Jadeveon Clowney - Pro Football Rumors

Texans Owner Talks No. 1 Pick, QBs, Clowney

May 2nd, 2014 at 8:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Texans GM Rick Smith hasn’t been overly forthcoming when discussing his team’s approach to the first overall pick in next week’s draft, though it sounds as if he and his staff at least have a specific target in mind if the club doesn’t trade down. Owner Bob McNair divulged a few more details in a conversation with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, providing a couple interesting quotes on the top quarterbacks in this year’s class and on Jadeveon Clowney, who McNair calls “obviously the best player” available.

Let’s dive in and check out a few of McNair’s more noteworthy comments….

On what the team will do with the first overall pick:

“Really at this point we don’t know and we really won’t know until right up at the time we have to make a decision because people are talking to us about the possibility of trading down and it’s a question of what people offer, whether their offer is such that it’s worthwhile to trade down.”

On trading down from No. 1:

“If somebody wants you to drop down and they give you two or three more picks that would let you get two or three more quality players, are you a stronger team dropping down a little bit, getting these additional picks and getting more depth? …. I think that we’re going to greatly strengthen our team as a result of the draft. We’ve got 11 picks now in the draft and it’s a deep draft. So we’re going to get some good players regardless as to what we do. If we trade down and pick up two or three more players, we’d have 13 or 14 [picks]. So you’re going to see some significant strengthening of our team as a result of this draft.”

On the top quarterback prospects:

“You got three quarterbacks and all of them have some holes in their resumé…. You drop down and there’s another group close behind [the top three], not exactly where they are, and maybe one of those quarterbacks will become better than one of these other three…. There are no slam dunks. There are no Andrew Lucks out there, no Peyton Mannings. If there were it would be an easy decision, but that’s not the case.”

On Clowney:

“He’s obviously the best player in the draft, but he’s a defensive end. He’s not a quarterback. If he’s a quarterback and the best player it’s easy, but that’s not the case. So can that defensive player have a greater impact on the success of your team than one of these quarterbacks? It’s not a sure thing that he is.”

On doing what’s in the best interest of the team:

“We did that in ’06 when public opinion was that we should pick [Reggie] Bush. We said then that we’re going to do what’s in the best interest of the team and ultimately public opinion will recognize that if we’re correct. In ’06 it was easier because you had a top defensive player (Mario Williams) versus a running back and an outstanding running back is not as valuable as an outstanding quarterback. That was I think an easier decision for us and I think we made the right decision. I think it proved out. I think that’s an indication of how we go about doing our business.”

Texans Notes: Clowney, Draft, RBs, Watt

May 1st, 2014 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle provided a few Texans-related insights on Twitter today, suggesting that he believes Jadeveon Clowney will be the pick if the team doesn’t trade down from No. 1. If the Texans do indeed pass on someone like Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles to grab a pass rusher like Clowney or Khalil Mack, McClain isn’t sure which signal-caller the club would be targeting later in the draft.

Here’s more on the Texans:

Texans GM Rick Smith would like to acquire as many picks as possible in this draft, particularly in the first three rounds, so there’s a chance he trades the team’s second-round pick, according to McClain.
In McClain’s view, it would cost a team like the Falcons their first-round pick this year and next, along with this year’s second- and fourth-round picks to trade up to the Texans’ spot at No. 1. McClain doesn’t believe Smith would send the first overall pick to Atlanta for this year’s first- and second-rounders and next year’s first-rounder. If that’s true, I’d be surprised to see the Texans move the pick.
For what it’s worth, Smith indicated yesterday on Fox Sports Southwest that he “absolutely” knows who he wants to take with the first overall pick.
According to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter), the Texans have done “a lot of work” on running backs, and could potentially draft one before the end of the third round. The club lost top backup Ben Tate in free agency this offseason.
Last week, former agent Joel Corry and former team executive Ari Nissim published the first installment of a mock contract negotiation between J.J. Watt‘s agent and the Texans. Today, the second part of the series is up at the National Football Post, as the two sides continue to discuss a hypothetical deal for Watt.

Draft Notes: Rams, Texans, Easley, Fleming

April 30th, 2014 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams, armed with the second and 13th overall picks in the draft, will head to College Station to work out top Texas A&M prospects Johnny Manziel, Mike Evans, and Jake Matthews, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan notes (via Twitter) that the workouts should happen on Friday, which will also give GM Les Snead, coach Jeff Fisher and company the opportunity to stop tomorrow in Alabama to work out quarterback A.J. McCarron, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets. Let’s round up a few more draft notes, including another one on the Rams….

Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Ohio State are also expected to be among the Rams‘ stops before May 8 as they work out a number of top draft prospects, tweets Mortensen.
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle believes that if the Texans don’t trade down from No. 1, the team’s choice will come down to Manziel vs. Jadeveon Clowney. If Houston moves down and those players are off the board, Blake Bortles and Khalil Mack might be the club’s top two choices, says McClain.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has heard from two top scouts who believe Florida’s Dominique Easley will be selected in the first round despite the fact that the defensive lineman is recovering from a torn ACL.
Adam Caplan (Twitter link) adds the Titans to the list of teams visited by Stanford tackle Cameron Fleming, and the Bengals to the list of clubs that worked him out. As Caplan tweets, Fleming, who had one of the highest Wonderlic scores among this year’s offensive linemen, is projected to come off the board on the second day of the draft.
Ohio State wideout Corey Brown visited the Browns and worked out for the Patriots and Panthers, tweets Caplan.
More from Caplan: He tweets that South Dakota edge defender Tyler Starr visited the Patriots and had a private workout with the Colts, and reports (via Twitter) that San Diego State safety Eric Pinkins visited the Dolphins and Seahawks.

Draft Updates: Bucs, Bills, McCarron, Savage

April 29th, 2014 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

A handful of teams picking at the top of next week’s draft have expressed an openness to move down in the first round, and we can add the Buccaneers to this list. Speaking to reporters today, including Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com, Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht didn’t rule out the possibility of trading down.

“That’s definitely something we’d look into,” Licht said. “We’ve already reached out to teams. If our player isn’t there, we’d be open to conversations about moving back.”

Here are several more draft-related items for Tuesday afternoon:

Within his latest mock draft at ESPN.com, Todd McShay cites three league sources who have told him in the past week that the Bills are trying to trade up from No. 9. According to McShay, if Buffalo does make a move, it will likely be to land Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins, or Greg Robinson.
Appearing on The Paul Finebaum Show, Alabama signal-caller A.J. McCarron suggested he’s been told he could be drafted as high as 16th in the draft, which is the spot the Cowboys currently hold (link via Andrew Gribble of AL.com).
Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage quietly made a pre-draft visit to the Jets last week, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
After previously identifying a few teams who hosted Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com names a few more, tweeting that Ward also visited the Colts, Saints, Texans, and Vikings.
LSU guard Trai Turner has worked out privately for the Lions, Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, and Saints, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson adds that Turner also visited the Cowboys, Cardinals, Colts, and Dolphins.
Kansas wide receiver and special teams ace Josh Ford has drawn interest from the Packers, Panthers, Texans, Jets, and Chiefs, tweets Wilson.
The Giants, Jets, and Lions were among the teams to host Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle for a pre-draft visit, writes Wilson.
Finally, Wilson reports that Wisconsin defensive tackle Beau Allen had a total of eight visits and three private workouts, and tweets that Albany tackle Kadeem Williams has been informed he’s on an AFC South team’s draft board.

King’s Latest: Falcons, Manziel, Rams, Mack

April 28th, 2014 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

With teams reluctant to reveal any of their plans, the weeks leading up to the draft are often filled with a mix of real and false information on teams’ preferences and players’ stocks. Peter King of TheMMQB.com points to a Johnny Manziel rumor as one example of potential misinformation, noting that he heard from one reliable source that the Eagles are considering moving up to draft the young quarterback. However, King goes on to say that a second source, who would know even better, insists it “absolutely won’t happen.”

While it seems there’s nothing to that Manziel rumor, King cites it as an instance where a team may be trying to make a “misdirection play” and passes along several more draft-related updates that he considers to be more reliable. Here are the highlights from the latest MMQB column:

