Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans made DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney the No. 1 overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft after many discussions about selecting either UCF QB Blake Bortles or Buffalo OLB Khalil Mack. Clowney was the obvious choice the Texans could make at the time, but he didn’t produce immediate results for the Texans as a rookie.
Clowney is an ultra-athletic defensive end who shifted to the outside linebacker position in Houston’s 3-4 defensive scheme from the defensive end position in college with South Carolina. Clowney has legitimate sprinter speed and freakish athleticism (just ask former Michigan RB Vincent Smith), but injuries limited Clowney to just four games and only two starts in 2014. Clowney’s final stat totals in 2014 were seven total tackles with zero sacks and zero forced fumbles.
At 6-foot-5, 266-pounds, Clowney was compared to DE Julius Peppers coming out of college, but those comparisons have to be put on hold until he actually does something significant on the field. Clowney has underdeveloped strength, but is still a young player who is playing out of position. With DE J.J. Watt, former New England Patriots DT Vince Wilfork, and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel around to push and develop Clowney, most questions about his work ethic and motor will be answered once and for all.
Stepping in and starting from day one was the plan for Clowney and the Texans, and while he did start in Week 1 against the Washington Redskins and Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals, he could never get into a groove because of the injuries. Clowney had such a small sample size in 2014 that he wasn’t able to show if he could transition from a four-point stance in college to a two-point stance in the pros.
If healthy, the former South Carolina star should have no issues totaling around 10 total sacks this season. With no other elite pass rushers on the outside to compliment Watt, Clowney could easily be the team’s second-leading sacker in 2015.
Houston has quite an athletic pass rush to get after when you consider that Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck, Bortles, the QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota are all within the AFC South. All of them are athletic quarterbacks who are more than able to be a threat in the running game when needed. With Watt, Clowney and 2012 first-round pick Whitney Mercilus, Houston has set themselves up with a good supporting cast alongside Clowney.
Clowney will ultimately serve as the wildcard for this defense, however. He will be Crennel‘s movable piece in which Crennel can move him all over the field to confuse opposing offenses like he had back in New England with Willie McGinest. However, he will face some competition in camp from Mercilus, former Ohio State LB John Simon and McKinney, who could lineup both inside and outside.
Clowney will help make the Texans a top-10 defense in 2015 if healthy. If not, the Texans will once again be questioning themselves.
Brian Kalchik is a Houston Texans writer and featured writer for www.RantSports.com. He also covers the NBA, College Basketball, Fantasy Sports, Clubhouse and College Football for the site. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
