The Houston Texans had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. To inaugurate the Bill O’Brien era, Houston selected edge defender Jadeveon Clowney from South Carolina.
For a No. 1 overall pick, Clowney has not lived up to his draft billing, especially when Khalil Mack was taken No. 5 overall and Aaron Donald at No. 13 overall. Both players have earned at least one NFL Defensive Player of the Year with Donald actually on pace to be a first-ball Hall-of-Famer.
Clowney produced three Pro Bowl selections, but also completed the 2021 campaign on his fourth different team. Stability has not been one of his mainstays.
Although Daniel Jeremiah did not mention Clowney by name in his Feb. 25 conference call with reporters, the NFL Network draft analyst did list some of the same vulnerabilities about Kayvon Thibodeaux that plagued Clowney.
Jeremiah was asked to compare Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Thibodeaux, and familiar red flags unfurled:
“Hutchinson has more ways to…