Jadeveon Clowney is still not 100 percent.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft has undergone knee surgery and has missed time due to illness already in his rookie season, and after Sunday's loss to the Bengals, he admitted that he's still not close to the player he can be.
"Somewhat," Clowney told the Houston Chronicle when asked if he's playing to his standards. "Some things are holding me back still but I'm just out here trying to do what I can do and have fun."
It's becoming clear that this will amount to nothing more than a glorified redshirt season for Clowney, who was, hands down, the most athletic player in the draft. While Houston can sit around and kick themselves for not picking Khalil Mack, Blake Bortles or -- after Sunday night -- Odell Beckham, the truth is that Clowney was probably still the right call. They just won't see the fruits of that decision until 2015.
Clowney played his most significant snaps of the season on Sunday and registered a pair of tackles while playing surprisingly well against the run. On the season, Pro Football Focus credits him with three quarterback hurries.
It's not exactly the astronomical production we expected when stacking him next to J.J. Watt, but neither are going anywhere anytime soon.
And that is the lone solace that many Texans fans have right now.
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