Jadeveon Clowney NFL Combine: Runs Sweltering 40-Yard Dash, Leaves Some Doubt Among NFL Personnel
ByJadeveon Clowney may actually have been in a no-win situation at the NFL Scouting Combine and now has some league personnel scratching their heads.
According to ESPN, NFL GMs found puzzling the former South Carolina defensive end's decision not to perform position specific and cone drills. Clowney was also expected to perform better in the bench press as well.
CLICK HERE to watch Jadeveon Clowney's official 40-yard dash.
Still, Clowney made NFL GMs and scouts salivate when he ran the 40-yeard dash in 4.53 seconds and further displayed his athletic skills in the vertical jump and broad jump. His unofficial 40 times of 4.47 and 4.48 would have made him the sixth fastest running back. Clowney was faster than a majority of the draft's quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.
Some unnamed GMs told ESPN they would have liked to see Clowney put his athletic ability on full display by participating in all of the skill drills. They also said his history of work ethic questions, as he was called out by South Carolina Steve Spurrier this season, did not help Clowney's decision to skip some of the drills.
Still, Clowney will have his team's workout day and whatever private sessions he wants to host to showcase his skill.
The good news for Clowney's potential suitors is he weighed in at 266 pounds, down from about 274-277 during the season. While he could just as well put the weight back on for South Carolina's pro day, his 83-inch arm span and six-foot-five frame are more than ideal for a pass rusher in today's NFL.
Clowney said the reason he did not do the cone or position drills was due to a hip flexor issue, which did not seem to raise much concern, given he performed everything else extremely well.
Two NFL personnel members told ESPN they were not surprised to see Clowney skip certain drills. Similarly, top prospect QBs more often than not decline to pass during the combine. Clowney, a blazing fast straight-line runner, has shown weakness in changing directions.
While some may still hold onto doubt in the backs of their minds as to Clowney's work ethic, he may want to only play to his strengths during pre-draft workouts. He gave NFL scouts three seasons worth of game tape including one highlight that ruled the SportsCenter top 10 for months (below).
Clowney said at the combine he wants to be the first overall pick. If it is the Texans who take him, opposing offensive coordinators will be kept up at night thinking of how to stop both him and JJ Watt.