“Momentum is gaining” for the Falcons to trade up to No. 1 to draft Jadeveon Clowney, according to King, who estimates the odds of a deal are about 40% at this point. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com also reported today that the Falcons are exploring trade options, though he notes that the club hasn’t engaged in negotiations with the Texans for that first overall pick yet. In King’s view, it would take at least Atlanta’s 2015 first-rounder in addition to this year’s No. 6 overall pick to get Houston’s attention.
It’s a safe bet that Rams GM Les Snead will trade at least one of his two first-round picks, if not both, says King. The team currently holds the second and 13th overall selections.
An offensive coordinator whose team likely won’t be drafting a quarterback early, to King: “If I had the first pick in the draft, I’d take Manziel.”
King spoke to Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, who is pushing to be the first player off the board and would love to play with J.J. Watt in Houston. Although Mack hasn’t yet gotten a sense of where he’ll be selected, King would be surprised if the linebacker lasted more than six picks.
King passes along the top 10 players on one team’s draft board, though he’s not sure of the order: Clowney, Mack, Manziel, Blake Bortles, Aaron Donald, Sammy Watkins, and four offensive tackles (Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews, Zack Martin, Taylor Lewan).
Nevada offensive lineman Joel Bitonio could be a top target for the Panthers in the second round if he’s still on the board at No. 60, says King.

NFC Notes: Rams, Turner, Latimer

April 27th, 2014 at 10:34am CST by Rory Parks

Despite the concerns surrounding South Carolina standout Jadeveon Clowney, his potential will make it next to impossible for the Texans or Rams, who hold the top two picks in the draft, to turn him down, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Echoing those sentiments, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner is hearing that Clowney will be the No. 1 overall pick, whether Houston drafts him or another team moves up to nab him (for what it’s worth, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets that even if Houston wants to trade out of the first pick, the team may be unable to do so).

As a result, the Rams will still be on the lookout for defensive tackles when they are on the clock with the No. 13 overall pick. We heard a couple of days ago from our own Luke Adams that Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald will have a number of teams interested in his services between picks No. 6 and No. 16, and, in a separate piece for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Thomas writes that Donald’s pass-rush skills would be a perfect complement to starters Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford.

Wagoner, meanwhile, thinks that even if the Rams miss out on Clowney, the team might nonetheless be inclined to trade down from its No. 13 overall selection, perhaps to a club like the Browns that wants to move up to secure a QB. Although St. Louis would also be interested in trading down from its No. 2 overall pick, Wagoner believes there is little chance of that happening.

A quick look at some other NFC clubs:

SI.com’s Don Banks thinks that the Rams will not be able to pass on Clemson WR Sammy Watkins with the No. 2 selection.
Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune provides a nice look at the approach new Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner is taking with his roster this spring, particularly his quarterbacks.
ESPN.com’s Andy Jasner writes that the Eagles‘ interest in Indiana WR Cody Latimer might be growing, but Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine has a hard time believing Latimer is a real possibility for the Eagles’ No. 22 overall pick. Kapadia is probably correct, but Latimer is one of the biggest risers in this year’s draft and probably would be a first-round selection in a year where the wide receiver class was not as deep.
Although ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett believes the Saints have quality run-stoppers on the defensive line, he does believe they need to get more athletic at linebacker over the course of the next several seasons.
In his latest mock draft, Jim Duncan of the Times-Picayune says the Saints will trade up seven spots to No. 20 overall to select Oregon State WR Brandin Cooks.

Sunday Morning Notes: Ravens, Suh, Visits

April 27th, 2014 at 9:24am CST by Rory Parks

Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore wonders if the Ravens should be wary of Alabama defensive players in the draft, including top prospects like Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and C.J. Mosley. Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome is an Alabama alumnus and has close ties with the school, ties that may have contributed to the Ravens’ selections of players like Jarret Johnson, Terrence Cody, and Courtney Upshaw.

Although Johnson was a standout performer in Baltimore, Cody has largely been a disappointment, and after a promising rookie season, Upshaw fell off in 2013. That’s not to mention, of course, non-Raven Alabama products like Kareem Jackson and Mark Barron who have failed to live up to expectations. As ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. observed, Alabama defenders play in an elite system with top-flight coaching and consequently “come into the league thinking they pretty much are as coached as they can be and basically they’ve hit the ceiling.”

Will the trend of Crimson Tide defensive standouts who fizzle in the NFL deter Newsome from drafting players like Clinton-Dix and Mosley if he feels they represent the best fit for his club? Given Newsome’s skill and reputation, probably not. But it is another storyline to consider as the first round of the draft unfolds in a couple of weeks.

