With the #1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft...
 

(insert team here) selects Jadeveon Clowney from South Carolina.




Is everyone watching this game?

Kid is easily playing the most dominating performance I have personally ever seen from a defensive end. Has so far jumped over two potential blockers, one a running back then other an offensive tackle. Kid is playing his best game arguably, he has added weight from last year and will only get better with age barring injury.

He should be without question the #1 pick in the 2014 draft if he decides to come out early. Could easily make the case he could content for #1 selection this year even with Geno Smith and Matt Barkley in the draft.

I was thinking about this while watching him today. If he were available in the draft, it would be tough for any team to take anyone over him. He is just an absolute freak and is going to be terrorizing offenses for a long long time.

He is so nasty. Top 3 pick next year if not number 1/

Clowney is a demigod that appears to make the rest of his defense better by his being there.

He's clearly not of this world, and I'd think (barring an injury or off-field issue) the surefire #1 pick in 2014 or 2015

I think I was mocked when I said this in a thread a week or so ago.

If I had the #1 pick in 2014, he'd be on my team unless someone rises up as a QB and shows me they are worth taking #1 overall. (because right now, I don't see 1 QB in the NCAA worth a #1 pick)

someone dig up my thread on taking him in the first round as a senior in high school

Clowney is rare enough to make a team change it's base D from a 3-4 to a 4-3.

Asking him to cover is a waste of time and his talents.

I agree, but not completely... if a qb with franchise potential will be available i don't think that a team with the first overall will pick a DE, when they can obtain a potential elite signal caller... it's a 50-50 situation... i know Clowney is a special player, but it could be a 2002 (Carr over Peppers) as a 2006 (Williams over Young)

Jadeveon Clowney is the best player in CFB regardless of class. I have watched 4 SC games this year and at times it's like watching a pro bowl NFL player in a high school game.

He has prototypical length and build, elite burst, a great motor, varied pass rushing moves, core strength in run defense and a good yet still developing technique.

I have not seen a better prospect regardless of position, Calvin Johnson included. If this guy is not the #1 pick in 2014 then there better be a damn good QB or else someone's gonna get fired

I would not go that far, saying he is the best prospect I have ever seen. For me Julius Peppers was pretty up there, as was Vince Wilfork and Sean Taylor not to mention Larry Fitzgerald. So Clowney is amazing but not sure I would put him as the best prospect I have ever seen.


But for 2014, no way he does not go #1, who beats him out? Tyler Bray if he comes back for his senior year...Casey Pachall if he comes back...Seantrel Henderson if he comes back... or current sophomores Jeff Driskel or Cyrus Kouandjio? Really none of them, especially not Bray or Pachall. Driskel has the best shot but even that is really kind of a stretch.


Still trying to find a clip of him jumping over that blocker though, that was insane, I have ever seen that from a defensive end!

He jumped over a blocker at least twice last night and he just made it look effortless. I am so happy he did not go to Bama or LSU. There have been some great prospects in the past few seasons, but I'd say Megatron and Clowney were the only two guys I would label as can't miss. Knocking on wood obviously, but if Clowney stays healthy and out of trouble (never heard anything bad about him) he looks like everything you could ever hope to draft.

Melvin Ingram was a top 20 pick because of Clowney. Devin Taylor won't be because of Clowney (Taylor not dominating when Clowney is getting all the attention).

He's been a shoe-in top 5 pick since he was in high school. All he had to do is not get hurt and show enough flashes. Clearly he has shown more than flashes and been flat out electric. The current Soph class is loaded, and he was the best of them coming out....he will be the best when they go to the next level. Whether he is the #1 pick or not depends on the QBs coming out. Best player doesn't always go #1, and he'll be the best whenever he enters the NFL draft. Last night's performance was just stupid.

I disagree with you saying Taylor is not playing well, Taylor is a damn good player and in some ways could be much better as an athletic tall 3/4 OLB. Do not underrate Taylor, he is going to be a 1st rounder I feel.

As for last year and Melvin Ingram, Clowney did not play every down last year, he did not get that many snaps at all in some games. And to say Ingram's success was because of Clowney when at times he was not even on the field is just incorrect.

Never been a big fan of saying this player is good because of that player. You could say that about every deep defensive line in college football history. Could say that about current LSU, Florida State and South Carolina fronts. They all really benefit from each other, if you compare if Timmy Jernigan went to Indiana, he could not be as effective obviously as he is on Florida State.

To say Clowney does not have help is not correct. Kid is easily the best player on the line, and benefits from all the other good players on that line as well. Quarles, Taylor and Sutton are all going to be in the NFL along with Clowney, so it is not like he is playing with bums there.

