Jadeveon Clowney Faces Uphill Battle to Reach Potential After Knee Surgery

Before the 2014 NFL draft, supporters of Jadeveon Clowney called the South Carolina defensive end a once-in-a-generation talent. Detractors pointed to a disappointing 2013 season as proof that talent was buried beneath a suspect work ethic.

Well, we're going to find out what's what with the first overall pick. Because in order for Clowney to realize the former now, he's going to need the latter.

Clowney, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve last week after missing most of the season with an assortment of injuries, had knee surgery on Tuesday. The news was not what the Houston Texans wanted to hear:

Head coach Bill O'Brien tried to put a positive spin on Clowney's lost rookie year last week, according to ESPN.com:

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This guy's been injured and it's time to clean it up and get him back to feeling good and get him back on the field as soon as we can. He wants to play football. He wants to be good so I think he was disappointed right off the bat," O'Brien said. "But I think he understands what he has to do and why this is necessary and he knows that he has to rehab hard and get back out there.

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Of course, that was before the dreaded word "microfracture" was uttered. Now, we're looking at an extensive rehab time that could easily result in Clowney beginning the 2015 season on the physically unable to perform list.

It also isn't going to do anything to quiet those who were already calling Clowney a "bust." In fact, before Clowney missed a game last month with an illness, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported frustration was growing inside NRG Stadium:

That wasn't all Rapoport had to say on the subject, either:

That last statement echoes like a thunderclap now, because microfracture surgery is about as serious as it gets.

Texans general manager Rick Smith acknowledged as much while speaking with John McClain of the Houston Chronicle:

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Originally, we went in to clean up the meniscus and cartilage in an attempt to see if that would calm down his knee. We were very diligent, but his knee wouldn’t tolerate what was in there. We made the decision on the microfracture after giving him as much time as we could give him to see if his knee would tolerate that after the cleanup. We sent him to Dr. Andrews, and when he agreed, we went with the surgery. Injuries are part of the NFL. We’re all disappointed. Nobody’s more disappointed than he is because he had some lofty goals for his rookie season.

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Mind you, this doesn't necessarily mean the sky is falling. Players have recovered fully from this surgery before, especially given recent surgical advancements.

However, for Clowney to recapture the explosiveness that made him the first overall pick to begin with, it's going to take months of grueling rehab. If he isn't 100 percent dedicated to getting back to 100 percent, odds are he won't come close.

After Clowney went on injured reserve last week, Tania Ganguli of ESPN wrote that it was much too soon to be passing judgment on whether the Texans made a wise choice back in May:

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What's important to remember here is that a player's career is more than his rookie season. There's a good example of that on the Texans' own defense where cornerback Kareem Jackson went from loathed to trusted in his third season. A great pass-rusher can have a strong 10-year career. In the scheme of things, one lost season isn't a catastrophe.

Reserve judgement for now. It's much too soon to even consider labeling Clowney's career. This will delay his development, but if all goes according to his plan, a delay is all it will be.

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Ganguli's right—to a point. The jury remains out on Clowney, and it's possible in a few years this will be nothing but a footnote on Clowney's resume.

However, it's looking like that delay Ganguli mentioned just got a lot longer, and the NFL stardom that once appeared to be Clowney's destiny is now anything but a sure thing.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPManor.