Top 2020 NFL Draft prospects to watch in Clemson vs. Texas A&M

Check out the five 2020 NFL Draft prospects to watch in this exciting early-season matchup between Clemson and Texas A&M.

In perhaps the marquee college football matchup of the weekend, the top-ranked Clemson Tigers will play host to the 12th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. This is an important game that will likely have serious college football playoff implications down the line, but today, we are going to focus on the 2020 NFL Draft talent in this class.

Who are the top 2020 NFL Draft prospects in this game? Let’s take a look.

Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

Clemson running back Travis Etienne had a massive opening-week performance against Georgia Tech, piling up 205 yards and three touchdowns on the ground on only 12 carries. He is an incredibly explosive player who showed off his ability to score from anywhere on the field in Week 1.

Etienne is arguably the best prospect in a loaded running back class. He finds his hole quickly, hits the gap hard with explosive burst and has elite speed in the open field. Once Etienne finds daylight, it is game over. He is also a quick and elusive player in the open field who will make defenders miss in many 1v1 situations.

His speed and homerun hitting ability is what makes Etienne an elite prospect, but his toughness and power as a runner goes underrated. Etienne is a hard runner who always keeps his feet driving and he also shows impressive contact balance.

The only thing holding Etienne back from becoming a sure-fire first-round NFL Draft prospect is his pass-catching ability. He obviously has upside in that department, but Etienne is a shaky pass-catcher who has had almost zero production in that area at Clemson. I am certainly interested to see what Etienne can do against Texas A&M on the ground, but a strong day as a receiver would do wonders for his 2020 NFL Draft stock.