Clemson has its second pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Friday night former Tiger defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro was taken as the third pick in round two by the Atlanta Falcons. Orhorhoro came off the board as the draft's 35th pick overall.
Orhorhoro, a third-team All-ACC selection in each of the last two years, becomes the 79th player selected in the draft in the Dabo Swinney era.
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A native of Nigeria, Orhorhoro logged over 1,500 snaps in his Clemson career, while starting in 30 games. In 53 games overall he totaled nearly 100 tackles, 25.5 for loss, 12 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Orhorhoro signed with Clemson out of River Rouge (Mich.) in 2019 where he was issued a mid-level three-star billing from Rivals.com, rated 57th nationally among strongside end prospects and 18th overall regardless of position in the state of Michigan.
He follows former Tiger cornerback Nate Wiggins who was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the draft Thursday night. Wiggins came off the board as the draft's 30th pick overall.
Head Coach Dabo Swinney on Orhorhoro's selection: “This is going to be fun. Ruke is a guy that I think everybody is in love with his measurables — he’s big, he’s athletic, he’s got great length, he can really run. He’s got position diversity and can play multiple spots on the defensive line. He’s a high-character guy. He’s a graduate. The thing that everybody likes about Ruke is that he’s not quite a blank canvas but he still very much has his best football in front of him. He’s a guy that didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school.
"Watching him develop at Clemson every single year, to me, Ruke is a great example to a lot of kids in today’s world that if you’ll just stay and put the work in, if you’ve got the talent then you will develop. He’s a guy that redshirted, didn’t play much as a redshirt freshman, was a rotational guy as a sophomore, and then his redshirt junior and senior years, he became a starter and now he’s a high draft pick. He’s just kept his head down, stayed the course, continued to work, and he has really, really developed into a great football player. But, again, his best football is still in front of him and that’s what everyone is excited about. He’s a guy I think will make an impact early on as a rookie.”
Associate Head Coach/Defensive Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Tackles Coach Nick Eason on Orhorhoro's selection: “Ruke’s competitive nature is contagious. He will elevate any team and have everyone rowing in the same direction. He can dominate any industry, any market, against any competition, at any time. He is a true warrior.”
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