Jadeveon Clowney: Where Does He Fit in on Defense With Every Finalist?

We all know how freakishly athletic Jadeveon Clowney is and what he can do all over the field. With the big defensive end narrowing his list down to three schools of Clemson, South Carolina and Alabama, we wonder where does he fit in each of their defenses.

There have been debates on where Clowney's best spot is, either in 4-3 defensive scheme or a 3-4 scheme with him standing up.

Come see where we think he fits on all three of his finalists' defenses.

What Did He Play In High School?

Clowney is a 6'6", 250 pound defensive end who can play either the strong side or the weak side. Naturally, since he was probably bigger and stronger than all of his prep opponents, he played the strong side in a 40 front style defense at South Pointe high school in South Carolina, with his hand down.

As with many 40 fronts at the end position, he played over and outside shade on tackles, mainly, and was asked to get upfield. He's an attack style defender whose best asset is going forward because of his burst, speed and ability to close.

Clowney also is strong against the run and could probably anchor vs. college tight ends right now. As he gets stronger in college, you'll begin to see him anchor more stouter against tackles too. He's explosive in his take ons and can chase any ball carrier down from the backside.

Clemson's Scheme

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 18: Da'Quan Bowers #93 of the Clemson Tigers against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Clemson runs an interesting defense. Watching the Tigers, they run a base 40 front, 4-3 scheme in their front seven.

But yet, through the years, I have seen Ricky Sapp (now with the Philadelphia Eagles) and Da'Quan Bowers (will be a top five pick in the April NFL Draft) play standing up at times in the bandit position. These hybrid type of defenders are excellent athletes with strength to play the run, shed blocks and make plays on the edge, but are rushers first.

They also can go back to the standard hand-down type end and rush the passer that way as well. If Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele continues implementing this scheme, this is the role that I'd expect Clowney to eventually play in the Tigers defense. But in their base scheme of a 4-3 front seven, Clowney fits in as a strong side end.

Alabama's Scheme

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 02: Courtney Upshaw #41 of the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Florida Gators at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Remember when Nick Saban was with the Dolphins and it seemed Jason Taylor made play after play on defense in Miami? If Clowney heads to Tuscaloosa, look for him to play the same role as the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

It's called the JACK linebacker spot, where a defender is a hybrid end and linebacker who can stand up and rush, be deployed all over the fronts, and wreak havoc all over the field. The JACK spot is required to have a player with good size, athleticism, and can rush upfield but also has solid athleticism to drop in coverage.

As I have said before, I think Clowney is best going forward and attacking, but don't get me wrong; he's an athletic freak who could easily be athletic enough to drop in coverage. He can also play the other rush end spot in the Crimson Tide's 3-4 scheme.

Saban is known for moving players around down by down to take advantage of match ups and exploit hid defensive players strengths. Clowney as JACK player in Tuscaloosa is scary.

South Carolina's Scheme

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COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 4: Eric Norwood #40 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates with teammates after recovering a fumble for a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium October 4, 2007 in Columbia, South Ca

South Carolina runs a 40 front like Clemson, but their defense is almost mainly a 4-2-5. The back seven alignment really doesn't affect Clowney, who would play the strong side spot likely.

South Carolina's key players in their defense are the hybrid "SPUR" player who is a rover type as in a cross between a strong safety and an outside linebacker. The other is the weak side linebacker who is a quick player who has speed to chase all over the field, as with Eric Norwood two years ago.

Clowney has the athleticism to do those things, but let's not forget he's a defensive lineman and more specifically an end. In the Gamecocks' scheme, he would play the traditional, hand down end role as he would in a base 4-3 scheme. They will ask him to do what he does best in getting upfield, rushing the passer and attacking the run.

This may be the most seamless transition for Clowney.

Where Does He Fit Best?

This is up for debate, as Clowney can do anything athletically and, with time, can learn the nuances of all three schemes very, very well.

Envisioning him doing the same things Jason Taylor did with the Dolphins under Nick Saban is a very enticing thought. Even moreso when you think about how similar in size Taylor and Clowney are and Clowney being a potentially better player against the run that Taylor is.

Splitting hairs here, I think the either the South Carolina and Clemson schemes fit him a little better, just from a transition standpoint. He would be allowed to keep his hand down more often, though at Alabama he would still put his hand down to rush in sub packages.

I just think he's the prototypical 4-3/40 front strong side defensive end because he not only has an elite upfield burst, arsenal, and ability to close and finish in the pocket, but also, Clowney has the strength to anchor, shed and play stout against the run.