This week, CBS Sports Senior Writer Pete Prisco published a list of his top 100 NFL players of 2022.
Prisco has four former Clemson stars ranked among his top 100 NFL players, with Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell the highest-ranked at No. 68.
Drafted by the Falcons in the first round (16th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, Terrell tallied 81 total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, 16 passes defended and three interceptions in 16 games last season.
“He quietly had an impressive season in his second year in the league,” Prisco wrote. “He is a long corner who can cover outside and is a willing tackler in the run game. He looks like a future star.”
Former Clemson and current Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins checks in three spots behind Terrell at No. 71 on Prisco’s list.
After making the Pro Bowl each year from 2017-20 – and earning first-team All-Pro honors every year from 2017-19 – Hopkins finished the 2021 season with 42 catches for 572 yards and a team-high eight receiving touchdowns. After missing a total of just two games in the first eight years of his NFL career prior to last season, the five-time Pro Bowler was sidelined for seven regular season games and the Cardinals’ postseason game last season due to a hamstring and then a knee injury. He suffered a season-ending MCL injury in Week 14 in December.
Hopkins will serve a six-game suspension to begin the 2022 season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
“Injuries limited him to 10 games last season and he had a career-low 42 catches,” Prisco wrote. “He did have eight touchdown catches. Now in his ninth season, he has to stay healthy, especially since he’s already been suspended for the first six games.”
Former Clemson defensive lineman Grady Jarrett, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, is ranked No. 77 on Prisco’s list.
Jarrett completed his seventh season with the Falcons in 2021 after being selected by the franchise in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft (No. 137 overall). He has seen action in 110 games with 95 starts while totaling 359 tackles (198 solo), 26.5 sacks, 54 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 89 quarterback hits.
“On a bad team, he remains a bright spot,” Prisco wrote. “His ability to push the pocket and play the run make him one of the better inside players in the game.”
Former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler who of course was traded from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns this offseason and got a new fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns, checks in at No. 83 in Prisco’s rankings.
“He’s a tough player to rank,” Prisco wrote. “He hasn’t played in two years and has the legal issues and a potential suspension hanging over his head. If he plays 17 games, he will be higher on this list next year.”
Two other former Tigers — defensive tackle D.J. Reader of the Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow of the Las Vegas Raiders — were named among Prisco’s honorable mentions.
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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