Houston Texans

Jadeveon Clowney dispelling myth that he is a draft bust

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:27 p.m. ET

Fansided, Sayre Bedinger/FanSided via NFL Mocks

Jadeveon Clowney was the top overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, and it’s taken awhile, but he’s become the high impact defender we all hoped…

Patience is not the easiest virtue to possess when it comes to the NFL, and especially with top NFL Draft picks. Ever since Jadeveon Clowney’s famous hit against the Michigan Wolverines, the demand for consistency of that kind of play has been outrageous. Unfortunately for Clowney, it’s been anything but smooth sailing since that time.

After struggling a bit in his final season at South Carolina, Clowney blew scouts and analysts away with his performance at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine. Clowney was the top overall pick in the draft of the Houston Texans, who saw an opportunity to add the best defensive player in the country to a defense that already featured MVP J.J. Watt and another rising star rusher in Whitney Mercilus.

With Clowney, Watt, and Mercilus, there was nothing that could hold the Texans’ front seven back, right? Well, it wasn’t really that simple…

Houston’s stellar trio of defenders has struggled to stay healthy, primarily in the case of Clowney and J.J. Watt. Clowney — still — has not played a full 16-game season, and hasn’t played a ton of ‘healthy’ football with J.J. Watt also in the lineup.

It’s been unfortunate for Houston Texans fans, even more so for Clowney who was being called a bust by some people (not smart people, and we’ll refrain from calling them any names…).

In 2016, Clowney has had his best season yet as a professional, finally showing off what he is capable of doing. There’s no denying his athletic ability and imposing size. Just look at this young man next to some Hall of Fame caliber NFL players:

Yes, Jadeveon Clowney is tall pic.twitter.com/IAC7YMTItV

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) January 8, 2017

In a loss against the New England Patriots, Clowney hit Tom Brady harder than anyone has in a long time. This one hurts just watching…

https://t.co/qaF5BK5Jdo

— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) January 15, 2017

Clowney’s numbers this year weren’t anything outrageous. He finished the season with six sacks and a total of 52 tackles, but it’s clear that this guy is on the fast track to stardom again. He’s healthy, and he’s hungry to prove doubters wrong. Entering his fourth NFL season already next year, we can’t wait to see what kind of impact Clowney is capable of making with J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus also on the field.