As the #1 recruit coming out of the University of South Carolina in 2014, Jadeveon Clowney had the weight of expectations and quite a bit of hype to live up to when the Houston Texans drafted him. Though things didn’t pan out as many had hoped due to setbacks of injury, this past year proved he was worth the wait. Clowney stepped up in a major way this past season with 52 tackles, six sacks, and a forced fumble. Clowney’s contributions made the absence of J.J. Watt bearable. It looks like his peers took notice because Clowney made the list of the Top 100 NFL Players of 2017. Clowney came in at #49. As a competitor by nature, Clowney saw that as motivation and is not satisfied with #49. He said on Twitter, “Need to keep moving up this list! #NFLTop100”
