Tag: Andrew Mukuba

Seven Tigers named to College Sports Wire’s preseason ACC top 25 players

Clemson is all over College Sports Wire’s preseason top 25 ACC players.

The 2023 college football season inches closer, and we are excited to see what will come from the ACC this season as two teams compete for a college football playoff berth and others look to surprise and make a run for the ACC Championship.  

Heading into the season, Clemson and Florida State are the clear top two teams in the conference and are expected to battle for the ACC. Other programs such as Miami, North Carolina, and more are out to make some noise and have the talent to do so. 

College Sports Wire recently released their rankings for the top 25 players in the ACC, with seven Tigers making the list. Here is a look at each Tiger who made the cut and what College Sports Wire’s regional editor Patrick Conn had to say about them.

Nine players and two coaches named to College Sports Wire’s preseason All-ACC team

Clemson is all over this preseason All-ACC team.

The 2023 college football season is inching closer, and we could not be more excited for what this season has in store for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program. 

As we approach the season, media outlets have released preseason rankings, polls, All-American teams, and more in anticipation of the season. The latest to do so was College Sports Wire, who released their preseason All-ACC team for the upcoming season.

College Sports Wire’s regional editor Patrick Conn had nine players and two coaches make the cut, the most of any program in the conference. Here is a look at each player who made the team and what Conn had to say about them.

Three Tigers selected in the first round of this 2024 NFL Mock Draft

Three Tigers project to go in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, according to this mock.

The 2023 NFL Draft was a strong one for the Tigers that saw two first round selections and six players overall hearing their names called as they took the next step to the NFL.

While 2023 was a strong draft, the 2024 NFL Draft looks like it could be an even better one for the program. According to PFF, there are five Tigers who are top 100 prospects for the upcoming draft.

Recently, Pro Football Network release their latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft that saw three Tigers appear as first round selections. Here is a look at each of those three Tigers, where they landed in the first round, and what they had to say about them.

Every Tiger in PFF’s top-100 2024 NFL Draft prospects

Multiple Tigers are top-100 2024 NFL Draft prospects, according to PFF.

Yes, we are a long way from the 2024 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t stop people from making early projections and looking toward how the next draft class might shape out.

The 2023 NFL Draft was a solid one for the Tigers that saw two first-round selections in Myles Murphy (No.28, Cincinnati Bengals) and Bryan Bresee (No.29, New Orleans Saints). Overall, Clemson had six players drafted in 2023. 

Looking toward the 2024 NFL Draft, Clemson could have an even better draft. According to PFF, five Tigers landed in their top 100 2024 NFL Draft prospects. Here is a look at those five Tigers and their current PFF rankings.

Every Tiger who made the College Football News top 30 ACC players

Multiple Tigers made the CFN top 30 ACC players. Here’s where they ranked.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program head into the 2023 season with strong expectations and the talent to achieve their goals.

Much of the offseason discussions around the ACC have been about Clemson and Florida State and who is the top dog in the ACC. While the popular opinion is the Seminoles right now, some are locked in on the Tigers remaining the kings of the conference. Analysts and fans alike are excited to see how this season turns out for both programs pursuing a college football playoff appearance. 

Heading into the season, College Football News released their top 30 players in the ACC rankings, with multiple Tigers making the cut. Here is a look at each of those Tigers and where they ranked.

PFF names 16 Tigers to their 2023 Preseason All-ACC Team

A total of 16 Tigers were named to PFF’s 2023 Preseason All-ACC Team.

Heading into the 2023 college football season, the Clemson football program will battle to remain the top dogs in the ACC with Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles. 

The ACC will be strong next season, but at the top of the conference should be the Tigers and the Seminoles. Two programs with a ton of talent and much to prove in 2023. 

The amount of talent these two programs have is prevalent in Pro Football Focus’ 2023 Preseason All-ACC Team, where Clemson and FSU had the most players make the team. However, it was the Tigers who had the most members, with 16 names making the cut. 

Here is a look at every Tiger who made PFF’s 2023 Preseason All-ACC team.

FIRST TEAM

RB Will Shipley

LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

CB Nate Wiggins

SECOND TEAM

WR Antonio Williams

TE Jake Briningstool

G Marcus Tate

DI Tyler Davis

DI Ruke Orhorhoro

LB Barrett Carter

S R.J, Mickens

RS Will Shipley

THIRD TEAM

QB Cade Klubnik

T Blake Miller

C Will Putnam

Edge Xavier Thomas

S Jalyn Phillips

Flex Andrew Mukuba

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Top ACC players Notre Dame will be playing in 2023

Keep your eye on these players when the Irish face them.

In exchange for retaining its football independence, Notre Dame plays a certain number of ACC opponents every season. The only other sport in which Notre Dame is not an ACC member is hockey, which plays in the Big Ten. While old-school Irish fans might long for the days of the program being able to schedule almost anyone at anytime, some often forget that this arrangement means some thrilling football. The home wins over recent powerhouse Clemson in 2020 and 2022 are two examples.

