Clemson has its second pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
BECOME A TIGERILLUSTRATED.com SUBSCRIBER!
Former Tiger defensive back R.J. Mickens came off the board late Saturday afternoon as the 214th overall pick. Mickens was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in round six. He was the 38th selection in the round.
ALSO SEE: Recruiting Big Board: Linebackers | For coaches, work never stops | Clemson, Brownell agree to contract through 2031 | Friday Insider | The long game under Dabo Swinney | Jam packed Clemson - NFL Draft Insider | Thursday Insider | Clemson, Brownell, staff in the game | Clemson's verbal commitments
Mickens becomes the 85th draft pick of the Dabo Swinney era.
Said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney on Mickens' selection: "R.J. Mickens was probably one of the more underrated guys coming out this year. He was a captain and a graduate. Obviously he’s a guy that has a great background. His father played about 11 years in the NFL. I think R.J. is a guy that truly, the last couple years, handled himself like a pro. He took a pro perspective to it as far as how he went about his business and training and nutrition, and just really an all-in commitment to be the best version of himself. It’s been awesome to see his development. I mean, he’s leaving Clemson as a very refined player.
"He’s faster than people think. He’s got a 41-plus-inch vertical and he’s a very smart football player. He’s got multi-position ability, can play three different spots. He’s a high football IQ guy, good tackler, high special teams value. And I just think he has a chance to help a team early because he’s just incredibly intelligent and he’s got attributes. He has really good length, and he’s a guy that’s going to do what he’s supposed to do every single day. I’m excited because I think that he’ll have an opportunity to make the team and be an active roster guy.”
A 2.5-year starter for Clemson, Mickens closed his collegiate career with 229 tackles, seven interceptions and 15 pass-breakups, while logging nearly 2,200 snaps from scrimmage. The Southlake (TX) native played in 60 games for the Tigers, starting 30.
Mickens was initially billed four stars by Rivals.com, but closed the 2020 cycle with a 5.7 marker or a high three-star ranking where he was billed 28th nationally among safety prospects. The network tabbed him 58th overall regardless of position in the state of Texas.
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
Mickens became the 10th player in school history to play in 60 games.
The former Tiger is the son of Ray Mickens, a former All-American defensive back at Texas A&M, who was a third-round pick of the New York Jets in 1996.
The pick was the Chargers' eighth selection of the draft.
Mickens joins former Tiger Barrett Carter in Clemson's draft representation, as Carter came off the board earlier Saturday in round four as the 119th pick overall, courtesy of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Clemson has now had at least one player selected in the draft for 23 consecutive years.
