The Houston Texans took North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams with the first overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. The Texans have the top pick again this year and South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is a potential choice.
NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock said Saturday on NFL Network that Clowney has "more upside than Mario Williams ever dreamed of" and that Clowney has the skill set and talent to be "the most dominant player in the league."
But Mayock reiterated that he might take Buffalo outside linebacker Khalil Mack ahead of Clowney and openly questioned Clowney's intensity level.
"Does he want to be the best player in the NFL?" Mayock asked.
Mayock said because there are questions about the possible answer, Clowney might not be the first non-quarterback selected in May. Mayock said that would happen "solely because of inconsistencies off the field and the work ethic."
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said earlier in the week that Clowney's work ethic was "pretty good" and "OK". "I think there are red flags there" in regard to Clowney's work ethic, Mayock said.
Clowney certainly "won" the weigh-in Saturday: He measured 6-feet-5 and 266 pounds, with an 83-inch wingspan and an arm length of 34½ inches. Legit goals for Sunday's workouts are a sub-4.6 clocking in the 40 and a vertical jump of at least 37 inches.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.