Jadeveon Clowney promises to make Houston ‘miserable’ if they pass him up
Clowney put on a show at South Carolina’s pro day Wednesday, than made a threat to the Texans that they should think very hard about.
Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
Jadeveon Clowney wants to be the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and he will take it personally if the Houston Texans select anyone else. After an impressive pro day workout Wednesday, Clowney told reporters "I have to make them miserable" when asked what he would do if the Texans' passed on the top defensive end prospect.
Clowney built off his impressive tape and stellar NFL Combine showing at Williams-Brice Stadium on Wednesday. An army of scouts and media turned out, and Clowney wowed once again, igniting talk that the defensive end -- perhaps the best physical specimen to enter the NFL Draft in several years -- should go No. 1 overall despite the Texans' surplus of talent in the defensive front seven and clear lack of a reliable starting quarterback.
Head coach Bill O’Brien wouldn’t tip his intentions for the No. 1 pick when prodded. After Clowney’s workout he gave curt answers, saying only that Clowney had “a good day” and that the Texans’ draft options are still “wide open.” Speaking with the Texans’ official site Tuesday, O’Brien called Clowney a “unique talent”:
“If we decide to draft this guy, we’re not just going to play him at one position,” O’Brien said. “We may start him off at one position but use him in a lot of different ways. He’s a unique talent but again, that’s if we draft him.”
Jadeveon Clowney
If the Texans pass on the defensive end, he likely won't last long on the draft board. Clowney has already scheduled a visit with the St. Louis Rams, who own the No. 2 overall pick. As with the Texans, the Rams don't need Clowney -- Chris Long and Robert Quinn form as good a defensive end duo as there is in the NFL. The question, again, is whether Clowney is simply too good to pass up. SB Nation's latest two-round mock draft had the Rams being greedy:
Even though the Rams already have Chris Long and Robert Quinn, there’s nothing wrong with drafting the best defensive end of at least the past five years. Teams can never have too many pass rushers, and Clowney would give St. Louis even more options on defense. Imagine a situation where the Rams have Clowney on the field at the same time as Long and Quinn. Scary.
The Jacksonville Jaguars sit at No. 3 overall if the Rams also balk. Though the Jags are also in desperate need of a quarterback, Clowney's workout coupled with his remark about the Texans could make him a tempting pick. After all, what better way to make good on your Texans-destroying vow than to play them twice a year in the AFC South?
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