Now for some more early morning notes:

Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin has been generating a lot of buzz in recent weeks, and we recently heard that Martin is expected to be off the board within the first 17 picks. Now, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah tweets that he would not be surprised if Martin went in the top 10, with Buffalo (No. 9 overall) being a potential landing spot.
As our own Luke Adams wrote several days ago, although the Lions might be willing to trade Ndamukong Suh, any such deal would be riddled with obstacles. As such, Suh seems likely to stay put in Detroit for at least 2014, but if he were to be traded, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk names the Jaguars and Raiders as the likeliest candidates.
Although the Falcons have shown a great deal of interest in Jadeveon Clowney and visited with the top prospect last week, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes that interest is a “smokescreen” to drive up the price for teams like Detroit that might want to move up in the draft. Ledbetter writes that Atlanta has too many holes to mortgage the future to move up for Clowney as they did for Julio Jones several years ago.
Stanford DE Ben Gardner visited with the 49ers and Raiders this weekend, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
The Bengals worked out Tusculum QB Bo Cordell, who also threw for the Eagles, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

AFC Notes: Martin, Murray, McCarron, Texans

April 26th, 2014 at 10:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Dolphins have targeted Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin in the upcoming draft, writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. One scout reports that the Dolphins would “fall over themselves” if Michigan tackle Taylor Lewan fell to them, but Lewan is projected to go in the first half of round one — Martin is the prospect that the team realistically covets. However, while the Dolphins select at No. 19, Beasley writes that it is still not a certainty that Martin will make it to Miami’s pick. Mel Kiper, Jr. of ESPN writes that with the Giants, Ravens, and Rams all choosing right ahead of the Dolphins, Martin will be gone in the first 17 picks.

Here are some more notes from around the AFC:

Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray is still trying to move up on draft boards, and has a lot left to prove after having knee surgery less than five months ago. He “dazzled” at his pro day, and will work out for the Browns on Sunday, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I’m really excited to show them what I can do,” said Murray. “I’m way ahead of the game right now. There’s no hesitation about anything. Running around, there’s no worries about my leg. I’m full-go and feeling great.”
Jake Locker is still set to be the Titans quarterback to start 2014, but second year offensive guard Chance Warmack hopes the team looks to draft his college teammate this May, writes Bryan Fischer of NFL.com. Warmack said on the NFL Network that he would like Alabama buddy A.J. McCarron to join him in Tennessee. “I hope we get him. I don’t know what round we can get him in, but I definitely want him in Tennessee,” Warmack said. “He’s a winner. He’s a great guy to be around and he’ll help the locker room. He’s not selfish as a quarterback and he’s going to make the right plays on the field. If he doesn’t start, when he gets drafted by the Tennessee Titans he’ll definitely help.”
The Texans have narrowed it down to four potential prospects, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). He believes that with the first pick, the team will take either current favorite Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina, or hometown quarterback Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M. If the Texans elect to trade down, then they will look at Blake Bortles from UCF if Manziel is already gone, or Khalil Mack of Buffalo.

Prospect Profile: Jadeveon Clowney

April 26th, 2014 at 7:22pm CST by Rob DiRe

Coming out of high school, Jadeveon Clowney was the number one recruit in his senior class. He was the best defensive player in college football at his best. Now he is the best bet to be the number one overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

A player of Clowney’s status could not come easy. It started early, when he famously decided to hold out on his college acceptance decision until after National Signing Day, electing to instead announce his decision live on ESPN, on Valentine’s Day, which doubled as his 18th birthday. He chose South Carolina and his hometown Gamecocks over the more highly touted programs among the SEC and ACC.aft. He was the number one recruit coming out of high school in 2011, and has basically been anointed as a certainty ever since, although his recruitment had earned him the label of a “diva” in the eyes of the media, which would be the first knock on him as a future NFL star.

Then the domination began. Clowney more than lived up to the hype during his first two seasons in Columbia, South Carolina. He posted 8.0 sacks and five forced fumbles as a freshman for a South Carolina team that went 11-2. That season he had the luxury of following the lead of another pass rushing standout in Melvin Ingram, who wound up as a first-round pick to the Chargers in the following draft. As a sophomore, Clowney was able to take all the spotlight. His 13.0 sacks left him as the most feared pass rusher in the nation, and solidified him as a very high draft pick, with most scouts noting the he would have been the first overall pick had he been eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft.

