Houston Texans: 5 players with stock on the rise
By Randy Gurzi
2. Jadeveon Clowney, DE/OLB
NFL offenses need to be worried. The light looks like it’s come on for 2014 first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney this year, and that’s a scary thing for teams facing the Texans.
As mentioned in the last slide, Clowney has moved from his outside linebacker spot to starting at defensive end opposite J.J. Watt. The move has been great as Clowney is now able to do what he does best, focus on getting into the offensive backfield.
In Week one he recorded three tackles and a sack. This Sunday the stat sheets don’t show how effective he was. Clowney recorded just three more tackles, but his presence is finally taking pressure off the players around him.
He started this game by getting a hand on one of Smith’s passes and then spent the rest of the day taking on several blockers at once. The Chiefs were very aware of his presence and tried to keep him away from their runners as well as Clowney may be the best run stuffer on this team. As the video below shows, this was often done in vain.
You literally can not run any play that involves trap blocking Jadeveon Clowney. https://t.co/lE5lojplru
— Coach Middlescreen (@bdbsport) September 18, 2016
Clowney doesn’t get enough credit for how hard he plays against the run. People also don’t realize how much he helps the defense when he gets triple teamed by offensive lineman and tight ends at the line of scrimmage.