The Texans of Houston did what they had to do during the draft of the 2014 NFL. They took the physical monster of nature that is Jadeveon Clowney. While Clowney was a solid player, he was not exactly one of the best rushers in the history of the NFL.
With hindsight, the Texans could have completely reshaped their fortune by not only taking the best player in this draft class with the overall choice n ° 1, but undoubtedly the greatest defensive player in the modern history of the NFL, Aaron Donald.
Professional football focus Compiled the notes of the NFL 2014 draft class and redistributed the first -round selections according to their career notes. Naturally, the Texans were endowed with Donald, who posted a PFF grade of 97.1 in career during his 10 -year career in Los Angeles.
Of course, circumstances play a huge factor in the NFL career of each player. It is not known if Donald would have reached the same heights outside Los Angeles, although it is certainly likely that he would have succeeded whatever happens. Associating him with JJ Watt on this defensive line would have been terrifying for the rest of the NFL, and probably allowed the two legends to be even more dominant.
Clowney was fine, but he never overshadowed 10 bags in a single season, and raised 29 of his six seasons in Houston. This exercise pushed him to a global choice n ° 15, where he landed with the Pittsburgh steelers, who actually selected Ryan Shazier with this choice.
On the other hand, Donald hung his 30th bag at the start of his fourth season. He ended his career with 111 bags, an absurd total for an interior defensive line player. Only John Randle and Alan Page had more inside. While Watt is listed as defensive, he has generally precipitated the interior and has ended his career with 114.5 bags in 12 seasons.
The thought of Watt and Donald, candidates 1-A and A-1 for the best defensive line player in modern NFL history, playing on the same defensive line seems downright unfair. The two players equaled Lawrence Taylor’s reference with three defensive player prizes for the year of the NFL and are locks as a temple of renown of the first ball once they are eligible.
It can be a situation of couda-couda-woulda behind. After all, no one necessarily expected Clowney to be an average pass of pass from the NFL. But it is undeniable that Houston would have been the smartest team in the room if he had taken Donald at n ° 1 in total instead. They would have obtained an instant backlash, of course, but it would not have taken the NFL for a long time to concede that the Texans saw what was in reserve for Donald.
Nevertheless, in the real world, texans’ fans must feel satisfied with A Temple of fame on this defensive line. What disappointment, right?
