2014 NFL Draft odds: Jadeveon Clowney will very likely be the No. 1 overall pick

Jadeveon Clowney has 1 to 5 odds of being selected with the No. 1overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, according to Las Vegas oddsmaker Bovada. That means there is roughly a 17 percent chance that someone other than Clowney will be the first name off the board when the Draft gets underway on Thursday night. That's not a bad place for Clowney to be considering some of the negative things that have been said about by the armchair psychologists earning paychecks as NFL Draft analysts.

After months of caterwauling about Jadeveon Clowney's work ethic, his illusory character concerns, and even his ability to play football, NFL Draft gurus seem to have come full circle on the former Gamecock's value at the next level. Clowney came out of high school perceived as a once-in-a-generation talent who was a safe a bet as you'll find to go No. 1 overall when he eventually did enter the draft. Everything he did during his freshman and sophomore seasons indicated that he was still on track to be the top pick, but a dip in statistical production during his senior campaign coupled with glaring need at quarterback for many of the NFL's worst teams had Clowney sliding to No. 3 or No. 4.

Despite not having played a single football game since January 1, Clowney has managed to change a lot of minds and is now the odds on favorite to be taken with the No. 1 pick. Those odds factor in scenarios in which the Texans trade out of the first pick and someone else takes Jadeveon.