NFL Draft: 30 worst No. 1 overall picks in league history

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 12: Jadeveon Clowney #99 of the Tennessee Titans talks with teammates during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium on November 12, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Colts defeated the Titans 34-17. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

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Jadeveon Clowney (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

30 worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL Draft history: 11. DE, Jadeveon Clowney

Stats:

32 sacks
186 tackles

The accolades are somewhat misleading. From the outside looking in, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney appears to be a very good player. No one is disputing that. The problem is, Clowney was expected to be great.

At this point, we all remember it. A random Saturday morning play while Clowney starred at South Carolina. Everything looked pretty normal. Clowney took his normal position, placed his hand in the dirt and fired off when the ball snapped. A helpless running back was fed the ball and Clowney immediately knocked him into next week. The opposing player’s helmet went flying and it became a viral moment.

For as great as that play was, it’s also become a detriment to the career of Clowney as many have expected him to do the same at the next level. Yet, he hasn’t. Clowney’s tackle total hasn’t been impressive, failing to total more than 59 in a given season. His sack numbers are even more pathetic, never posting more than 9.5 during any year. He is, however, a very good run stuffer but that doesn’t equate to what many believed he would be.

So yes, the accolades have buffered his overall outlook to a certain extent but compared to what we all believed we were going to see from the ridiculously talented defensive end, he’s been a massive disappointment.

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