Cements Himself as a 1st Round Pick

In the past three NFL drafts, five running backs have gone in the first round: Saquon Barkley, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Josh Jacobs, Sony Michel, and Rashaad Penny. From that group, only Barkley performed better at the collegiate level than Travis Etienne.

Etienne’s biggest flaw as a pro prospect originates in his spotty work in pass protection at Clemson. Before the 2019 season, scouts also worried about Etienne’s lack of involvement in the passing game. Etienne responded by catching 37 passes for 432 yards and four touchdowns.

Depending on who you ask, Etienne is either a late first-round to mid-second-round selection right now. However, the Louisiana native continues working on his contact and form in pass protection. With some improvements to his open-field vision as well, Etienne should crack the top-32 selections next year.

Etienne’s two biggest competitors for a first-round selection in 2021 are Alabama’s Najee Harris and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard. The Clemson back isn’t guaranteed the top running back spot in 2021, but he’s still shown enough to come off the draft board early.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) is very high on Etienne’s draft stock. He was their top running back in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he opted to return to school. PFF’s Anthony Treash even believes Etienne could reach historic heights. In a recent article, Treash wrote,

Etienne was elite in 2018 and historic in 2019. If he matches that type of production in 2020, he’ll easily be one of the best players PFF College has ever seen and perhaps in the entire history of the college game.

Etienne claims he has unfinished business at Clemson. If he elevates the team’s offense in the absence of Justyn Ross, I don’t see how he can’t become a first-round selection.