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Clemson Tigers Star is Watching His NFL Draft Stock Torpedo
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- Clemson Tigers Star is Watching His NFL Draft Stock Torpedo
(Butch Dill-Imagn Images)
Clemson Tigers wide receiver T.J. Moore entered the 2026 college football season as a fringe first-round talent . He certainly wasn't guaranteed to be a Day 1 pick, but the potential was obviously there.
Instead, we have seen Moore's stock dip quite a bit through the first six weeks.
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In five games thus far, Moore has really only had one strong game, which came in Week 2 when he caught seven passes for 103 yards and a touchdown against Georgia Southern.
Otherwise, Moore has been generally contained.
The junior playmaker has totaled 25 catches for 235 yards and a score on the campaign overall, averaging 9.4 yards per grab.
He is on pace to finish with 60 receptions for 564 yards, which would absolutely not be pretty numbers for an explosive weapon hoping to fly off the board in the early stages of the NFL Draft next April.
Moore arrived at Clemson in 2024 and demonstrated his game-breaking ability from the jump, registering 14.5 yards per catch during his freshman season. Then, last year, he hauled in 52 receptions for 837 yards and four touchdowns, good for 16.1 yards per catch.
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So, what exactly has happened?
Well, to be fair to Moore, the Tigers' quarterback situation hasn't helped.
While Cade Klubnik was under center in each of Moore's first two years, Christopher Vizzina began 2026 as the team's starting signal-caller. That didn't go according to plan, and Dabo Swinney made the switch to Tait Reynolds after two games.
Reynolds is a true freshman who is still learning the ropes, and that has been painfully obvious. Clemson's shaky offensive line has played a factor, as well.
As a result, Moore's production has largely suffered, as has the Tigers' aerial attack in general. Clemson ranks dead last in the ACC in passing yardage, and it even places toward the bottom of the country in that area.
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Is that directly Moore's fault? Of course not. It's a result of the system. But Moore is not getting a chance to boost his draft stock in the process.
If anything, Moore's NFL standing is continuing to decline as he falls behind in what could be a historically good wide receiver class.
NFL teams absolutely look at production, and while there will certainly be a squad that banks on Moore's talent and potential, the chances of him being a first-round pick at this point are slim to none.
In fact, Moore's chances of even coming off the board in Round 2 are being damaged. It's surely not all his own doing, but it's unfortunately still the case regardless.
