Nathan D. Clements (born December 12, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft with the 21st overall pick, and also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals.
Clements was born to Nathan Clements Sr. and Emma Clements in Shaker Heights, Ohio and graduated from Shaker Heights High School. Nate's father was strict and did not allow Nate to date while in high school. Clements excelled at both defensive back and quarterback and was named an All-American by USA Today, Blue Chip Illustrated and Super Prep.
Clements was also named first-team All-Ohio during a season in which he had seven interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. He also returned two kicks for touchdowns. Clements led the Raiders to a playoff berth in 1997 and led them past a Euclid Panther team that featured Notre Dame back Tony Fisher. Clements also holds the Shaker record for career interceptions with 14. The school retired his number 20 jersey in 2005.
Clements attended Ohio State University. Clements started 24 of 36 games and recorded 177 career tackles and seven interceptions. As a junior, he intercepted four passes and racked up 470 yards returning punts, with an average of 13.1 yards per return. In 2000 he was an All-Big Ten Conference first-team choice. After his junior year Clements decided to forgo his senior season and declared himself eligible for the NFL draft. He majored in general studies.
Clements declared for the 2001 NFL draft and was regarded as one of the top prospects. Prior to his junior season, Clements was ranked as the second best cornerback in the upcoming draft by NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and was also ranked as the 23rd overall prospect regardless of position by Mel Kiper Jr. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, but opted to only perform the bench press and 40-yard dash. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Clements was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the top cornerback prospect by DraftScout.com.
The Buffalo Bills selected Clements in the first round (21st overall) of the 2001 NFL draft. Clements was the first cornerback drafted in 2001.
On July 27, 2001, the Buffalo Bills signed Clements to a five-year, $6.70 million contract that includes $3.17 million guaranteed.
Throughout training camp, Clements competed to be a starting cornerback against Lance Brown, Ken Irvin, and Jimmy Williams. Head coach Gregg Williams named Clements the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Antoine Winfield and Ken Irvin. He was also named the starting kick returner to begin his rookie season.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Buffalo Bills' season-opener against the New Orleans Saints and recorded one solo tackle in their 24–6 loss. On September 23, 2001, Clements made one tackle, deflected a pass, and returned his first career interception for a touchdown during their 42–26 loss at the Indianapolis Colts. He intercepted a pass by quarterback Peyton Manning and returned it for a 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter to mark the first score of his career. On October 18, 2001, Clements earned his first career start after he surpassed Ken Irvin on the depth chart. He recorded three solo tackles and broke up a pass in the Bills' 13–10 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. In Week 8, Clements collected three combined tackles, deflected a pass, and returned a punt for a 66-yard touchdown during the second quarter of a 30–24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 14, he collected three combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Tom Brady during a 12–9 loss at the New England Patriots. On December 23, 2001, Clements collected a season-high 11 solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Michael Vick in the Bills' 33–30 loss at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15. He completed his rookie season in 2001 with 63 combined tackles (53 solo), ten pass deflections, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, a sack, and a touchdown in 16 games and 11 starts. He also had 30 kick returns for 628-yards and four punt returns for 81-yards and a touchdown.
Defensive coordinator Jerry Gray chose to retain Clements and Antoine Winfield as the starting cornerbacks in 2002. On October 20, 2002, he recorded four solo tackles, four pass deflections, three interceptions, and a touchdown during a 20–13 victory at the Miami Dolphins in Week 7. He intercepted three passes by quarterback Ray Lucas and returned an interception by Lucas for a 29-yard touchdown in the second quarter. In Week 12, Clements collected a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) and broke up a pass in the Bills' 31–13 loss at the New York Jets. On December 29, 2002, Clements had a season-high five pass deflections, nine combined tackles, and an interception during a 27–9 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. Clements finished his second season with 65 combined tackles (52 solo), 13 pass deflections, a career-high six interceptions, and a touchdown 16 games and 16 starts.
Head coach Gregg Williams retained Clements and Antoine Winfield as the starting cornerback tandem in 2003. On September 21, 2003, Clements recorded four solo tackles, two pass deflections, and two interceptions during a 17–7 loss at the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. He made both interceptions off pass attempts by Jay Fiedler and returned one for a 54-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. In Week 5, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles and a pass deflection in the Bills' 22–16 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished the 2003 season with a total of 61 combined tackles (51 solo), four pass deflections, three interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts. He also returned 14 punts for 137 yards in 2003.
The Buffalo Bills chose not to renew Gregg Williams after finishing with a 6–10 record and not qualifying for the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The Buffalo Bills' new head coach Mike Mularkey retained Clements as a starting cornerback to begin the season, along with newly acquired free agent Troy Vincent. In Week 2, Clements collected a season-high seven solo tackles during a 13–10 loss at the Oakland Raiders. On October 31, 2004, he recorded a season-high nine combined tackles and was credited with half a tackle in a 38–14 victory against the Arizona Cardinals. On November 21, 2004, Clements recorded five combined tackles, broke up a pass, and returned a punt for a touchdown for the first time in his career during a 37–17 victory against the St. Louis Rams. He returned a punt by Sean Landeta for an 85-yard touchdown in the third quarter. In Week 17, he recorded five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and returned an interception by rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for a 30-yard touchdown in the Bills' 29–24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The touchdown extended his streak to four consecutive seasons with a pick six. He completed the 2004 season with 73 combined tackles (53 solo), seven pass deflections, a career-high six interceptions, a touchdown, and was credited with half a sack in 16 games and 16 starts. Clements also had 35 punt returns for 327-yards and a touchdown.
On January 28, 2005, Clements was named as a late replacement to the 2005 Pro Bowl. He replaced Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback Patrick Surtain who was himself replacing Baltimore Ravens' Chris McAlister. Both players were unavailable to play due to injuries.
Head coach Mike Mularkey retained Clements as a starting cornerback in 2005, along with Terrence McGee. On November 20, 2005, Clements collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (nine solo) during a 48–10 loss at the San Diego Chargers in Week 11. In Week 14, he tied his season-high of 11 combined tackles (nine solo), deflected a pass, and made an interception in the Bills' 35–7 loss to the New England Patriots. He completed the 2005 season with 99 combined tackles (78 solo), 13 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.