COLUMBIA, S.C. — The 2021 NFL Draft is Thursday in Cleveland, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are set to make the first pick.
The Jaguars are expected to select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. Lawrence would become the school’s first ever number one overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The highest any Clemson player has been selected is fourth overall, four times. It last occurred in 2019, when the Las Vegas Raiders (then Oakland) selected defensive end Clelin Ferrell.
The last time a player from a South Carolina school was selected with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft was 2014, when the Houston Texans selected defensive end Jadeveon Clowney from the University of South Carolina. Clowney recently signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Lawrence is not the only player from the Palmetto State expecting to hear his name called. Gamecocks’ defensive back Jaycee Horn is projected by CBS Sports to be taken in the middle of the first round.
Horn played three seasons for the Gamecocks, before opting out midway through the 2020 season.
The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night in Cleveland with the first round. The second and third rounds will be on Friday night, with the remaining four rounds on Saturday afternoon.