Jadeveon Clowney set the Twittersphere on high alert Monday morning with a remarkable time in the 40-yard dash.
Clowney, if you don't know, is a defensive end out of the University of South Carolina. He's listed at 6-foot-5 1/4 and 266 pounds with an 83-inch wingspan -- in other words a very large man -- yet it clocked an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.47 seconds on Monday. That blew away many scouts, media members and people watching on TV.
Want to watch the run? Don't blink:
Jadeveon Clowney goes ZOOOOOM! 4.47 unofficial 40-yard dash. MUST-SEE: http://t.co/Xj32fFQ6YD #NFLCombine — NFL (@nfl) February 24, 2014
Here are a few responses via Twitter to the run:
Jadeveon Clowney with Johnny Manziel on their 40’s. JFF got smoked: pic.twitter.com/EYY8RahGpL — Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) February 24, 2014
U.S. & World
South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney timed in 40 at an unofficial 4.47. Wow... — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 24, 2014
Just to show that the unofficial 4.47 wasn't a fluke, he followed that up with an unofficial 4.48 in his second run. Here's what it looked like from field level:
Field view of Jadeveon Clowney's 2nd attempt: https://t.co/NIVhh4ixDj #NFLCombine — NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 24, 2014
Clowney has perhaps the most talent of any defensive player in the draft, and could be in consideration for the No. 1 overall pick. But perceived issues with work ethic and desire have knocked him down some draft boards. Teams that need quarterbacks could also have an influence on his draft position.
His 40-yard dash time could start bringing some teams back into his corner, however. To compare, Clowney's time was better than Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, who posted a 4.68 on Sunday. The top 40 time so far at this year's combine was recorded by Kent State running back Dri Archer, who sprinted to a 4.26.
And if you think current NFL players aren't concerned, you would be mistaken. Here's a tweet from Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, who also is a very fast man.
Clowney almost ran the same 40 time as me ��....he is to big to be that gifted haha bet he can't catch me on Sunday �� — Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 24, 2014