Rarely do rookies shine this early as bright as Jadeveon Clowney has two weeks into the Houston Texans’ 2014 preseason slate. The guy has simply been a beast, and it has us thinking that if he can continue to make plays like the two he made on back-to-back downs this weekend against Atlanta, he could be on the verge of an epic rookie season.
How epic? Well, there’s little reason to believe that with that kind of power and burst and with guys like J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed taking away attention, the draft’s top pick can’t actually make a run at leading the league in sacks. If that’s the case, he’ll have a chance to make a run at Michael Strahan’s single-season record of 22.5 and should shatter Jevon Kearse’s rookie record of 14.5.
It’s amazing Kearse’s mark has stood for 15 years because rooks like Aldon Smith, Von Miller and Brian Orakpo have been lights out in recent years. But Smith fell half a sack short in 2011, keeping the former Titans great at the top.
But it’s only a matter of time before both Strahan’s and Kearse’s records fall. Too many guys have flirted with doing so. And this could be the year both go down.
Don’t be completely shocked if Clowney somehow breaks them both. The guy truly is that good, and he’s in an ideal situation in Houston.