Rest of draft has uncertain prospects, lack of standouts
Yes, as a Gamecocks fan, I am a little biased. But despite being influenced by seeing Jadeveon Clowney shred through opponents at Williams Brice over the past two years, and being in the stands in Tampa when he delivered the now infamous hit on Michigan’s Vincent Smith, I think he is the best choice for whatever team ultimately ends up with the top pick in May’s NFL Draft. The team currently fortunate enough to have the number one pick, the Houston Texans, undoubtedly needs a quarterback, however, it would be unwise for them to draft one in the first round.
The top quarterback prospects, Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater all come with question marks. Bortles definitely has impressive size, but only started for two seasons and struggled against strong defenses during that time. Manziel is certainly the most exciting and well known quarterback prospect, but his pocket passing skills could be better, and it’s unlikely he could run around in the NFL like he did in college, at least not without injuring himself in the process like Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Finally, Bridgewater has demonstrated maturity and leadership skills, but may not have the arm strength or ability to escape getting sacked necessary to be a star in the NFL. Plus, taking a quarterback so early is very risky, a lesson the San Diego Chargers learned all too painfully in 1998 when they drafted Ryan Leaf second overall. This isn’t to say that quarterbacks should never be drafted with the first couple of picks, but rather that they should be extraordinarily talented, like Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning. None of the quarterbacks in this years draft appear to be as talented as Luck or Manning.
While drafting a highly touted quarterback may come with more upside, it also comes with much more downside. A quarterback could help the other team by throwing frequent interceptions, like Brett Favre did at the end of his career, or Tony Romo has a tendency to do in the worst possible moments. Fumbles are another issue quarterbacks can struggle with, as Michael Vick has demonstrated recently with the Philadelphia Eagles. Both of these problems are non factors to other positions such as defensive end, a big reason why Clowney should be drafted first overall. Even if Clowney doesn’t live up to his enormous hype, whatever team that drafts him could still use him in a backup role, as linemen are constantly being injured, and defenses can look very different at the end of the season than they did at the beginning. Quarterbacks are injured less frequently, and even when they are, teams have to be more selective in who they choose to fill in.
With all of this in mind, the Houston Texans should choose Clowney with its first overall pick. He is more likely to have an immediate impact than any of the available quarterbacks, and quality quarterbacks such as Derek Carr could still be available when they Texans make their second round pick. He has also demonstrated far greater athletic ability and physical attributes than any other player, as evidenced by his 40-yard dash time and recent pro day workout. His addition to the defensive line in Houston would make the Texans one of the most dangerous defenses in the league as he would make a great pair with their other defensive end, two-time pro bowler J.J. Watt. Ultimately, regardless of what Texans coach Bill O’Brien decides to do with his first overall pick, Clowney will likely be taken in the top three, however, passing up on him would be a mistake.