Experts High On Pitt Tackle Clemmings Entering NFL Draft
The harassment started when T.J. Clemmings was in the eighth grade. “Every time I saw him,” Benjie Wimberly, the coach at now-closed Paterson Catholic (N.J.) High School, said, smiling. “I said, ‘This guy doesn't play football? Are you crazy?' ”
Finally, Wimberly and his coaches convinced Clemmings, a junior by this time, to join the Paterson team. It was his first time playing organized football.
Two years later, Clemmings was the top college prospect in New Jersey, choosing to attend Pitt as a defensive end.
What happened in the meantime? “He was tough,” Wimberly said. “He had that tenacity you can't teach.”
And now, less than seven years after his first football practice, Clemmings is on the brink of his first NFL paycheck. A big one, too. Clemmings, who switched from defense to right offensive tackle only two years ago, is expected to be a first- or second-round draft choice Thursday or Friday.
Wimberly said many people of Jamaican lineage, including Clemmings, are not drawn to football, preferring soccer and basketball. “He thought basketball was his future,” Wimberly said, noting the 6-foot-5, 309-pound Clemmings had scholarship offers from Providence and Seton Hall.
Clemmings played for three head coaches at Pitt, but Paul Chryst convinced him to change positions. After struggling as a junior, Clemmings became a force in the Pitt run game and helped running back James Conner rush for 1,765 yards last season.
After concluding his Pitt career and going to the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, Clemmings has worked out or visited with 17 NFL teams, his agent Mike McCartney said. In addition, 27 teams attended Pitt's Pro Day on March 3.
The NFL invited Clemmings to the draft in Chicago, but he opted to spend the weekend with family in New Jersey. Clemmings' draft status became clouded last week when a recent medical examination revealed a stress fracture in a foot. The news surprised Clemmings, who started all 26 games the past two seasons at Pitt.
McCartney said the injury could have occurred several years ago. “He was never hurt. He never complained about it. He never had any pain. He never had any rehab,” McCartney said. “Literally, this could have happened playing basketball in junior high.”
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. made Clemmings a second-round choice — 41st to the St. Louis Rams — in his mock draft last week. Kiper said it was not a prediction, but rather the way he would pick if he was choosing for every team. “I like Clemmings,” Kiper said. “He has a defensive mentality. He finishes blocks, he's athletic and he has the right attitude.”
He was one of the most athletic linemen at the combine, recording the second-best time in the 20-yard shuttle run (4.54 seconds) among offensive tackles. His 40 time (5.14) was fifth-best.
When Clemmings went to the Senior Bowl, he was moved from right to left tackle and struggled with the new surroundings. “That was unfair to him,” Kiper said. “I see him (entering the NFL) with a little chip on his shoulder saying, ‘Hey, I'm going to prove everybody wrong.' ”
Seven other former Pitt players worked out for NFL scouts at Pitt's Pro Day, including linebackers Todd Thomas and Anthony Gonzalez, defensive end David Durham, wide receivers Manasseh Garner and Kevin Weatherspoon, offensive lineman Matt Rotheram and safety Ray Vinopal.
Rotheram, a starter since his redshirt freshman season, has worked out for six teams and visited the Patriots and Packers.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/8254025-74/clemmings-pitt-draft#ixzz3YZz6WU8K
