2014 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina Gamecocks

January 1,2013; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) rushes as Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (12) throws the ball during the second half of the 2013 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. South Carolina won 33-28. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 256 pounds

Drafted By:

40 Yard Dash:

Bench Press:

Vertical Jump:

Broad Jump:

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Jadeveon Clowney is bigger, faster, stronger, and better than you. And he knows it. The 2012 Heisman finalist and 2013 Heisman hopeful will have to wait more than one calendar year to hear his name called on draft day, as the draft has now been moved to May 8th, 2014, but certainly he won’t have to wait much longer than that. I don’t want to bore you telling you what you already know about Clowney, but his accolades and resume’ are already incredibly impressive considering he has only played two years of college football, and he is only getting bigger and faster. At South Carolina’s Spring ‘training camp’, he reportedly ran a 4.5 second 40 yard dash. Clowney is capable of taking over games at times, and has drawn comparisons to Mario Williams coming out of North Carolina State and Jason Pierre-Paul among others.

His burst off the snap is second to none, and he uses a wide variety of moves to make plays in the backfield. Very strong kid who has NFL ready size already at his young age. Finished his sophomore season with 54 tackles, 13 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and two passes broken up. This is a guy who has elite athletic ability and is likely going to be one of the first two or three players selected in the draft when he comes out. When Clowney wants to, he can use a bull rush move that is absolutely devastating to opposing offensive linemen. He can knock them on their feet with his hands and he has great arm length to be able to push and collapse the pocket.

Bottom line for me: If Clowney had come out as a sophomore, he would have gone first overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. When he comes out in 2014 (if that’s still the case) I still believe he will be the number one pick. Sure, a team picking first may have a need for a quarterback, but Clowney is a rare prospect and is much better overall as a prospect in my mind than any of the QBs in this year’s draft. To me, he is the defensive equivalent of Andrew Luck coming out in 2012. I think Clowney would be one of the best defensive players in the NFL in 2013 if he were eligible. This is one of the most rare prospects to come along in a while. He was the #1 ranked recruit nationally coming out of high school, he is the #1 ranked defensive player in college football probably unanimously, and he will likely be the #1 overall pick.

Career Highlights (via South Carolina athletics site)

Heisman Trophy candidate after finishing sixth for the award in 2012… considered the best returning defensive player in the country… reigning Hendricks Award winner as the nation’s top defensive end… unanimous All-American as a sophomore, just the second unanimous All-American at South Carolina, joining George Rogers (1980)… named the 2012-13 University of South Carolina Male Athlete of the Year… after just two seasons in the Garnet & Black, ranks fifth in school history with 21.0 sacks (the record is 29.0) and tied for second with 35.5 tackles for loss (the record is 54.5)… also has eight career forced fumbles… has made 13 career starts.

2012: Highly-decorated true sophomore… All-America Player of the Year, presented by AT&T, as selected by the fans on ESPN.com… finished sixth in the Heisman balloting… named the Hendricks Award winner as the nation’s outstanding defensive end… became the first sophomore to win that award, securing nearly two-thirds of the final vote… also was a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award and Bednarik awards… was a first-team All-American, the coaches’ choice as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and a first-team All-SEC selection… became the fourth Gamecock to earn All-America accolades in the last four seasons, joining Eric Norwood, Alshon Jeffery and Melvin Ingram… became the first Gamecock to earn SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors… three-time SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week… set the school single-season record for sacks (13.0) and tackles for loss (23.5)… ranked tied for third in the nation in sacks and tied for second in tackles for loss… registered 2.0 tackles for loss and credited with a sack in the opener at Vanderbilt… named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts against UAB when he was credited with seven tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks… credited with 1.5 sacks in the win over Missouri… named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for the second time at Kentucky when he had four stops including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack… had four tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack, against Georgia… named to the first-team on Phil Steele’s 2012 Midseason All-America and All-SEC squads… named to Sporting News’ Midseason All-America first-team… had six tackles including a half tackle for loss and two pass breakups at LSU… had 2.0 tackles for loss including an eight-yard sack among his five stops at Florida… had four tackles including a strip and sack late in the contest that preserved the win over Tennessee… also had a pair of QB hurries in that contest… had a pair of tackles for loss and forced a fumble against Arkansas… did not play against Wofford as he rested an ailing foot… came back at Clemson with a school-record 4.5 sacks in the 27-17 win, earning SEC Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Week honors… the 4.5 sacks was also a Clemson Memorial Stadium record, topping the previous mark jointly held by Notre Dame’s Ross Browner (1977) and Virginia Tech’s Bruce Smith (1984), both College Football Hall of Famers…. had a pair of tackles for loss in the Outback Bowl win over Michigan, including “the hit” in which he stopped Vincent Smith in the backfield, causing a fumble which he also recovered, considered by many as the most memorable highlight of the bowl season… named the Joe Morrison Defensive Player of the Spring.

2011: True freshman who was named the SEC Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches and the SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year by Rivals.com… also named second-team All-SEC and was a member of the All-Freshman team according to the SEC coaches… earned first-team Freshman All-America honors by FWAA, Sporting News, FoxSportsNext.com, Rivals.com, CollegeFootballNews.com, CBSSports.com and Phil Steele… named honorable mention All-American by SI.com… credited with 36 tackles… was eighth in the SEC with 8.0 sacks, the only freshman in the top 10, and logged 12.0 tackles for loss… tied for fourth in the SEC and tied for eighth in the country with five forced fumbles… also had six quarterback hurries… played in all 13 games… started the season opener against East Carolina, becoming the first freshman to start on the defensive line since Travian Robertson in 2007… had seven tackles in his debut, adding a pass breakup and a QB hurry… recorded his first career sack at Georgia… forced the fumble against the Bulldogs that Melvin Ingram scooped and scored for the game-winning touchdown… forced two fumbles against Vanderbilt, including one that resulted in a TD by Ingram… picked up a sack, forced fumble, and two quarterback hurries in the win at Mississippi State… logged a sack vs. Clemson and added two more in the bowl win over Nebraska.

Stats

Jadeveon Clowney defensive statistics via CFBStats.com

Video Highlights (via YouTube)