Christian Wilkins is excited to see his former Clemson teammate, Travis Etienne, back in action this season.
After being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 25th overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft, Etienne missed his entire rookie season in 2021 while recovering from a Lisfranc injury he suffered in the preseason that required surgery.
The former Clemson running back is healthy again, though, heading into the 2022 campaign, and Etienne has been shining early in the Jaguars’ training camp while showing off the explosiveness that enticed the Jaguars to take him with a first-round pick.
Wilkins, entering his fourth season with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, spoke with reporters after a recent training camp practice and was asked if he’s talked to Etienne as he makes his return to the field this season.
“Yeah, I’ve seen him a little bit this offseason,” Wilkins said. “I’m excited for him and the things he’ll do this year. That’s still my brother, one of my two college teammates, so I’m always rooting for all those guys, every last one of them. So, I’m excited to see what he’ll be able to do.”
The former Clemson defensive lineman, who was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round (13th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, was then asked what he thinks the NFL will see from Etienne now that he’s fully healthy again and able to show what he can do.
“It’s good to see that he’s putting in the work,” Wilkins said. “I feel like a year away from ball kind of just changed his mindset. I’m not saying he didn’t have a good mindset before, but I feel he just, at least from what I’ve seen (from) him (and) when I’ve talked to him, it just seemed like he’s putting it all together, and that’s good. And so, it’s up to him what the league will see. But I think in the years to come, he’ll be pretty solid.”
Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center. Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.
