August means the NFL is finally back, and Week 1 of the preseason kicked off this past Thursday and continued through Saturday.
In April, Clemson saw nine former Tigers walk across the draft stage , and multiple of those draftees played their first professional snaps this past weekend.
That said, we're going to break down the best performances from the three-day stint. While there are a few rookies on the list, it's not limited to only first-year players.
The Buffalo Bills rookie defensive end recorded his first professional sack in a 29-14 win over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. Outside of his sack, he recorded no other statistics on his 19 other defensive snaps outside of a run stop.
Throughout Parker's three-year tenure with the Tigers, he emerged as one of the best edge rushers in College Football, recording 126 tackles, 41.5 for a loss, 21.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. He earned Freshman All-American honors in 2023 and Second-team All-ACC honors in 2024.
Former Tigers safety R.J. Mickens was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The 25-year-old had a very solid rookie campaign last season, starting six contests while totaling 29 tackles, two pass deflections and two interceptions.
He carried that momentum into this past weekend, accumulating five tackles and one pass breakup in a 27-7 win over the Houston Texans and former teammate Wade Woodaz .
In his five year collegiate career, Mickens was one of the Tigers' most intelligent and consistent starters in the secondary, racking up 196 tackles, 13.5 for a loss, 12 pass deflections and seven interceptions.
Of note, PFF named him as the Chargers' top breakout candidate entering the 2026 NFL season.
The former Tiger wideout - and brother of current Clemson linebacker Kobe McCloud - has been in the NFL for nearly a decade, but was not signed to a team for the past eight months. That was until last week, when the Chicago Bears picked him up off waivers.
He had a solid career as a receiver in Death Valley, totaling 1,226 receiving yards and four touchdowns over three years, but also excelled as a return man - which is what has helped him stay in the league for so long. He even led the NFL in punt return yards back in 2021 for the Pittsburgh Steelers . In 2024, though, he then had a career year with the Atlanta Falcons , totaling almost 700 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Unfortunately, last season didn't go as planned whatsoever, but the veteran has quickly shown flashes of why he still belongs on an NFL roster, as he caught three passes for 63 yards (21 yards per catch) in a 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns .
The 6-foot-4, 295-pound defensive tackle was one of Clemson's most important rotational pieces during the 2021 and 2022 season, recording 59 tackles, 16 for a loss, eight pass deflections and 6.5 sacks across the two-year period.
Orhorhoro then became a full-time starter in 2023 and had the best season yet, logging 25 tackles, eight for a loss and a career-high five sacks. He then went on to be selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 35th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
While he was a solid interior piece for the NFC South organization, totaling 36 tackles, five for a loss and 3.5 sacks across 25 games (eight starts), he didn't live up to his high expectations and was subsequently traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for defensive tackle Maason Smith back in April.
Now, a new chapter has begun and Orhorhoro is making an impact early for the AFC South squad, as he posted three tackles, two run stops, two QB hurries and half a sack in a 24-20 win over the New Orleans Saints .
Randall by far has the most interesting journey to the NFL of all former Tigers included on this list.
Ahead of his final season in 2025, he decided to make the switch from wide receiver to running back after three years. The idea came from a mixture of three ideas: his huge kickoff return in the 2024 ACC Championship, his 44-yard run against Texas in the 2024 College Football Playoff and that he wanted to transfer out following his junior season.
With Swinney not wanting to let the high-potential talent go, the two agreed on switching him to the backfield, which ultimately panned out perfectly. After working on his transition all offseason, Randall entered 2025 as the starter and became one of the best players on the team, as he accounted for 1,068 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns on 204 touches.
His breakout senior season led to him being selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, which was the most ideal situation for him, as one of the players he molded his game after the most was running back Derrick Henry .
Since joining the organization, coaches, teammates and fans have had nothing but praise for the 22-year-old. On Saturday, he increased that praise even more by carrying the ball 12 times for 46 yards and his first career touchdown in a 24-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles .
Watson is one of, if not the greatest player to ever play in Death Valley, as he led the program to its second-ever National Championship in 2016 while totaling 10,163 passing yards, 90 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. On the ground, he added 1,934 yards and 26 touchdowns.
He began his NFL career with high expectations, as he was selected by the Texans with the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Watson dominated to start, earning three Pro Bowl selections in his first four years before he requested a trade following his career year in 2020.
However, he then was accused of multiple sexual assault allegations, which led him to sit out all of 2021. Watson was traded to the Browns ahead of 2022 and as a part of the trade, signed to a five-year, $230 million deal with the organization, making it the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history at the time of the signing.
That deal is now known as one of the worst signings in NFL history, as Watson has played in just 19 games while totaling 3,365 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across the past three seasons.
Entering 2026, though, Watson is fully healthy and looking to bounce back. In a 34-10 loss against the Bears , the 30-year-old signal caller completed 11-of-15 passes (73%) for 126 yards. He appeared to be the best quarterback available, as he boasted a team-high 98.2 quarterback rating and led the Browns to their only scoring drives of the game.
The former Clemson linebacker first emerged on NFL scouts' radars back in 2022 as a sophomore. He posted 89 tackles, 13.5 for a loss, 6.5 sacks, five pass deflections, two interceptions - one of which was taken back for a score - and one forced fumble en route to earning Second-team All-American honors.
He put up similar numbers as a junior for the Tigers and was honored as a First-team All-ACC selection before being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which was the same team his father played for three separate times throughout his 12-year professional career.
While he's seen very limited playing time over the past two years, he's still recorded 57 tackles and one for a loss en route to winning a Super Bowl two years ago. Heading into his third season, he looks to be all but ready for valuable snaps, as he totaled five tackles, three run stops and one sack in a 24-7 loss against the Ravens.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/clemson as Top Performances by Former Clemson Tigers in NFL Preseason Week 1 .
