NFL Draft 2014: Jadeveon Clowney Highlights Record 98 Eligible Underclassmen

Jadeveon Clowney surprised no one by forgoing his final season at South Carolina and entering the 2014 NFL draft, but few could have fathomed how many players would make the leap to the pros early.

The superstar Gamecocks defensive end is a big headliner, but Clowney is just one of a record 98 underclassmen to declare themselves eligible and take their games to the professional level.  

A report from NFL.com on Sunday, Jan. 19, posted all the players who are hoping to have their names called between May 8 and 10 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe noted how much the numbers increased from last year's record of 73:

With increasing concern over player safety issues in football, it makes sense that promising prospects are attempting to capitalize on their physical primes and see how they stack up in the NFL.

Many of those choosing to cut their collegiate careers short have excellent chances to succeed. Clowney is the clear standout on defense in this class, and he feels confident he will wow scouts at the impending combine, per The State's Josh Kendall:

But there seems to be a breadth of talent on offense more than Clowney's side of the ball among these precocious players. Given the importance of the quarterback position, it's likely that the first three signal-callers chosen will be underclassmen.

Player	School
Blake Bortles	UCF
Teddy Bridgewater	Louisville
Johnny Manziel	Texas A&M
Brett Smith	Wyoming

Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, electrifying Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and the physically imposing Blake Bortles (6'4", 230 pounds) are great candidates to go within the first 10 overall picks.

Player	School
George Atkinson	Notre Dame
Kapri Bibbs	Colorado State
Brendan Bigelow	California
Alfred Blue	LSU
Ka'Deem Carey	Arizona
Isaiah Crowell	Alabama State
Devonta Freeman	Florida State
Jeremy Hill	LSU
Storm Johnson	UCF
Henry Josey	Missouri
Tre Mason	Auburn
Adam Muema	San Diego State
Darrin Reaves	UAB
Bishop Sankey	Washington
Lache Seastrunk	Baylor
Jerome Smith	Syracuse
John Spooney	Brown
De'Anthony Thomas	Oregon
Terrance West	Towson
James Wilder Jr.	Florida State

Both running back and wide receiver are positions of incredible depth in the 2014 class, too. Clemson playmaker Sammy Watkins highlights the wideouts, while extremely productive backs such as Auburn's Tre Mason and Arizona star Ka'Deem Carey are chief notables in the backfield.

Player	School
Davante Adams	Fresno State
Odell Beckham	LSU
Kelvin Benjamin	Florida State
Chris Boyd	Vanderbilt
Martavis Bryant	Clemson
Brandon Coleman	Rutgers
Brandin Cooks	Oregon State
Bruce Ellington	South Carolina
Mike Evans	Texas A&M
Austin Franklin	New Mexico State
Jarvis Landry	LSU
Cody Latimer	Indiana
Marqise Lee	USC
Donte Moncrief	Ole Miss
Paul Richardson	Colorado
Allen Robinson	Penn State
Willie Snead	Ball State
Josh Stewart	Oklahoma State
Sammy Watkins	Clemson

The prominence of receiving tight ends allows even raw players at the position to make an impact in the passing game.

Player	School
Jace Amaro	Texas Tech
Eric Ebron	North Carolina
Xavier Grimble	USC
Nic Jacobs	McNeese State
A.C. Leonard	Tennessee State
Colt Lyerla	Oregon
Jake Murphy	Utah
Troy Niklas	Notre Dame
Richard Rodgers	California
Austin Seferian-Jenkins	Washington

But someone has to block for all these fascinating skill players and potential star QBs, and the list of offensive linemen also presents several surefire first-round picks, such as Auburn's Greg Robinson.

Player	School
Russell Bodine	North Carolina
Cameron Fleming	Stanford
Terrance Hackney	Bethune-Cookman
Cyrus Kouandjio	Alabama
Marcus Martin	USC
Antonio Richardson	Tennessee
Greg Robinson	Auburn
Xavier Su'a-Filo	UCLA
Trai Turner	LSU
David Yankey	Stanford

What will be interesting to see is how these quickly rising standouts handle the adversity that comes with adjusting to the league—and that could come in a variety of ways.

For quarterbacks, being the new face of a franchise is difficult to handle—especially when the expectation is an immediate turnaround and to be a savior.

Receivers aren't guaranteed to thrive right away. St. Louis Rams slot dynamo Tavon Austin had a rocky start to his rookie campaign after being the first receiver taken in last year's draft. There were no running backs chosen in last year's first round. 

Meanwhile, Clowney was widely criticized for his effort throughout his final season at South Carolina, as he looked to be preserving his 6'6", 274-pound body for the bright future ahead—beyond Columbia.

Name	School
Dominique Easley	Florida
Ego Ferguson	LSU
Carlos Gray	North Carolina State
Timmy Jernigan	Florida State
Anthony Johnson	LSU
Viliami Moala	California
Louis Nix III	Notre Dame
Jeoffrey Pagan	Alabama
Kelcy Quarles	South Carolina
George Uko	USC

Name	School
Carl Bradford	Arizona State
Jadeveon Clowney	South Carolina
Scott Crichton	Oregon State
Kony Ealy	Missouri
Demarcus Lawrence	Boise State
Chris McCain	California
Stephon Tuitt	Notre Dame

However, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair has praised Clowney, which could help his case for being the No. 1 overall pick.

The combine will be the first crack Clowney will have at proving his critics and detractors that he will capitalize on his immense physicality to be a force for years to come for one fortunate NFL franchise.

Name	School
Khairi Fortt	California
Adrian Hubbard	Alabama
Ronald Powell	Florida
Ryan Shazier	Ohio State
Yawin Smallwood	UConn

Other than quarterbacks, the least number of underclassmen to declare for the draft by position is linebacker. That bunch is strengthened by speedy Ohio State product Ryan Shazier.

Name	School
Nick Addison	Bethune-Cookman
Marcus Roberson	Florida
Bradley Roby	Ohio State
Vic Hampton	South Carolina
Kameron Jackson	California
Albert Louis-Jean	Boston College
Terrance Mitchell	Oregon
Loucheiz Purifoy	Florida
Vinnie Sunseri	Alabama

Name	School
Dion Bailey	USC
Bashaud Breeland	Clemson
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	Alabama
Jonathan Dowling	Western Kentucky
Calvin Pryor	Louisville
Ed Reynolds	Stanford
Pierre Warren	Jacksonville State

As for the secondary, Alabama's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix figures to come off the board in the first round, and a duo of Florida cornerbacks in Marcus Roberson and Loucheiz Purifoy represent the Gators' solid defensive backfield.

This 2014 lot of underclassmen has once again broken new ground with their strength in numbers. It's too early to tell how their decisions will pan out, but their presence should create drama on draft day.