RB: Travis Etienne, Clemson
Etienne finished 10th among FBS players in rushing with 1,463 yards but did it with far fewer carries than those ahead of him. He had 104 fewer attempts than FBS rushing leader Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin, and Etienne's 8.31 yards per carry ranked No. 2 among FBS players with at least 150 attempts. He averaged 9.3 yards on first down and had 1,035 yards against teams with winning records, most in the country. He almost single-handedly saved the No. 2 Tigers' season when he ran 27 times for 203 yards with three touchdowns in a 27-23 win over Syracuse on Sept. 29 after starting QB Trevor Lawrence went down because of an injury.
DE: Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
Ferrell, who won the Ted Hendricks Award as the country's top defensive end, returned to Clemson to help the Tigers win a fourth straight ACC title and earn another trip to the CFP. He also helped himself tremendously in terms of NFL draft stock, after totaling an ACC-best 10½ sacks to go with 17 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and 45 tackles. The Tigers rank No. 1 in the FBS by giving up only 2.4 yards per rushing attempt and are No. 2 with 121 tackles for loss and 45 sacks.
DT: Christian Wilkins, Clemson
The linchpin of Clemson's dominant defensive front, Wilkins led ACC interior linemen with 36 total pressures. Wilkins also had 36 solo tackles, 52 total tackles, 13½ tackles for loss, five sacks, one forced fumble, one blocked kick and two rushing touchdowns. More impressive, he won the Campbell Trophy as college football's top scholar-athlete. Wilkins became the first Clemson football player to earn a bachelor's degree in 2½ years, according to the school, and he'll earn a master's degree later this month.