College football isn’t back yet, but you still can look at the rosters and see which quality players play for whom. Twitter’s Big Game Boomer has done just that and come up with a list of the top 50 ACC players for the upcoming season. When you look at the list, you’ll see the Irish have many of them set to face them. Let’s see who the Irish are playing when you take away the players whose teams aren’t on their schedule:

Giants select Clemson DB Andrew Mukuba in PFN 2024 NFL mock draft

In a way-too-early 2024 mock draft from Pro Football Network, the New York Giants select Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

The 2023 NFL draft is barely in the books and none of the players selected have hit the playing field in earnest as of yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t turn our attention to next year’s draft.

The folks at Pro Football Network did just that recently as analyst Cam Mellor released his way-too-early 2024 mock draft.

Mellor has the New York Giants selecting 20th overall, which means he’s predicting they’ll be back in the playoffs this year. With that pick, he forecasts Big Blue further solidifying their secondary.

20) New York Giants: Andrew Mukuba, S, Clemson

The New York Giants make the sensible pick, tightening up their coverage unit with the selection of Andrew Mukuba. The Clemson safety has terrific range and can arguably play either free or strong safety for the Giants. With versatility, Mukuba has the flexibility to land in any number of roles throughout his journey as a professional.

You can rarely go wrong with a safety or corner in the middle of the first round. Along with wide receivers and running backs, defensive backs are the most NFL-ready players coming out of the draft these days.

The 20-year-old Mukuba was born in Zimbabwe and moved to the U.S. with his family at the age of nine, settling in Austin, Texas. The 6-foot, 185-pound Mukuba was named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 as well as an All-ACC Third-Team selection.

[lawrence-related id=711969,711966,711963]

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

49ers pick safety for some reason in 2024 mock draft

The #49ers’ pick in this 2024 mock draft is a head-scratcher:

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

It’s never too early for a mock draft! A new first-round projection from Pro Football Network has a head-scratching selection for the 49ers though.

Given that the 2023 college football season hasn’t started yet and NFL teams haven’t begun training camp, the art of an early mock is going to be an inexact science with some predictions that wind up way off the mark by the time the draft comes around.

However, PFN’s Dalton Miller has the 49ers drafting Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba with the 31st overall pick:

The San Francisco 49ers lost Jimmie Ward in free agency, so they decided to draft the next one in the 2024 NFL Draft. Like Ward, Andrew Mukuba can wear any hat he needs to for his defense. He is comfortable in the slot, in the box, and as a free safety.

San Francisco traded up to No. 87 in this year’s draft to take Penn State’s Ji’Ayir Brown, who they expect to pair alongside strong safety Talanoa Hufanga for the foreseeable future. Adding another safety doesn’t really make a ton of sense.

If the 49ers find themselves in a position where they need to draft a safety with their first first-round pick in three years it means something went catastrophically wrong with either Brown or Hufanga. Either one struggles badly, or their fit alongside each other isn’t working out.

Chances are the 49ers aren’t going to punt on that duo before Brown has a shot to be the full-time starter though since veteran Tashaun Gipson figures to be ahead of him on the depth chart to start this year.

San Francisco could wind up with a slew of needs by season’s end though. Right tackle could be in play. Cornerback, tight end, linebacker and defensive end could also be positions the 49ers need to target in the first round of next year’s draft.

Any guess at this point requires some form of projection, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where general manager John Lynch and the front office targeting a safety with their first pick for the second draft in a row.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Way-too-early 2024 mock draft: 49ers back in the 1st round

Yes, this 2024 mock draft is way too early, but the 49ers are back in the first round!!!

The 49ers’ time away from Round 1 of the NFL draft is scheduled to end next year. They’ve been out of the first round in the last two drafts after dealing their 2022 and 2023 first-round choices to Miami in the trade up to No. 3 in the 2021 draft.

Their return to the first round means a return to standard mock drafts. The last couple years the 49ers’ participation in a projection required the mock to go into the second or third round. We can welcome San Francisco back to the Round 1 mock fold with USA TODAY’s way-too-early edition of a 2024 mock.

In this version the 49ers pick 31st, one spot before the Chiefs, implying San Francisco returns to the Super Bowl and falls to the defending champs.

Their selection is an interesting one given how their draft went this year. USA TODAY’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has the 49ers taking Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba with their first first-round pick in three years.

Via Middlehurst-Schwartz:

Having missed out on the first round the last two drafts due to the trade up for Trey Lance in 2021, San Francisco is set to return to Day 1 action next April. The ACC defensive rookie of the year in 2021, Mukuba is looking to bounce back this year after being hampered by multiple injuries last year, and has the overall athleticism to be a versatile coverage asset for the 49ers’ secondary.

It’s impossible to put anything in stone or take anything off the table a year away from a draft. However, Mukuba dealing with an injury and playing the same position as Ji’Ayir Brown, who San Francisco just traded up for, doesn’t bode well for this projection to stick.

Perhaps Brown doesn’t play well in his first season and leaves the 49ers in need of a free safety. For now though it appears he’s in line to be the long-term option at that spot, so it wouldn’t be a huge shock if safety isn’t on the team’s radar when they’re on the clock in the first round next April.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxacb60r3mr0ac player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]