OT- Clowney to enter NFL Draft

Very interesting to see if NFL teams take a gamble on him. Uber talented but people are saying he doesn't play with a high motor. That and the off the field issues might make his draft stock fall. 

In a shocking turn of events.....

I wonder how many opportunities he'll have to come unblocked and precipitate defenseless running backs in the NFL. Id guess zero. On Mike and Mike this morning they talked about how that play wasn't special. They brought up the fact that it was a missed assignment, he was totally untouched, and how ESPN's relentless replacing of it singlehandedly made him a preseason Weidman candidate.

Reportedly considering sitting out his first few years to avoid injury before that second contract. Could sit those next years to avoid injury leading to early retirement.

In other news, the sky is blue.

I honestly wouldn't want him. I'm a Bears fan, and even if he was on the board in the mid-teens when the Bears pick, I wouldn't want him. His conditioning was alarmingly poor, and he doesn't appear to be very strong. He relied heavily on being quick off the line. I'm sure he has potential as a pass rusher, but he looks like a guy you could target in the run game. He's just too risky in my opinion. The bust potential seems much higher than the alternative IMO.

Will he care about playing hard every down when he's getting paid (more) in the NFL?

Yes, I'm still bitter about that dumb hit from last year.

We do not need a thread that mentions random dudes entering the draft.

Rarely spoken about but Clowney was a big theater geek in high school. He was force out of his troop for taking too many plays off.

That dude - much ado about nothing. 

How can he leave before earning his Gamecock diploma?

I live in Columbia and he is the topic of many segments of the local sports talk radio and I am sick of hearing about this guy. First: local fans justify the way he has played this year and excused it quite bit. Their argument is that he should have been allowed to enter the Draft after last year. I have a problem with this. South Carolina barely lost to Tennessee this year and Clowney was largely ineffective. If he actually played hard that gave, South Carolina ends up with only 1 loss and they would have played auburn for the SEC Championship. And who knows what could have happened then. That just screams that he's a selfish player who isn't worried about what really happens with his team. Second: Clowney reminds me of Julius Peppers. None of us can deny that the physical tools are all there. Yes, his strength has been questioned. His conditioning is almost non-existent. Peppers had all the tools coming out of college too. His motor in the NFL has always been inconsistent. That is the longest post I have ever made on this blog. Sorry if the grammar is off. I was typing when I was spotted at the traffic lights.

Clowney's been loafing for a year now. Out of shape, poor work ethic, no motor, drama queen. And yet people think he will just 'flip the switch' when he goes to the NFL and is making $8 million a year. His fans will say he's been double or triple teamed every game, but is he the first player to ever be double or triple teamed?? Some sucker of a team like Oakland or Jacksonville will take him early, but he has BUST written all over him.

He actually went pro after the Vince smith hit, but had to pretend this year. The only thing that would surprise (shock) is if he stayed

I'm not saying Clowney is going to be an epic bust or anything like that, but I guarantee you he will never come close to playing like a projected top five pick should. Here's why:

1.) The SEC is a conference with a lot of NFL talent, but Clowney never really went up against any elite NFL style tackles. The closest was Michigan's Taylor Lewan, who completely shut him down in last year's Outback Bowl (Clowney's hit was caused by a miscommunication by an undrafted interior guard who was supposed to block him, but never attempted to)

2.) A major red flag comes in the huge drop in Clowney's numbers. It could be he just has problems with double teams, but it could also be more of an alarming sign that Clowney doesn't love the game of football, which is a major reason why players flop. I don't want to hear any of this crap about "he doesn't have any motivation." If you really love football, you'd try your hardest to hit the quarterback on every play.

3.) Another reason for the decreased numbers could be a result of not having Devin Taylor on the opposite side. Taylor actually played pretty well as a rookie this year for the Lions, and people forget that he was once a 7.5 sack guy in college. Perhaps he was drawing opposing coordinators attention, and once he left Clowney was able to be shutdown. Could be a good thing or bad thing.

 

 

Just based on potential and his physical prowess, clowney will go top five. However I would red flag him and would not draft him at any point because he is what is called a "me" guy. It's all about clowney and this past season was evidence of that. Clowney repeatedly took plays / series / and games off bc he allegedly did not want to get hurt like his former teammate Marcus lattimore. Clowney has had 2 bad speeding violations since the season ended and doesn't appear to have learned his lesson. Thank god for rookie wages bc IMO clowney is the kind of guy to hold out to maximize his contract before even playing a game. I think he will be very average in the nfl.