Fooch's Note: Don't forget to check out our plans for a community mock draft and join in if you're interested and have the time.
The general opinion of most has been that Notre Dame Junior Jimmy Clausen has climbed up the board to the number one overall slotted quarterback. Since Jake Locker decided to go back to Washington for his Senior year, it by default has been Clausen that has been talked about as the number one. Some folks even before Clausen declared, had the Notre Dame quarterback number one on their boards. Clausen had a real up and down season in '09 losing to Michigan early on and toward the middle of the season dropped one to USC. They lost the last four games of the year against Navy, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Stanford.
Clausen has some of the tangibles it takes to make it at the pro-level if he works hard and lands in the right place. He is mobile out of the pocket but lacks speed, however makes up for it by getting the ball out pretty fast. He is not as polished as some of the more recently selected high first round picks (i.e. Stafford, Sanchez, and Ryan), but he could very well start for a team in the '10-'11 season.
Earlier in the year Clausen found himself involved in a pub fight in which he got his eye blackened for impulsively firing off at the mouth toward another student that was also attending the University. This is the sort of arrogance and ego that will need to be monitored once he becomes a pro. However, the fierce, fiery attitude could be a positive if it is channeled in the right direction.
People seem to have split opinions of how Clausen's game will translate, but I feel like he will probably amount to a fairly decent quarterback; possibly even more. Clausen recently had foot surgery but is expected to fully recover and participate in some of the NFL Combine drills this Spring. Specifically as to what drills he will compete in is still up in the air. Some have speculated that he will be 100% healthy and ready to compete in them all.
Below, I will provide more in-depth analysis regarding Clausen including highlights, stats, and projections...
This video illustrates how good potentially Clausen can be. He completed just about every throw in this game and stayed pretty cool under pressure and the heavy blitzing by Hawaii. A few of the passes in this highlight feed were dropped but very catchable by the receivers as you will notice. Certainly his mechanics and delivery need a bit of work, however, it may just be some fine tuning in the offseason as well as the preseason to fix those issues.
AWARDS AND HONORS:
- Hall Trophy Award 2007
CAREER STATS:
| Stats Overview | Passing | |||||||||
| YEAR | CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | YPA | LNG | TD | INT | SACK | RAT |
| 2007 | 138 | 245 | 1254 | 56.3 | 5.12 | 44 | 7 | 6 | 35 | 103.85 |
| 2008 | 268 | 440 | 3172 | 60.9 | 7.21 | 69 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 132.49 |
| 2009 | 289 | 425 | 3722 | 68.0 | 8.76 | 88 | 28 | 4 | 24 | 161.43 |
| 2009 Regular Season Game Log | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||||
| DATE | OPP | RESULT | CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | LNG | TD | INT | RAT | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | |
| 9/5 | Nevada | W 35-0 | 15 | 18 | 315 | 83.3 | 88 | 4 | 0 | 303.67 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 7 | 0 | |
| 9/12 | @Michigan | L 38-34 | 25 | 42 | 336 | 59.5 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 150.30 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9/19 | Michigan State | W 33-30 | 22 | 31 | 300 | 71.0 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 173.55 | 7 | -1 | -0.1 | 9 | 0 | |
| 9/26 | @Purdue | W 24-21 | 15 | 26 | 171 | 57.7 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 117.94 | 4 | -13 | -3.3 | 1 | 0 | |
| 10/3 | Washington | W 37-30 | 23 | 31 | 422 | 74.2 | 77 | 2 | 1 | 203.38 | 8 | -32 | -4.0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 10/17 | USC | L 34-27 | 24 | 43 | 260 | 55.8 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 121.96 | 9 | -4 | -0.4 | 11 | 1 | |
| 10/24 | Boston College | W 20-16 | 26 | 39 | 246 | 66.7 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 136.58 | 6 | 1 | 0.2 | 6 | 0 | |
| 10/31 | Washington State | W 40-14 | 22 | 27 | 268 | 81.5 | 50 | 2 | 0 | 189.30 | 2 | -9 | -4.5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11/7 | Navy | L 23-21 | 37 | 51 | 452 | 72.5 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 156.02 | 5 | -5 | -1.0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 11/14 | @Pittsburgh | L 27-22 | 27 | 42 | 283 | 64.3 | 45 | 1 | 1 | 123.98 | 7 | -9 | -1.3 | 8 | 1 | |
| 11/21 | Connecticut | L 33-30 | 30 | 45 | 329 | 66.7 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 142.75 | 4 | -9 | -2.3 | 4 | 1 | |
| 11/28 | @Stanford | L 45-38 | 23 | 30 | 340 | 76.7 | 78 | 5 | 0 | 226.86 | 3 | -15 | -5.0 | 1 | 0 | |
SUMMARY AND PROJECTIONS:
Some have Clausen being selected as the number one overall pick in the draft going to St. Louis. While this is possible, it does not look like the most likely scenario with Ndamukong Suh on the board. It's my belief that Clausen will most definitely be selected in the top 10 hands down but to which team will remain a mystery until April 22nd, 2010. Once drafted, Clausen will more than likely have the opportunity to compete for the starting job of the team that drafts him. Clausen is 6'3" 223 LBS.
Possibilities-- Rams, Redskins, Seahawks, Browns, Raiders, Bills.
For those interested, here is a link to the previous 100 in 100 articles: