Jadeveon Clowney -- WOW - New England Patriots Forums

BillBelichickFan79 · 08-04-2011, 04:31 PM

Has anyone seen this kid's senior highlight game tape?

YouTube - Jadeveon Clowney Senior Highlights

It's absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable. Since I started following college recruiting, I don't think I've ever seen such a monstrous talent. This kid is by far the best prospect going into college that I've ever seen.

This year he is coming into his freshman year of college at South Carolina at the age of 18 years old and is already 6'6" and 245 pounds. He's also got plenty of room to add to his frame and bulk up.

He has one of the most tantalizing skill sets I have ever seen. He has the raw strength, power, length, and long arms to bull rush through any one standing in his way, including double and triple team blocking schemes. He has the speed to beat any offensive lineman off the edge. He has the speed to outrun any player on the field. He was a defensive lineman that would run all the way down the field on a passing play and chase down and tackle a WR. The guy is an absolute animal.

The guy was a sack/tackle for loss/turnover machine. He blew up plays in the backfield, outran everyone on the field to make TD saving tackles, and destroyed blocking schemes. I have never seen such a physical freak and immense football talent.

There is no doubt that he will have to learn the intricacies of football and work on things like technique and being disciplined on defense rather than just being able to free lance like he was in high school, but this kid is definitely someone to follow for the years to come. He has everything you look for in an NFL player from a skillset standpoint.

Imagine this kid on the Pats? He could play any position on the DL. He has the potential size and strength to play 5-technique in a 3-4 or 3-technique in a 4-3, although with his size, speed, athleticism, and length, he'd probably ideally fit as a dominant 4-3 DE like Peppers or Mario Williams. With the way this kid moves, you could even play him at OLB in a 3-4.

I will definitely be keeping an eye on this kid for years to come. Here's to hoping he becomes a Patriot in the future!

Off The Grid · 08-04-2011, 05:49 PM

Great find, man!!

I haven't yet reached the Persistent Obsession level, yet, where I'm trolling the High Schools for Potential Patriots...but it's probably the next major stage...

~ It seemed like he was using the Swim Move on virtually every highlight, but, hey: If that's all you need at that level, then why not? It might be akin to a young FireBaller's diet consisting predominantly of FastBalls, before reaching the College level.

~ As I continue to develop in my embryonic stage of Scouting, I find myself focusing, increasingly, on Gravitational Integrity: How consistent the Grizzlies are at coiling up, launching low, cranking the wheels, and winning the leverage battle. It's hard to judge a 6.6 guy in High School on that, and most of his wins, as is to be expected, were won laterally. However, to such extent as victory required that he maintain a relatively low center of gravity and keep pumping his legs, he did so.

~ It'll be interesting to see if his weight remains in the mid 200's, or if he puts on another 50 pounds or so of beef, over the next 3 to 4 years. Obviously, this will determine if his professional potential moves towards "434" End or "344" Flanker, on the one hand, or "344" End, on the other, should he accumulate the beef.

~ This young man displayed repeatedly astonishing instincts for the FootBall!!

patsfaninpa · 08-04-2011, 07:01 PM

South Carolina is going to be a fun team to watch over the next couple of years. And, an important one to follow for draftniks. Clowney is a ways away since he's just a freshman. They also have the best sophomore in the country in Marcus Lattimore - RB. Great combo of power and speed. Now, for the upcoming draft. They have Alshon Jeffrey - Jr. Super-sized wr. Made a ridiculous catch against Bama last year in the Game****s upset of the Tide. Stephen Gilmore - Jr. CB. Will probably be a 1st round pick too. Devin Taylor - Long, lanky de they call the predator. Taylor is also a junior but could come out and be picked in the top 2 rounds. Travian Robertson DT a senior. Phil Steele has him 2nd team all Sec. TJ Johnson 2nd team ALL SEC Center. Koppen ain't getting any younger. He's a junior.

***reflexblue*** · 08-04-2011, 07:06 PM

With a name like Clowney he better be good.

And forget it BB will Never draft him.

Snake Eyes · 08-04-2011, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reflexblue

With a name like Clowney he better be good.

And forget it BB will Never draft him.

"Krusty" would make a fine nickname.

Off The Grid · 08-04-2011, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsfaninpa

South Carolina is going to be a fun team to watch over the next couple of years.

