades for special teams following spring drills. During the 2025 campaign, Cisse started all 12 games for the Gamecocks, 11 at cornerback and one at Nickel. He was credited with 27 tackles including 19 solo stops, along with five pass breakups.
Cisse is the first Gamecock selected by the Packers since Kingsley Enagbare was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft as the 179th overall pick.
Cisse is the latest in a long line of Gamecock defensive backs selected in the NFL Draft. The Gamecocks have had a defensive back selected in five of the last six NFL Drafts, including a DB taken within the first two rounds in three of the last four drafts. That list includes Jaycee Horn (2021-1st round), Cam Smith (2023-2nd round), Darius Rush (2023-5thround), Marcellas Dial (2024-6th round), and Nick Emmanwori (2025-2nd round). Overall, South Carolina has had 24 defensive backs selected since joining the SEC.
The Gamecocks have now had a player selected in 24 of the last 25 NFL drafts.
NFL Network analysis of Cisse:
Teams will be willing to take a chance on Cisse’s explosive athleticism and upside, but a refinement runway might be needed to smooth some of the rougher edges. He’s scheme-versatile in coverage and is an A-rated run supporter. Work ethic and athletic testing will work in his favor. However, a lack of instincts and break anticipation could cost him in coverage against quality route runners. His press will become a more effective weapon with technical work and his route recognition should improve with more reps. Cisse’s traits and competitiveness are clear selling points, but a lack of on-ball production and coverage consistency create a more volatile floor.
So I got a question. With all this NFL talent, especially on defense, what does it say about Dabo and his new coordinator that the team was no more than a middle of the road ACC team this past season. And let’s not forget, before the season, Klubnik was mentioned as a Heisman candidate and a projected first round pick as well.That 65-5 record with Watson and Lawrence as QB is slowly becoming a distant memory. 5-19 against ranked opponents since. Anyone think their current QB situation is compatible to those two? Nope. Dabo seems to be headed down the past glory path of Bellichic. If Lane Kiffin and LSU kick their butt to open 2026, the faithful will soon turn on their King and turn Dabo into the next Louis 16! Past glories bring future grace, but Clemson is not paying their King that much money to be an average ACC team. “Long live the King!`- until he stops winning.