In the rare moments in which the NFL talking heads temporarily ran out of things to say about Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, the two other biggest talkers of this seemingly never-ending draft season have been a pair of defensive ends — and for very different reasons.
Jadeveon Clowney has been in the national spotlight ever since he set foot on South Carolina's campus as the nation's top recruit, and it shone brighter this season as both professional analysts and amateur armchair quarterbacks alike looked for flaws in his game and in his personality.
Clowney had just three sacks this season as offenses often double-teamed him and frightened quarterbacks fled from him as if he were on fire. But despite those underwhelming numbers, the ones he put up running around in spandex at the scouting combine are proof of his potential.
"[He is] a generational physical talent, a guy who has exceptional physical skills and the ability to bring immediate impact and create consistent matchup problems," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. recently wrote.
The other pass rusher making headlines was Missouri's Michael Sam, though it was not because he was named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year after recording 11.5 sacks. Sam announced in February that he is gay, leading to speculation that it could affect his draft stock.
"I really do believe his stock will be built mostly around what he can become as a football player," Kiper wrote in February.
While one is expected to be a top-three pick and the other is projected to be a Day 3 selection, where Clowney and Sam land surely will be major story lines during the draft.
THE FRONT-RUNNER
Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
While there is minor debate about whether he fits best as a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 outside linebacker, most argue that Clowney has the potential to be a very good NFL player (the others are probably just arguing for the sake of arguing). Clowney will be long gone before the Vikings pick at No. 8.
