That’s A Clowney Question Bro!
The Jadeveon Clowney situation is an interesting and unique one. It’s fitting seeing that Clowney is such an interesting and unique talent. He’s a once in a generation specimen in the mold of a Julius Peppers and Bruce Smith. He has the speed, strength, body and moves of a future pro bowler and offensive game plan killer. He’s a clear-cut top 3 pick in the upcoming draft and on his way to millions. He’s such a great talent that barring a huge red flag or some major incident before the draft his stock isn’t going to fall. And there lies the problem. Should Clowney finish this season? People think he should just sit out the rest of the season or shouldn’t have even played this season. That’s not the right way to go. Some people would argue saying it protects future high draft picks from injury. Well you can injure yourself training or in non contact drills. There were a number of players injured during OTAs and mini-camp. Others will say he should have been allowed to go straight to the NFL after being the #1 high school player in the nation. How many fortune 500 companies hire out of high school? Not to mention there is absolutely no way a 17 or 18-year-old can be ready for the NFL fresh out of high school. He’s playing significantly sub par competition and you can’t get a good read on a player like that. If you want examples look at the NBA. For every Lebron James, Kobe and T-Mac there’s a Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and Desanga Diop. People could say he doesn’t gain anything from being in college this year. He gets a year of coaching, training and constantly competing against in the SEC against the best players in the NCAA. It’s also another year of maturity before he’s given millions of dollars and made the face of a struggling franchise. This isn’t just for Clowney but no football player should sit out an entire year just because you’re guaranteed a top draft pick. If a team can go on a bye week during the playoffs and look completely different the next time they play, imagine what it could be after a year.