Houston Texans: Top 30 players in franchise history

Jadeveon Clowney, along with David Carr and another guy on this list, is one of three first overall picks the franchise has had over the years. Clowney was lauded as a generational athletic freak that could change a franchise.

The Texans didn’t need him to change the defense, as it was already pretty good already. But, when you have the opportunity to add a talent like Clowney, you don’t pass it up. Unfortunately, Clowney wasn’t able to add much in his first professional season and was immediately slapped with the bust label.

However, since that first injury-plagued season, he has turned things around and morphed himself into one of the best edge defenders in the league. He hasn’t churned out elite pass rush numbers with only 29 sacks in five seasons, but his past two have been better with 9.5 and 9.0, respectively. Anyways, he has a lot of competition to get after the quarterback on this defense to begin with.

Regardless, Clowney has been a stud. His athleticism is a major asset for this team and has allowed him to become a terrific defender. He is a stout run defender and a very good pass rusher, in spite of what the numbers say. It will be interesting to see what the Texans choose to do with him this offseason as he hits free agency.