The first pick of the 2014 NFL Draft has signed. Jadeveon Clowney, a linebacker from South Carolina, signed a rookie contract with the Houston Texans Friday. The deal is worth $22.272 million guaranteed and will give Clowney a $14.518 million signing bonus. Clowney will debut in the NFL later this year.
Clowney, who was the number one pick of the 2014 Draft, started playing college football in 2011, when he played all 12 games for South Carolina. He became the first freshmen to start on the defensive line since Travian Robertson in 2007. He finished the year with 36 tackles, 8.0 sacks, and 5 forced fumbles. In the 2012 season, Clowney emerged as the best defensive player in college football, recording 13.0 sacks, 23.5 tackles for a loss (both school records), 54 tackles (40 solo), and 3 forced fumbles. In his last season of college ball, he had a slow start. He was plagued by injuries early and wasn’t all that productive. He recorded 35 tackles in his junior year and received an All-America Team selection.
Clowney is without a doubt the best defensive player to come out of the NFL Draft in recent memory. He has a lot of talent and knows what he’s doing on the field. The injuries may be an issue still but he was still a defensive monster while hurt. A few years ago the Texans were in the playoffs, last season, however, they had the worst record in the NFL. Clowney joins another monster defensive player in J.J Watt. Watt and Clowney could be the biggest defensive threat in the entire NFL someday.
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