Before the 2020 season Cornell Powell was really only known to the Tiger faithful. Now he has a chance to live out what many football players dream about.
Before last season it would be easy to think that it was going to be hard for Powell to put up the numbers needed to be more than an undrafted free agent this year.
Then the Clemson receiving room was plagued with injuries and Powell took his shot on the big stage to prove how great he could be. His reward was getting drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the NFL Draft and becoming the next member of “Wide Receiver U” playing in the league.
He joins other Tiger greats like DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Mike Williams, Hunter Renfrow, Deon Cain, Tee Higgins, Ray Ray McLeod, Adam Humphries, and Amari Rodgers, who was drafted in the third round of this year’s draft by the Green Bay Packers with the 85th overall pick.
Powell exploded onto the scene when, as a starter in 2020, he had 53 catches for 882 yards and seven touchdowns. He also helped the Tigers special teams by producing 197 yards on eight punt returns. Over his career Powell totaled 93 catches for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns in college. The 6-foot, 204-pound receiver clocked a 4.47 time in the 40 during his pro day workout.
His hard work has now given him a shot to catch passes from one of the greatest quarterbacks playing the game today in Patrick Mahomes and after being drafted 181st overall in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
Powell is no stranger to playing football with a great quarterback and being on a great team. He is coming from one of the elite teams in the country where he caught passes from this year’s No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence. He also played with and caught passes from Deshaun Watson.
When asked about being drafted, Powell was humble but confident about his future, while giving credit where it was due.
“I’m just blessed to go from one great quarterback to the next,” Powell said. “As soon as I get to Kansas City and get to work with Patrick, I’m going to just try to get on the same page as him and try to make something happen for the team. The ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl and I’m ready to do that.”
