Official Bio
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Strengths:
Active with a non-stop motor...Great strength...Excellent pass rusher and blitzer...Super intense and competitive...Very tough...Extremely versatile...Good range and flies around the field...Solid instincts...Does a fantastic job in pursuit...Outstanding special teamer...Has a knack for making impact plays...Smart with a great football IQ...Has an incomparable work ethic ... Still has upside ... Phenomenal bloodlines.
Weaknesses:
'Tweener who may not have a true position...Isn't a great natural athlete...Average size and speed...Can be too aggressive at times...Stiff and lacks fluid hips...Will struggle to match up in coverage...Poor hands and ball skills...Minor durability concerns...Doesn't have a lot of starting experience ... A self-made player and a bit of an overachiever.
Notes:
Father, also named Clay, was an All-American at USC and played in the NFL from 1978 to 1996...Uncle, Bruce, was an All-American at USC and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame following a 19-year career with the Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans...Brother, Kyle, lettered at safety on USC's 2003 national championship team...Another brother, Casey, is a linebacker at Oregon...Grandfather, Clay Sr., was on the football, wrestling and swimming teams at Georgia Tech in the 1940's and then played in the NFL with the San Francisco 49'ers in the 1950's...Cousin, Ashley Nick, was a member of USC's 2007 NCAA champion women's soccer team...Missed some time with a sprained elbow in 2005 and had surgery on his hand prior to 2008 spring practice...1st Team Pac-10 All-Academic selection in 2008...Began his college career as a walk-on for the Trojans and Idaho was the only DI program to offer him a scholarship...Overshadowed for most of his career by the likes of Keith Rivers, Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing...Known mostly for his work on special teams prior to 2008 and won the Trojans Co-Special-Teams Player of the Year award three times...A beast in the weight room who put on more than 40 pounds since he arrived at Southern Cal...Played both defensive end and linebacker in college...Could project to outside or inside linebacker in the NFL...Has the ability to fit in either a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme...Was barely on the prospect radar heading into his senior season but improved his draft stock as much as any player in the country in '08.
| Career Statistics |
| Year |
GP |
TKL |
TFL |
SACK |
PBU |
INT |
| 2004 |
RS |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 2005 |
11 |
8 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2006 |
13 |
15 |
1.5 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2007 |
13 |
17 |
3.0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2008 |
13 |
56 |
9.0 |
4.5 |
2 |
0 |
| Totals |
50 |
96 |
13.5 |
5.5 |
4 |
0 |
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