Clemson junior Merling likely to enter NFL Draft

Teammate James Davis may also skip final year

CLEMSON — Clemson defensive end Phillip Merling is all but out the door for the NFL.

Merling's grandfather, Otis Rumph, said Monday night that Merling likely will forgo his senior season with the Tigers. He said his grandson was to inform Tigers coach Tommy Bowden of his plans in a meeting earlier Monday.

"I don't think he'll be back," Rumph said. "I'm quite sure he's gone."

Merling was forecast as a second-round pick by the NFL underclassmen advisory committee. He believes he could move into the first round with a good showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, his grandfather said.

At least six of Clemson's juniors asked the advisory committee to project their draft status. Bowden said last week he planned to meet with the juniors in question today before a team meeting.

Rumph, father of Clemson defensive line coach Chris Rumph, said he last spoke with Merling on Monday morning, before Merling's meeting with Bowden. He said Merling was going to tell Bowden he was done at Clemson.

Team spokesman Tim Bourret confirmed Merling met with Bowden on Monday. Bourret said Bowden told him the meeting ended with Merling's future "still open-ended."

Bowden was unavailable for comment Monday night, and Merling could not be reached.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Merling, who had 78 tackles and seven sacks in 2007, had been telling teammates he planned to remain at Clemson in 2008.

But another person close to him said he reversed course in large part because he has a child, and also because his mother is struggling financially.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare their NFL intentions is Jan. 15. Merling appears to be the only Clemson junior who was forecast as high as the second round, but he might not be the only one who leaves early.

Tailback James Davis, believed to have been projected as a third-round pick, is considered a strong possibility to skip his senior year. It is not clear whether Davis and Bowden have already met.

As Clemson prepared for the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Davis and safety Michael Hamlin left teammates and others under the impression they had played their last down for Clemson. Hamlin suffered a knee injury in the Tigers' 23-20 overtime loss to Auburn on Dec. 31 and is now thinking more seriously about staying, according to sources.

Defensive tackle Dorell Scott also asked for a projection from the committee, though his plans are unknown.

Quarterback Cullen Harper and receiver Aaron Kelly, two other juniors who sought advice form the NFL, are expected to remain at Clemson in 2008.

Every defensive player who saw action in the bowl game has eligibility remaining. The Tigers finished the regular season sixth nationally in total defense and 10th in scoring defense.

After playing in all 12 games as a reserve in 2005, Merling started 26 consecutive games as a sophomore and junior. The St. Matthews native was named Atlantic Coast Conference defensive lineman of the week three times in 2007.

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com.

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