Gamecocks in the NFL Draft: Jadeveon Clowney #1 by Houston Texans a done deal?
By Sydney Hunte
Feb 24, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney jumps the long jump during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Credit to our parent site, FanSided.com, for picking this up, but there’s a chance that former South Carolina Gamecocks DE Jadeveon Clowney is 100% going to be the number one pick. That is, if a recent tweet from Matt Miller of Bleacher Report is true:
People I've talked to around the league believe Clowney is not working out because he's been told he'll be the No. 1 pick.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 14, 2014
Of course, it’s not unprecedented that a player ink a contract before the draft actually begins, making the announcement a mere formality. The Houston Texans did it in 2006 when it was thought that Reggie Bush was the top pick, but we all know the rest of that story. It’s thought, as Fansided’s Josh Sanchez says, that it is “very possible that he and his agent could begin negotiations with the Texans during his visit”.
Whether or not the Texans ink Clowney prior to the draft, he’s going to be a very, very rich young man in a very short amount of time.
We’ll keep an eye on the story and let you know if anything else comes of it, but for now, it appears that Jadeveon Clowney will be a Houston Texan come May 8, three weeks from Thursday.