Trevor Lawrence and Christian Wilkins were key pieces on Clemson’s 2018 roster, and now they will be battling each other in the NFL Sunday.
While the Jacksonville Jaguars have yet to win their first game, a win could be coming soon as quarterback Trevor Lawrence is playing better by the week. He could be due for another solid game in London against the Miami Dolphins, who’ve struggled defensively and currently rank 26th against the pass and are 30th overall.
However, one player who could be an issue for Lawrence and the Jags’ offense is his former Clemson teammate in Christian Wilkins, who won a championship with Lawrence when the No. 1 overall pick was a freshman. When asked about reuniting with Wilkins, who was one of the leaders for the 2018 Clemson Tigers, Lawrence said he was excited to face the young defensive tackle who he spoke with about the international series this offseason.
“Christian [Wilkins], that’s my guy,” Lawrence said. “I played with him obviously my freshman year. He’s a character, never met anybody like him. He’s different. He’s awesome though, one of my favorite people. It sucks playing against him. He’s so annoying, so I’m already ready for that, but [he’s] a great player. Obviously, [I] went against him in practice my whole freshman year. It’s like him and [former Clemson DE] Clelin [Ferrell] and [former Clemson DE] Austin Bryant and [former Clemson DT] Dexter Lawrence, all these guys on the d-line just bullying me as a freshman in practice, hitting the ball out of my hand every second. That’s my memory, but Christian’s a great guy. I’m really excited to play him.”
With Wilkins being one of the better players for the Dolphins’ defense, Lawrence could see a lot of the third-year defensive tackle Sunday as the Dolphins will look to shut down the run. Wilkins will enter Sunday’s game with a Pro Football Focus grade of 79.1 (74.0 as a run defender), which could mean his battles with the Jags’ interior linemen like Tyler Shatley (also a former Clemson player) will ultimately be a big factor in the game.
The Jags’ chances to make the postseason feel slim at this point, but if that is the hope, they can’t lose this game against a Dolphins team that may be as beatable as any remaining on their schedule. The Dolphins, who have just one mark in the win column likely feel the same way, so Sunday’s game is one where fans could see the best of both Lawrence and Wilkins.
