Atlanta Falcons visit Jadeveon Clowney, considering trade up to #1?

Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff is mulling trading up to #1 to grab Jadeveon Clowney in the NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Ever hear of force plate training?

That’s what Jadeveon Clowney was subjected to today when the Atlanta Falcons paid a visit to the South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end in the Palmetto State–to undergo “not really a workout” as the countdown to the draft is now under two weeks.

So what is a force plate? Allow NFL.com to explain:

A player moves around on (a) piece of equipment, which takes all sorts of measurements that are fed into a software program. Presumably, the software enabled the Falcons to look at Clowney’s range of motion, how well he moved and how stable he was during that movement.

According to NFL Media reporter Albert Breer, Clowney scored a 71 out of 80 on his speed of movement test, which is comparable to the Falcons’ Devin Hester. Breer also reported that Clowney’s strength was “at average” for an NFL offensive lineman.

Not bad.

And the Falcons’ focus on Clowney seems to have ignited the rumor mill that Atlanta is considering a trade up to #1 as they feel that it’s the only way to grab him.

The Falcons rumor is picking up steam, but we have a feeling that the pre-draft speculation will continue all they way up to May 8. So what do you think? Does Clowney go to the Falcons at #1? Does he go to the Texans at #1? Does he go elsewhere outside of the top pick?