With his frame (length, strength, burst in his lower half) and the fact that defensive end is such a premier position, I could see Dodd going in the top 20.” “It also helps that he’s 6-4, 275 pounds and he’s still growing into his frame and into his game. “Premier games always help in the scouting process, and what Dodd did against Oklahoma (in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Orange Bowl) and then Alabama stands out as an example of his ceiling,” Miller said. Many NFL draft analysts, including Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, have projected that Dodd will be a first-round pick this April. “His resume speaks for itself,” Goodson said.ĭodd, who recorded 23.5 tackles for loss in his only season as a starter at Clemson, is Reames’ most prominent trainee this year. Goodson, who made his decision to train with Reames even before he signed an agent, said he would have made that decision even if TNT was located outside of South Carolina. “Joe Don did a phenomenal job with Tavaris Barnes last year,” Dodd said. That said, both Dodd and Byers pointed to Reames’ work with Barnes, their former defensive line teammate, as evidence that Reames could effectively train them for their workouts. Location played a factor in Dodd’s decision to train with Reames, as Dodd is still attending classes at Clemson, working toward achieving his undergraduate degree in sociology this semester. Getting texts from moms and dads, telling me, ‘Little Johnny turned a single into a triple today, he’s so much faster because of you.’” “I couldn’t see myself having a bigger passion,” Reames said. Reames also works with youth athletes throughout the Upstate. In addition to the 2016 draft prospects he is training, Reames works or has worked with numerous former Clemson players who have already gone on to play in the NFL, including Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Buffalo Bills linebacker Tony Steward and New Orleans Saints defenders Stephone Anthony and Tavaris Barnes. While Reames did not achieve the success he hoped for in his own professional playing career, his new career has enabled him to help many other athletes achieve professional success. Reames spent three years working for Tony Villani at XPE Sports - where Charone Peake, another combine-bound draft hopeful from Clemson, has been training this year - before returning to South Carolina to open his own facility. But I love what I do.”Īfter a brief career in minor league baseball, Reames ultimately turned his attention toward becoming a performance coach. Going back, there’s a lot of things I would have done differently. Running routes and catching the ball, I never had anyone putting in the extra time with me, and I didn’t put in the extra time. “I was always fast, and I was one of the two strongest guys on the team,” Reames said. In retrospect, Reames acknowledges that while he might have had the physical attributes to be an NFL player, he would have needed to put in more work toward improving his football skills to make it at that level. Reames, a Seneca native, knows what it’s like to be in his trainees’ shoes.Ī letter-winning member of the Clemson football team from 1999-2001, Reames chose to forgo a fifth year of college football eligibility to pursue a career in professional baseball. Since shortly after playing their final games as Tigers in Clemson’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game loss to Alabama, Dodd, Goodson and Byers have been working with Reames in efforts to bolster their athleticism and perfect their techniques for drills they will be expected to complete in pre-draft workouts. Goodson, who were both key starters on Clemson’s defense this past season, and Roderick Byers, a reserve defensive tackle for the Tigers, have been preparing for their pre-draft workouts with Joe Don Reames, a former Clemson football player, at TNT Sports in Williamston. WILLIAMSTON - While many members of Clemson’s 2015 football team have traveled outside of South Carolina to prepare for the 2016 NFL draft at various training facilities throughout the country, three Clemson draft hopefuls - including two who will be participating in this year’s NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday - have been doing their training in Anderson County.ĭefensive end Kevin Dodd and linebacker B.J. Dodd is preparing for the NFL combine, February 23-29 in Indianapolis. Kevin Dodd, former Clemson defensive end, trains at TNT Sports 85 Fitness in Anderson. Kevin Dodd (right), former Clemson defensive end, trains at TNT Sports 85 Fitness in Anderson.
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