It was a much longer wait than anyone would have anticipated, but finally on Saturday Pitt’s T.J. Clemmings realized a dream.
Clemmings was take with the No. 11 pick of the fourth round by the Minnesota Vikings, the No. 110 pick overall.
Once perceived as a surefire first-round pick, a stress fracture discovered in his foot only a couple weeks prior to the draft, scared teams away from Clemmings and as a result he slid all the way to the third day of the draft.
Clemmings, viewed by many as the offensive tackle with the most upside in the draft, had played only two years on the offensive line while at Pitt, making the switch during his junior season from the defensive line.
He is viewed as the most athletic offensive tackle in the draft and has a nasty streak to him that results in him finishing blocks, especially in terms of run blocking.
Clemmings started all 13 games at right tackle as senior and was named second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and first-team All-ACC.
After redshirting in 2012, Clemmings started 13 games at tackle as a junior, making the switch from the defensive side of the football.
He is well respected by his teammates and was voted one of Pitt’s captains this past season.
Clemmings is not only explosive in terms of finishing his blocks, but moves like a tight end.
He may be raw and the past injury may have scared teams away for a while, but when it is all said and done, the Vikings ended up getting a steal in the fourth round, as Clemmings could step in and start at right tackle from day one.
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