South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney wants no part of individual workouts, saying he is done with on-field drills until after the NFL Draft on May 8, according to Peter King.
Clowney made this decision after seeing Clemson's Brandon Thomas tear his ACL while working out. The superstar defensive end is still projected to be a top pick, perhaps even the first pick, and Clowney says he will still interview and visit with teams.
At the NFL Combine, Clowney only took part in selected drills, refusing to do the complete workout. For any position other than quarterback, that is extremely rare. At his pro day in South Carolina, Clowney put on a clinic, showcasing his athleticism with a variety of drills.
King writes that of two general managers he spoke to, they were split on whether the ban on individual workouts mattered.
"I’d want the guy who’s going to be coaching him to put him through some of our drills, and see how he responds."
Former NFL player and current SB Nation analyst Stephen White discusses why he believes Clowney is on the verge of being something special at the next level.
This kid is friggin' amazing in space. I'm not sure a left tackle or tight end successfully blocked him a single time in space in any of the games that I watched. He jumps inside so quickly that the opposing player just doesn't have enough time to react. When he chooses to stay outside against a block in space, he just about always holds the edge and quite a few times ends up making the tackle for a loss.
For his college career, Clowney finished with 24 sacks and was a consensus All-American in 2012, while finishing sixth in the Heisman voting that season.