Controversy came again that offseason, as many NFL experts and media personalities noted that Clowney had nothing to gain by returning to school. He would risk a career debilitating injury, but could not raise his draft stock at all. Sports radio and NFL shows discussed whether it would be more beneficial to him if he were to skip school and workout full time, as he would have been basically ensured a spot in the top five if he was not still drafted first overall a year later.

Clowney did return to school, but battled through injuries and inconsistent effort until once again, his merits as a prospect were questioned. He missed two games entirely, and ended up with statistics that fell short of previous numbers. Still in play for the first pick, his case was not as rock solid as it had been a year earlier, especially as the Texans, Jaguars, Browns, and Raiders possessed huge needs elsewhere on offense, particularly at quarterback and receiver. The Rams, set at quarterback, already own a dynamic pass rushing duo of Robert Quinn and Chris Long. Clowney would truly have to impress to stay in the top five.

Of course, that is exactly what Clowney did at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. He measured in at a large 6’6″, weighing a lean 266 pounds with 34.5 inch arms and ten inch hands. Then he took that giant frame for a run, posting a blazing 4.53 40-yard dash, with extremely impressive numbers across the board in the other drills as well.

Even still, not everyone is sold on Clowney. Greg Cosell called him a “raw” athlete, and stated that he believes pass rusher Khalil Mack should be rated as the top player in the draft at that position.

Hall of Fame defensive lineman and Fox Sports analyst Warren Sapp was also critical of Clowney, saying, “I look at Jadeveon Clowney’s (game) tape and I don’t see a guy that is playing with his hair on fire, making plays, running up and down the field sideline to sideline, doing all of the things.”

ESPN analyst Merril Hoge, who played running back for the Steelers, was even harsher of Clowney as a football player. “You look at him as a fundamental football player when you talk about feet, hip and hands, like we watch Khlail Mack, he’s actually atrocious,” he said. “Clowney as a football player is not very good. Amazing athlete. Don’t get confused by being an athlete and being a good football player. Not a very good football player.”

Even his peers took shots at him, notably when Auburn defensive end Dee Ford declared himself the better option for teams looking for a pass rusher. “I’m better. Let’s put it like this. People like to talk about size all the time. Size is pretty much overrated in my eyes,” said Ford. “You can look at guys like Robert Mathis, Elvis Dumervil, Von Miller. These are 6-2 guys and under. People are just looking at the fact that he is a physical specimen. Honestly if you watch the film, he plays like a blind dog in a meat market basically.”

Despite those who are no longer sold on Clowney’s ability, he still has a good chance of going first in this draft, and is seemingly a lock for the top three in one of the most wide open drafts in a while. CBS Sports has all four major mock drafts currently with Clowney as the first player off the board (three to the Texans, one projecting the Falcons trading up). NFL.com posts eight mock drafts, of which six have Clowney going first, with Bortles taking the top spot in the other two. From ESPN, both Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay have Clowney atop their most recent mocks. We won’t know until that first name is called on May 8th, but star or bust, or somewhere in between, some people are going to be very wrong on this divisive yet incredible NFL prospect.

AFC Notes: Browns, Garoppolo, Texans, Watt

April 25th, 2014 at 7:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Drafting an elite non-quarterback with the fourth overall pick and addressing the QB position with pick No. 26 is one option for the Browns, but as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, it’s not without risk. Since other teams recognize the Browns are very likely to select a signal-caller at some point early in the draft, those clubs could try to trade ahead of the No. 26 spot in order to snatch up one of the QBs Cleveland is considering.

Here’s more from around the AFC, including a note on one possible quarterback target for the Browns:

Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo visited the Texans yesterday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), and then headed to Cleveland to visit the Browns today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) thinks Jadeveon Clowney and Johnny Manziel are the Texans‘ most likely targets at No. 1, and adds that the club would have to be “overwhelmed” by an offer to trade down.
In an entertaining piece for the National Football Post, Joel Corry and Ari Nissim act out a hypothetical contract extension negotiation between the Texans and the agent for defensive star J.J. Watt.
Minnesota defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman has visited or worked out for the Titans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Hageman has previously checked in with the Falcons, Cardinals, Colts, and Steelers. The 6-foot-6, 318-pound athlete, one of the most physically impressive defensive linemen in the draft, ran the 40-yard dash in 5.02 seconds.
Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego wonders if tall Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant would help the Chargers.
Michael Lombardi of the Patriots worked out Coastal Carolina running back Lorenzo Taliaferro today, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.