The 2025 college football season has been incredibly disappointing for the Clemson Tigers, as they are a .500 squad in spite of entering the year with national championship aspirations. At the very least, they expected to land in the College Football Playoff.

But now, Clemson is fighting just to keep its chances for a bowl game alive, and perhaps the only real thing to look forward to is where the Tigers' stars will land in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Clemson has quite a few players who are expected to be rather high draft picks in April, and while defensive tackle Peter Woods may be the most prominent, we cannot forget about edge rusher T.J. Parker.

In fact, in a recent mock draft, ESPN's Matt Miller has predicted Parker to go 18th overall to the Detroit Lions next spring, where he would join superstar defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

"Parker is the type of running mate we've tried to match to Detroit in mock drafts for several years now," Miller wrote. "At 6-3 and 265 pounds, he plays the edge with length and strength that are pro-caliber, which led to 11.0 sacks as a sophomore in 2024. While he has only 2.0 sacks this season as offenses slide to stop him, Parker's effort and upper-body strength are exactly what Detroit needs opposite Hutchinson in a 4-3 scheme."

Parker arrived at Clemson in 2023 and was immediately impressive during his freshman campaign, registering 32 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Then, last year, he racked up 57 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, six forced fumbles and a couple of fumble recoveries, establishing himself as one of the most destructive forces in the country.

The 21-year-old has actually been pretty disappointing this season, having totaled just 32 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and a couple of sacks through 10 games, but he remains one of the top edge-rushing prospects in the nation.

A former four-star recruit, Parker possesses a terrific blend of size and athleticism that should allow him to become a very productive all-around defender on the professional level.

It's a shame that Parker hasn't been a bit more productive in 2025, as his draft stock has definitely fallen a bit, but he will probably still be a first-round pick.

The 6-foot-3, 265-pounder has even drawn comparisons to Miami Dolphins star Bradley Chubb.