Thursday, January 16, 2014

NFL Combine/Draft Players to Watch Part 1: Jadeveon Clowney

Jadeveon Clowney6'6" 275 Defensive End, South Carolina
Since coming to South Carolina, the name Jadeveon Clowney has been synonymous with the number one overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Clowney has an unbelievable combination of size, speed, strength, and pure athleticism. It seems that he can use any of those tools to get by his man and cause havoc in the backfield. He demands double and sometimes triple teams because when he is matched one on one with a tackle or tight end, more times than none it won't go well for the offense. If you watch tape of him or watch a game you'll notice that one of his most impressive attributes is his first step. He gets off the line and is in the backfield before the tackle can get out of his stance. He is primarily a 4-3 defensive end and that's where I see him playing at the next level but he can transition to a 3-4 outside linebacker as a primary pass rusher. He does have flaws in his game however, he tends to play high and at 6'6" that will cause him to get knocked off balance which will take him out of the play. He also has been known to take plays off and labeled at "lazy" which some think outweighs all the dominance he has. At the next level he will get one on one match ups a majority of the time which will allow him to use his arsenal of natural abilities to rush the passer or make plays in the backfield. Of course it's hard to say how his game will translate at the next level but if he is put in the right system he could flourish and be one of the all time greats. Clowney finished his career as a Gamecock with 47 tackles for loss and 24 sacks. Comparisons have been made to Buffalo Bills defensive end and former number one overall pick, Mario Williams, Clowney is a much better athlete than Williams but it remains to be seen how good he can be. He's a special type of athlete that you don't always see and whoever drafts him is getting a very rare talent. Look for Clowney to be off the board before in the first five picks. 

Prediction: 1st overall to Texans 






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