The Film Room: The Evolution Of Jadeveon Clowney

Jadeveon Clowney has traveled one of the longest, hardest roads to success of any Texan in recent memory. When he was selected first overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, he was expected to immediately be a dominant force in the NFL, ushering in a new era of pain for quarterbacks alongside J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. Sure, he was raw and had zero idea how to pass rush with any sort of refined technique, but this was still Jadeveon Clowney! Certainly he would just out-athlete everyone for sacks anyway, right? How hard could it really be?

Then the abdominal hernia happened, and it required surgery.

And then he got a concussion.

And then he tore his meniscus, which required more surgery.

And then the doctors found even more damage in his knee, which required the dreaded microfracture surgery, ending his rookie season.

And then he hurt is back.

And his elbow.

And his wrist.

And then tweaked his knee again.

After three years of seemingly constant, nagging injuries, Clowney finally got back on the field and stayed on the field for a full season for the first time in 2017. The results were simply remarkable. This week’s “Film Room” episode is all about the evolution of Clowney during that time period and how the player we see today is far, far away from the player who arrived in Houston four years ago.

Enjoy the show. While you’re at it sound off in the comments and let us know how you would handle Clowney’s looming contract extension. Is he worth being the highest-paid pass rusher in the league, or is his injury history too big of a concern for you?