Jadeveon Clowney -- WOW

[BillBelichickFan79]

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]

Great find, man!! :rocker:

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]

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]

With a name like Clowney he better be good. :singing: And forget it BB will Never draft him.

 

[Snake Eyes]

With a name like Clowney he better be good. :singing: And forget it BB will Never draft him.

"Krusty" would make a fine nickname.

 

[Off The Grid]

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]

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]

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

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

Great find, man!! :rocker:

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.

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.

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]

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.

 

[s3antana5757]

Have really become a huge USouth Carolina since Lattimore went there. LOVE that kid. Clowney might struggle a little bit this year because he's going to be playing DE at 245 pounds. Really good team, they're my sleeper for the national title.

 

[AzPatsFan]

If he is a Top Five or even a Top Ten, why are you wasting time, with him? He will be long gone before the Pats draft.

 

[Husse]

If he is a Top Five or even a Top Ten, why are you wasting time, with him? He will be long gone before the Pats draft.

Hey, never underestimate BB's futere draft-pick trading, it might just land us in the top 10 all of a sudden.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

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.

I don't doubt that guys have to have an a great worth ethic and a tremendous amount of dedication, but I do believe some of this "he has to truly love the game" is a bit overplayed. Obviously, you'd prefer to have a guy that plays the game because he loves it. But that's just not realistic. Some guys play because they're good, some guys play because they like the fame, some guys play because they like making a lot of money.

Guys like Julius Peppers, Albert Haynesworth, Randy Moss don't seem like they play the game because they love it, but rather because they're good at it. Would you pass on these talents because of that?

Regardless, I saw a feature on TV of Clowney, which is how I heard about him, and he was talking about how he loved the game ever since he was a little kid and how he used to play RB but outgrew the position and was upset but eventually took a liking to DE. Guess we will see how much he loves the game in years to come.

If he is a Top Five or even a Top Ten, why are you wasting time, with him? He will be long gone before the Pats draft.

Maybe with the new rookie wage scale BB will be more willing to trade up? Hope so.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Guys like Julius Peppers, Albert Haynesworth, Randy Moss don't seem like they play the game because they love it, but rather because they're good at it. Would you pass on these talents because of that?

All of these guys have been known for taking plays off and being lazy, which I think is due to not really loving the game. I wouldnt necessarily pass on them because of it but I would certainly consider that when assessing their value relative to other players.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

All of these guys have been known for taking plays off and being lazy, which I think is due to not really loving the game. I wouldnt necessarily pass on them because of it but I would certainly consider that when assessing their value relative to other players.

I agree with that. You factor it into your assessment, but it's not a determining factor for me. Julius Peppers takes some plays off and may not love the game, but he's still an elite talent and I'd take him any day. His talent trumps his moments of laziness for me.

Regardless, if you watch Clowney, he doesn't seem to be like that type of guy, which is why I love him even more. He's flying around the field in his high school tape. Not only is he a freak athletically and physically, but he's all over the place, never giving up on plays, and chasing WR's down from 40 yards behind. There was also a report that Spurrier had to tell Clowney to tone it down in practice this past week because the guy was getting after it so hard and destroying people.

You combine that raw talent, freakish frame, and that type of drive/motor, and you've got an absolutely perfect player. The interesting thing to evaluate will be how he responds to adversity. He's always walked onto the field in high school and been the most talented/most blessed athlete. He's never really gone up against anyone that he can't beat. College will be a step up from that. The NFL is many steps up from that.

Will he continue to get after it recklessly and give it his all when college teams are double teaming him, chipping him, chop blocking him? Guess we will have to wait and see.

 

[IllegalContact]

He'll be a JAG by the time he gets to the NFL

 

[sbpatfan]

He's an 18 year old kid, relax.

 

[Off The Grid]

He's an 18 year old kid, relax.

I'll never fathom the thinking of people who take time out of their day...to make a snide-@$$ remark directed at people talking about an interesting FootBall subject.

...Nor do I ever wish to fathom such people.

Clearly, you've got your hands full monitoring your self.

So perhaps your snide advice would be better directed thither?

I guess you need somebody to explain to you that a DRAFT talk SubForum is about PROSPECTS.

Hope that helped you with your problem.

 

[Off The Grid]

Looks like your kid is catching fire ALREADY, Bro!! :rocker:

Jadeveon Clowney is making an instant impact at South Carolina | National Football Post

***

As for those who're sure we could never land this kid, if he shows up in the Top 10 in 2014 or 2015...

Jerod Mayo, baby. We traded BACK from #7 to get'm.

***

Also: The Raiders' Pick could EASILY have been Top 10...

And Coach Bill The Mad has only just BEGUN his recent Rampage!! :rocker: