Adrian Clayborn, Iowa

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

I assume you're talking about Aldon Smith - he runs closer to 260 - which is decent for ROLB. He's no elephant, but those true elephant LOLB's are pretty hard to come by.

It's interesting how these weights and heights are all over the place.

Who knows.

Any idea how much weight Smith could be expected to carry?

 

[midwestpatsfan]

Okay,
I have to get in on this conversation because what I am reading is just crazy talk! I lived in Iowa City for the last 3 years and have seen all their games as well.
1. There are few players that hurt themselves more by not going to the Senior Bowl than Claiborn. Not only did he really struggle all year questions have risen about his dedication to the game. Watching him this year was shockingly bad. If you watched the games you saw a guy who lacked burst on his first step and became non existent in games. Most will say 'yeah, but he was double teamed." Think again, in fact, once they got to conference play he was one on one probably 85% of games. He has played himself to a low 1st/early 2nd grade right now. He could have great workouts and combine and move back up, but I think the damage is done and he will fall.

2. He has never and will never play on his feet as on OLB. His height and weight(if he lost 20 lbs) might suggest the linebacker type the patriots look for, but if you look at him, he is built like a lineman, more specifically, a 4-3 lineman. Different guys hold weight differently, his is in his middle front and back, big tree trunk legs, not a guy who is going to stand up and drop into coverage.

3. If you are looking for an Iowa guy for the patriots scheme, look at Ballard. If he plays with the tenacity that he did during the senior bowl he could play the 5 tech perfectly. The problem is he lacks some instinct and does not always give 100% all the time.

 

[Sciz]

It's interesting how these weights and heights are all over the place.

Who knows.

Any idea how much weight Smith could be expected to carry?

If Smith truly played at 260, then I see no reason he can't handle another 10 pounds and I see no reason to have him over 270.

 

[patsboy44]

not a fan of Clayborn. Watched him through college. The work ethic is lacking and he has character issues from what I heard.

 

[NePatriots]

not a fan of Clayborn. Watched him through college. The work ethic is lacking and he has character issues from what I heard.

He is a great character guy. The one incident you must be referring to is when his cabdriver called him something that starts with a "N" and a scuffle ensued. Shonn Greene had to hold him back and the team never disciplined him.

 

[Sciz]

NFL Forum :: - Adrian Clayborn: What Happened?

I'm confused about which games some of you guys were watching.

As an Iowa season ticket holder and somebody who records and watches the games at least two more times throughout the week, Clayborn WAS double (and sometimes triple) teamed more than anybody in the Big Ten. Now, it wasn't "every play" but it certainly happened a lot. Like others have said, Clayborn is partially responsible for the improved play of Daniels and Klug. IMO, Clayborn should be drafted in the 15-25 range.

Last I heard, he said he was up to 297, so unless he cuts weight before the combine he will likely weigh in pretty heavy. Great size for a five-tech, although, like others have said, he got abused in the run game pretty badly this year compared to his play in the past.

Also, I'm not allowed to give details on injuries (or else I could lose my job), but Clayborn was not 100% healthy this year. He was actually playing through a knee injury that would have sidelined most players. His lack of initial burst when passrushing was obvious this year and largely due to his lack of health.

I realize most of you won't believe me and that is fine with me. I'm not here to "pimp" my connection to the team.

Interesting post I found. He still doesn't fit the scheme, but if that knee injury stuff is true, there's a good chance of him going about #17 and therefore making somebody available that would not have been.

 

[Criptonite]

He is a great character guy. The one incident you must be referring to is when his cabdriver called him something that starts with a "N" and a scuffle ensued. Shonn Greene had to hold him back and the team never disciplined him.

The team may not have disciplined him, but he did have to go to court where he plead guilty to disorderly conduct in order to avoid a trial on the assault charge. What reportedly happened is the cabbie was behind Clayborn and beeped at him. Clayborn got pissed, got out of the car and attacked the cabbie, punching him in the face as he sat in his car. Clayborn had to be physically pulled away by his friends. Clayborn said he was called the n-word, but regardless, this is a big red flag. Clayborn initiated the incident and put himself in a bad situation. It's not something teams will gloss over and excuse because he may have been called a bad word. And as we evaluate the draft prospects, that incident needs to be taken into consideration.