At 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, Jadeveon Clowney is a monster. Factor in his 4.5 speed, 124-inch broad jump and 34-inch arms and you have to double check that you didn’t just make this guy in Madden’s Create-a-Player. Turn on some of his college YouTube highlights, watch him single-handedly blow up plays, and you’ll wonder, “Where has THAT been?”
Clowney was made the Houston Texans’ No. 1 overall pick in 2014 and came into the NFL touted as a one-man wrecking crew with the ability to make game-changing plays like teammate and perennial All-Pro J.J. Watt. In his first two years, however, Clowney has only played in 17 games and has only had 4.5 sacks. He has suffered a string of unrelated and unfortunate injuries including a sports hernia (required surgery), a concussion, a lateral miniscus tear (required surgery), an ankle injury, a back injury and a Lisfranc injury. According to Bill O’Brien, via ESPN staff writer Tania Ganguli, it is too soon to label Jadeveon Clowney as injury prone.
The question with Clowney entering his third year, then, is if he is not injury prone and just experienced some unlucky injuries early on, is this the year that he will finally make the game-breaking impact across from J.J. Watt that he was drafted to make? Is this the year that he will finally realize his freakishly athletic potential?
After 2 years of injuries, is this the year Jadeveon Clowney breaks out? #Texans #NFL https://t.co/eYMuGejctE
— Best NFL Polls (@Best_NFL_Polls) June 1, 2016
That is the question everyone is asking and a lot of people are leaning towards “No”. A lot of those “No” voters are probably voting based on the fact that he simply can’t stay on the field. But I’m sure many feel he can’t produce when he’s on the field either. Sean Tomlinson of Bleacher Report did a great analysis on how Clowney played when he actually was on the field.
Although there are still many question marks surrounding Clowney, his potential and talent remain unquestioned. With two tackles and a sack in his preseason debut against the Saints two weeks ago, we know he is entering the season healthy enough to play. J.J. Watt draws so many double teams that Clowney will have plenty of opportunities to take advantage of favorable matchups.
The clock is ticking in Houston and Clowney knows it. If he can’t produce this year, the Texans may stop waiting for him to breakout and start moving on.
(Photo Credit: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)