And, an important one to follow for draftniks. Clowney is a ways away since he's just a freshman. They also have the best sophomore in the country in Marcus Lattimore - RB. Great combo of power and speed. Now, for the upcoming draft. They have Alshon Jeffrey - Jr. Super-sized wr. Made a ridiculous catch against Bama last year in the Game****s upset of the Tide. Stephen Gilmore - Jr. CB. Will probably be a 1st round pick too. Devin Taylor - Long, lanky de they call the predator. Taylor is also a junior but could come out and be picked in the top 2 rounds. Travian Robertson DT a senior. Phil Steele has him 2nd team all Sec. TJ Johnson 2nd team ALL SEC Center. Koppen ain't getting any younger. He's a junior.

Yeah!! I really dig that team ~ and the East Carolina team, as well...

But I wish to CHRIST that they'd jettison that @#$%ing nickname!!

patsfaninpa · 08-04-2011, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Off The Grid

Yeah!! I really dig that team ~ and the East Carolina team, as well...

But I wish to CHRIST that they'd jettison that @#$%ing nickname!!

Yeah, what the heck is a game****?

***sbpatfan*** · 08-04-2011, 10:41 PM

That's all great, but how big is love for football?

BillBelichickFan79 · 08-05-2011, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Off The Grid

Great find, man!!

I haven't yet reached the Persistent Obsession level, yet, where I'm trolling the High Schools for Potential Patriots...but it's probably the next major stage...

~ It seemed like he was using the Swim Move on virtually every highlight, but, hey: If that's all you need at that level, then why not? It might be akin to a young FireBaller's diet consisting predominantly of FastBalls, before reaching the College level.

~ As I continue to develop in my embryonic stage of Scouting, I find myself focusing, increasingly, on Gravitational Integrity: How consistent the Grizzlies are at coiling up, launching low, cranking the wheels, and winning the leverage battle. It's hard to judge a 6.6 guy in High School on that, and most of his wins, as is to be expected, were won laterally. However, to such extent as victory required that he maintain a relatively low center of gravity and keep pumping his legs, he did so.

~ It'll be interesting to see if his weight remains in the mid 200's, or if he puts on another 50 pounds or so of beef, over the next 3 to 4 years. Obviously, this will determine if his professional potential moves towards "434" End or "344" Flanker, on the one hand, or "344" End, on the other, should he accumulate the beef.

~ This young man displayed repeatedly astonishing instincts for the FootBall!!

Thanks!

Agree with your assessment. Plays pretty low for a 6'6" guy and is lightning quick off the line. He seemed to also have a great feel for the snap count throughout the video, which plays into the impressive instincts he has.

He's undoubtedly going to have to develop some more pass rush moves and learn the techniques/intricacies of defensive schemes as he continues to develop. He's not going to be able to just beat guys on pure athleticism and strength in the NFL. Maybe he can get away with it at times in college, but the NFL is a whole different animal. I love that he's going to be playing in the SEC so he will be facing tough competition on a weekly basis.

I was kind of hoping he chose Alabama over South Carolina so he could be coached Nick Saban, who is the best coach in the NCAA in my opinion. But regardless, the raw talent that this kid has is immense. Looking forward to watching him develop over the next 3 years. It will be interesting to see where he is 3 years from now.

Personally, I want to see him play 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB in the NFL. I feel if you take him and make him a 2-gapping 5-technique, you are wasting some of that elite playmaking skill set. No doubt, Richard Seymour was extremely important to this defense and excellent 5-techs are very hard to find, but from the perspective of pure entertainment as a fan, watching this guy wreak havoc as a 4-3 DE would be so entertaining/fun to watch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsfaninpa

South Carolina is going to be a fun team to watch over the next couple of years. And, an important one to follow for draftniks. Clowney is a ways away since he's just a freshman. They also have the best sophomore in the country in Marcus Lattimore - RB. Great combo of power and speed. Now, for the upcoming draft. They have Alshon Jeffrey - Jr. Super-sized wr. Made a ridiculous catch against Bama last year in the Game****s upset of the Tide. Stephen Gilmore - Jr. CB. Will probably be a 1st round pick too. Devin Taylor - Long, lanky de they call the predator. Taylor is also a junior but could come out and be picked in the top 2 rounds. Travian Robertson DT a senior. Phil Steele has him 2nd team all Sec. TJ Johnson 2nd team ALL SEC Center. Koppen ain't getting any younger. He's a junior.

Yep, definitely a team with some high profile guys to watch for the draft. Love the way Lattimore plays.

Jefferson is an absolute animal physically and I'm interested to watch more of him this year. I don't know if I've ever seen such a tall/built WR in college. He's 6'5 and already around 230 pounds in college. He's a WR in a TE's body -- he almost looks like Antonio Gates to me sometimes with how thick/built and athletic he is.

The one thing you always have questions about with bigger WR's is if they can plant and cut well enough to be good route runners. That's the one question I had about Jeffery last year. At that size and with that build, how well can he sink his hips, plant, and cut? Will he be able to create separation with his route running? AJ Green was a guy that could do that, although he was more built like Moss. I think Jeffery will struggle more than Green did in that aspect, but I still think he's better than you'd expect a 6'5 kid to be at running routes. He's never going to be a route running technician like Deion Branch.

But I guess when you're that big and that fast and that freakish physically, all the QB has to do is throw the ball in your vicinity and you should be able to come up with the ball. South Carolina uses him on a lot of screens as well, and while he's not the most elusive guy, he's a bulldozer who can run people over and carry a pile.

He kind of reminds me of a Vincent Jackson when I watch him play. Built like a TE but can run and catch like a WR. He's just an absolute matchup nightmare for corners with his length, speed, strength, and willingness to go over the middle. I love the physicality that Jeffery plays with -- it's impressive.

I'd love to see him in a Pats uniform one day. Even though this offense is more predicated on elite route runners and guys like Derrick Mason, Greg Jennings, or Chad Ochocinco are probably better "system fits," I'd love to see Tom Brady have another Randy Moss-type of player that is more versatile than Moss was -- willing to go over the middle, better route runner, more complete skillset, more physical, but still a guy that is a downfield threat, jump ball guy down the sidelines, huge target in red zone for jump balls on fades.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbpatfan

That's all great, but how big is love for football?

I think some of this "does he love football" is over-played at times. I know BB said it's one of the most important things when evaluating guys, but when you get a chance to add a talent like this, you do it regardless of how much he loves football. I still think pure talent is more important than "loving the game." Now, any NFL has to work hard and not be lazy and be very dedicated, but they all don't have to play the game because they love it.

Some guys play the game because they truly love it. Some guys play the game because they are good it and/or want to make money. To me, it really doesn't matter, as long as the guy is motivated and puts in the work. A guy like Haynesworth doesn't seem like he truly loves the game, but rather plays it because he's great at it. I'll still take him on me team any day of the week because he's an elite player.

I think sometimes people get too caught up in "does he love the game enough." Not everyone plays for the same reason. And when you get caught up in intangibles and how much a guy loves the game, you sometimes make mistakes by focusing too much on the drive/determination rather than the skillset/talent. I think Tim Tebow is an example of that. Few guys love the game more or want it more than Tebow, but he simply doesn't have the skillset to be an elite QB. I'll take a QB who loves the game less but has far greater arm strength, better accuracy and better decision making.

That was one of the knocks on Nick Fairley coming out of Auburn -- does he love the game, is he a bit lazy and just plays because he's good? But I'd still take him. He's too big of a talent to pass up because he may not love the game as much as others.

Snake Eyes · 08-05-2011, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillBelichickFan79

I think some of this "does he love football" is over-played at times. I know BB said it's one of the most important things when evaluating guys, but when you get a chance to add a talent like this, you do it regardless of how much he loves football. I still think pure talent is more important than "loving the game." Now, any NFL has to work hard and not be lazy and be very dedicated, but they all don't have to play the game because they love it.

Some guys play the game because they truly love it. Some guys play the game because they are good it and/or want to make money. To me, it really doesn't matter, as long as the guy is motivated and puts in the work. A guy like Haynesworth doesn't seem like he truly loves the game, but rather plays it because he's great at it. I'll still take him on me team any day of the week because he's an elite player.

I think sometimes people get too caught up in "does he love the game enough." Not everyone plays for the same reason. And when you get caught up in intangibles and how much a guy loves the game, you sometimes make mistakes by focusing too much on the drive/determination rather than the skillset/talent. I think Tim Tebow is an example of that. Few guys love the game more or want it more than Tebow, but he simply doesn't have the skillset to be an elite QB. I'll take a QB who loves the game less but has far greater arm strength, better accuracy and better decision making.

Regarding Tebow, that's a whole different discussion but I think the "love for football" is looked at as a means of trying to project their dedication at the next level. College simply doesn't prepare most players for the NFL, a stud in college can suddenly find himself struggling just to make the practice squad in the NFL, it's simply a different game with players that are on another level.

That said, will the guy be willing to basically make football his life? The NFL isn't a 9-5 job, and the guys who truely rise to the elite level have incredible work ethic and dedication. A little while back Michael Strahan said that "the most talented football players he'd ever seen never became elite players", they had incredible talent but simply didnt have the desire to take on the additional work and frustration of becoming truely elite.