It's wait-and-see time for Clemson's NFL draft hopefuls

CLEMSON — The Clemson-related suspense will come early and late today in the NFL Draft.

Whether Phillip Merling gets taken in the first round, and whether Barry Richardson and Chris McDuffie get taken at all, are the central themes for former Tigers involved in the proceedings.

Merling, a defensive end who left school after his junior year, is the only marquee name on the board for Clemson. A favorable workout Thursday before NFL personnel has boosted his chances of being taken in the middle or late first round.

Merling, who is recovering from surgery in March for a sports hernia, would be Clemson's 23rd first-round draft pick ever — and the third in the past three years.

"I think people are pretty happy with his progress," said Frank Coyle, a veteran NFL Draft analyst who runs Draft Insiders' Digest (www.draftinsiders.com). "He's a nice-looking player."

The outlook might not be as rosy for Richardson, a former Wando High standout, who has seen his draft hopes take a precipitous dip in the past year. Having returned for his senior season set on distinguishing himself as first-round material, he is in danger of going undrafted according to some analysts.

The two-time, first-team All-ACC left tackle has drawn criticism for his lack of athleticism and power. At 6-7 and 320 pounds, he started 44 consecutive games at Clemson.

The Sporting News has Richardson going to the Detroit Lions with the 12th pick of the fourth round. ESPN's Todd McShay pegs him going in the fifth to the Jaguars. Coyle projects him going in the sixth or seventh at best.

"When you're a big guy like that and play in a big BCS conference and you play well and start early and you make All-ACC, everybody thinks you're going to be a great pro," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said recently. "That's not necessarily the case. Barry Richardson is a big guy, but he doesn't have great feet. If you don't have great feet, you're going to struggle as a left tackle in the NFL."

Coyle said Richardson did nothing to distinguish himself in the past few months.

"He has no feet for left tackle, and no power for right tackle," he said. "He's slow afoot, so he can't be a pulling guard. And he's in a terrific class for offensive tackles. Other than that, everything's fine."

Richardson, who did not return a phone message seeking comment for this story, bristled at the criticism in March.

"Everybody who watched my games can tell I'm a first-round pick," he said. "People who make these predictions, they say those things and they don't look at the tape. They're looking at what I did last."

McDuffie, who played left guard for the Tigers in 2006 and 2007, is also hoping to get drafted. McShay has him going in the seventh and final round.

As for Merling, the 6-4, 276-pound defensive end appeared to put aside some questions about his health at his workout in Clemson earlier this week. The Redskins (21st pick) appear to like him, but he might be gone by the time they're up; The Sporting News has him going to the Cardinals with the 16th pick.

Merling suffered what was thought to be a groin injury last August during fall camp. He experienced pain while working out in January, and the injury was then revealed to be a sports hernia. Merling was limited in February at the NFL Combine and had surgery shortly thereafter.

Merling has said he'll be able to participate in mini camp with whichever team that drafts him, and Thursday's workout appeared to support that forecast. Still, Coyle said, some teams might still have questions.

"He's one of those medical wild cards," said Coyle, who has Merling going to the Jaguars with the 26th pick. "If a team is 100 percent happy with his medical status and thinks he'll be ready to go by August, they'll take him. Washington loves him, and Jacksonville loves him. He may not get past Washington."

Said Mayock: "To me, he's a top 15 player in this draft. He ought to go somewhere 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, somewhere in there where his true value is. If he falls beyond that into the 20s, I think it's directly attributable to the fact that teams are nervous about him because they can't test him."

Two other late-round possibilities from Clemson are linebackers Nick Watkins and Tramaine Billie.

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com and check out the new Clemson blog at charleston.net/blogs/tiger_tracks/