Houston Texans positional breakdown: Outside linebacker

Former top overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney

In 2014, the Houston Texans opted to take South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and convert him to a pass rushing outside linebacker.

Vitals
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 266 Pounds
Age: 23
Career tackles: 47
Career sacks: 4.5

The move was met with a lot of questions as Clowney despised the 3-4 system (which is why he said no to Nick Saban and Alabama) and showed an extreme lack of consistency during his time in Columbia, South Carolina.

During his junior season, Clowney recorded just 39 tackles and three sacks while struggling to stay on the field. At times he seemed to give up on plays.

Still, the Texans decided his freakish athleticism was worth going for despite their desperate need for a quarterback. Clowney has repaid the team by playing in just 17-of-32 games in his first two seasons (and he missed their lone playoff game as well) while recording a mere 4.5 sacks, all of which came in 2015.

The injury bug followed Clowney to Houston and he finally showed some signs of life late last season after coming back from microfracture knee surgery.

His slow start means that 2016 could be a make-or-break season for the young pass rusher. If he can build upon the success he had late in the season maybe the Texans will finally feel justified in their selection. Should he still spend too much time on the sidelines, the team could be one step closer to labeling him a bust.

Unfortunately, there is more evidence that things won’t improve for Clowney and he may never live up to his lofty draft status.

2016 season prediction: 40 tackles, 5 sacks

Next: Rotational guy with some skill