3. Vic Beasley, Atlanta Falcons
Vic Beasley was a menace against ACC offensive lineman and ACC quarterbacks alike during his collegiate career with the Clemson Tigers. Beasley racked up an outstanding 83 tackles and 30 sacks in the four years he played with the Tigers. All of those stats and outstanding play landed Beasley as the eighth pick in the 2015 NFL Draft with the Atlanta Falcons.
In his rookie year, Beasley had a modest output with 26 total tackles and four total sacks. While most players experience a “sophomore slump”, the Clemson product went through the complete opposite. In Beasley’s second year with the Falcons, he racked up 39 total tackles, a league-leading six forced fumbles and 15.5 sacks. Beasley also earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors that campaign.
The hope was that Beasley was heading for superstardom as a pass-rusher following that second season in the NFL. However, things have not turned out that way as the former Tiger has failed to produce at that level since then. In Beasley’s third and fourth years combined, he racked up just 49 tackles, one forced fumble and 10 sacks.
If Beasley can get back to his old form and perform even close to the level that he did in his sophomore season in Atlanta, he will surely earn himself a big contract — especially since pass-rushers are always a premium in the NFL.