Taylor has always been regarded as having top 15-20 potential. But he's not putting up those type of numbers despite Clowney taking some of the attention off of him. And I don't think he'll be a 1st rounder, if for nothing else, because of the elite talent at his position this year. I don't see Devin Taylor going ahead of Jarvis Jones, Mingo, or Montgomery. And as of right now, he's behind all of Werner, Carradine, Lemonier, and probably Buchanon for me. Could even make a case for Okafor, Jeffcoat, Gholston, Simon, and Gayle. Then there's Dion Jordan, Hunt, Datone Jones, and Damontre Moore. He's listed behind all but Carradine of the seniors on this very site. And it's pretty clear several of those JRs are better prospects. So, you're talking about the 10th best pass rusher, at best. That's not a 1st round pick. That being said, that's not to underrate him. He's a good football player. He might even be better than most of the guys I named when all is said and done. But I couldn't draft him over any of the first 7 I named. And probably a few others when you consider production and projectability of all of them.

As for Ingram, my point was, when Clowney was on the field, Ingram either moved inside and showed increased versatility. Or he was on the opposite end of Clowney and got a lot of 1-on-1 matchups. Ingram is/was still a good player, but he went from a potential mid round pick to top 20 after Clowney got on campus.

HAHAHAHA Tyler Bray...Casey Pachall. What are you smoking?

I want to see Bama vs. SCAR in the SEC championship just so I can watch Clowney vs. Kouandjio all game long.

"Personal foul, rare freakishness, player does **** no human can do, 15 yard penalty, automatic pity first down" Should have been called a few times.

That makes sense, I am not sure I would take Lemonier over Taylor same with Carradine, that is a little closer though.

Really depends on if one views Taylor as a 3/4 OLB, if one does he moves up a little and if one does not he could move down like you said. Okafor is good but I would take Taylor over him as well just as a down 4/3 DE, same with Jeffcoat possibly. Gholston is a tough call, probably go Gholston just on his physical size. Simon I have as a 3/4 OLB, and as a 3/4 OLB I would take Taylor over him and Gayle there is no contest, Taylor. Datone Jones is way overrated in my book.

But yeah all depends on how one ranks the other players on the defensive line and 3/4 outside linebacker, I personally have Taylor over a lot of those guys.


Very true, at this moment they both leave a lot to be desired, just showing that it is not all that likely a quarterback will be picked over Clowney next year. Those are two of the possible juniors this year along with Logan Thomas who could come back and contend for the #1 QB spot next year. But like I said I doubt either one will pull it off and improve enough.

Finally found the clip of him jumping over that blocker, posted it above, and I think he did the same to an offensive lineman as well, this was just a running back but still......

Man, the 2014 QB class really doesnt look that promising does it? i mean, Bray/Thomas/Pachalle? Makes reaching for one in 2013 seem like a lot better decison doesnt it?

True but like I said originally, could argue in taking Clowney #1 even if he went up against Geno Smith and Matt Barkley this year.

As for the sophomore quarterbacks, they look a lot better than they did last year. I had a thread last year about how bad they where, but Driskel did not play much and clearly that kid will pick it up for that class. Mannion is promising as well and Bo Wallace has potential. So it is looking better than it did last year.

Jeff Driskel Florida
Sean Mannion Oregon State
Teddy Bridgewater Louisville
Bo Wallace Ole Miss
Gary Nova Rutgers
Jake Heaps Kansas
Jared Barnett Iowa State



So far the freshman class is looking good. Really wish LSU would go ahead an start Rivers, I mean why not.

QB
Joel Stave Wisconsin
Stephen Rivers LSU RS
Brett Hundley UCLA
Perry Hills Maryland


I might be wrong but I do not think Kouandjio played, it was Fluker and Jones at tackle I thought, Kouandjio only played in blow outs, but I might be wrong...

I looked up the thread

9 people, or about 25% of the poll wouldve taken him in the first round. We knew

http://draftcountdown.com/forum/show...deveon+clowney

So are you saying that if you're the Chiefs with the #1 pick, to go ahead and switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 with Hali as the opposite DE?

THere's different ways to approach it but I definitely would have Clowney playing with his hand in the dirt and not try to convert him to OLB. But yeah I do think KC has the personnel to switch to a 4-3 if Hali can play DE.
Really most teams play so many different packages throughout the course of a game, a 'base D' is just a general term.

It is inteesting to look at DEs who went #1 overall. Unless your last name is Smith, they have had their struggles (depending on how you view Mario Williams). Though, I'm sure the expansion Texans wish they had taken Julius Peppers over David Carr.

Clowney is such a monster, unless injury or arrest hits, it is tough to imagine him not going Top 5. Maybe a QB emerging budges Clowney from #1, but he is the clear favorite.