Nick Clancy: 5 Things You Need to Know About the Boston College ILB

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 237

40-yard time: 4.93

Luke Kuechly came to the NFL from Boston College a year ago, then played the “Mike” linebacker position for the Carolina Panthers like the latest edition of Brian Urlacher.

He was a sideline-to-sideline roving madman who had 165 tackles to his name by season’s end. 

The question now is whether Clancy is the latest edition of Kuechly. After a college career as nothing but a backup, his senior year was his coming out party. His draft destination could be as high as the fifth round, thanks to the attention gained as the successor to the 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

These five facts will clarify whether the ceiling for Clancy is just as high. 

1. Clancy Came Out of Nowhere

The junior year of his BC career was nondescript. He was listed as second-string strong-side linebacker, played mostly on special teams and had just 19 tackles all season. 

One he had a chance to play, Clancy did a reasonable impersonation of the previous middle linebacker. The shoes he tried to fill were rather large, as Kuechly had 195 total tackles his final year. 

His prospect ranking from CBS Sports.com described Clancy as lacking the range to make plays all over the field. The man himself does not see it that way: 

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“Being at middle linebacker, I can move left, I can move right, I can just run and go make plays. That’s the fun part. You just run after the football and go make a tackle.” (h/t BCHeights.com)

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DraftNasty.com, the all-sports draft site founded by 11-year NFL DB Corey Chavous, wonders just how good Clancy can be:

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#BostonCollege continues to produces highly productive LBs, Nick Clancy next in line? draftnasty.com/football/scout… #NFLDraft #Eagles

— DRAFTNASTY (@DraftnastyCom) April 18, 2013"

2. Week 3 ACC Linebacker of the Week 2012

How can someone who piles up 24 tackles in a 22-13 loss at Northwestern be anything but the Linebacker of the Week? 

Moreover, you’re not going to hit those numbers without always being around the ball. His 40-yard time may not put him the same class as Patrick Willis with his 4.5 clocking, but taking the right angles can shave a few 10ths of a second off. 

Clancy is best suited to be a two-down ILB in a 3-4 system, where his sure tackling could compensate for his lack of straight-line speed.

3. Week 12 ACC Linebacker of the Week 2012

This time Clancy only had 20 tackles in a 30-23 overtime loss to Virginia Tech. A full 17 of them were unassisted, meaning he was chasing down players outside the tackle box that had zipped past his teammates.  

He did this after sustaining a concussion versus Notre Dame the week before. In light of the growing evidence that extra time should be allowed to recover from such injuries, you might question the wisdom of such a move but not his effectiveness.

4. 2012 Coaches All-ACC Football First Team

This was an easy call given the 145 tackles Clancy had in 12 games, which ranked him third in the nation. This Boston College team went 2-10, a record that cost head coach Frank Spaziani his job. 

You have to love playing football to perform at such a high level on a losing team. Just like when he came back for a fifth season to suit up for the BC Eagle that was not going to compete for an ACC title or even bowl eligibility. 

If Clancy had quit and went about his business, his NFL experience would amount to watching the game. Now he has the chance to play the game for real.

5. Clancy Led Boston College in Passes Broken Up

Middle linebackers are expected rack up tackles like kills in Call of Duty. They are not expected to defend the pass with the same success. 

Clancy had 10 passes broken up, more than any other defender on the BC squad. That was just as many as the next two players combined. When your main job is knocking players to the ground, passes are a “secondary” concern. 

They are anything but secondary to someone who will do whatever he can to affect the outcome of the game.