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One of the scariest players in the NFL just got that much more scarier.
New York Jets defensive lineman Micheal Clemons has gained 20-plus pounds of muscle this offseason. The news was revealed by Gang Green defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich during his media availability on Wednesday, May 31.
“Mike as you’ve probably seen, he’s not a small man. I don’t know exactly what he was weighing last year but he’s [now] in the 290s I think.”
According to the Jets’ official roster sheet, Clemons weighed in at exactly 270 pounds during the 2022 season.
So that means he has gained at least 20 pounds. The folks over at Badlands, a Jets subscription podcast, said he has put on “27 pounds of angry muscle” which would put him at 297 pounds.
Connor Hughes of SNY said Clemons has “packed on some good weight.”
A Big Reason Jets DL Micheal Clemons Has Added a Ton of Weight
Ulbrich was asked due to the depth at EDGE could John Franklin-Myers and Micheal Clemons kick inside to defensive tackle in 2023.
“It could, absolutely. JFM has done that his entire career. I’ve always believed that is kind of his superpower when you reduce inside on passing downs and let him work guards and do his thing in there. I think Mike has the same ability.
He’s a guy that can easily reduce inside and have a lot of success in there. He’s a guy that is a good athlete outside, but he’s a great athlete inside. So it’ll be fun to see him get work at both.”
Adding significant weight would be a massive advantage for a player that is expected to get more reps on the inside.
Micheal Clemons Is Ready to Breakout for the Jets in 2023
Clemons was already considered a very powerful man.
He entered the NFL as the No. 117 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Clemons is already 25 years of age and he will turn 26 before the start of the 2023 season.
The reason he’s an older prospect is that he spent six years at the collegiate level due to COVID, injuries, and the JUCO path.
There are advantages and disadvantages to that, but one of the big pros is Clemons came in with some skills that a younger player wouldn’t necessarily have.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein described the former Texas A&M product as “powerful”, has “broad shoulders”, and possesses “cement in his hands” which adds “pop to his punch.”
All of those traits were given to Clemons before he was selected by the Jets in the draft. Now the big man has added 20 additional pounds to that hulking 6-foot-5 frame.
Clemons appeared in 16 games last year for the Jets in a rotational role. Despite only playing in 29 percent of the defensive snaps, he made the most of those opportunities.
Pro Football Focus graded him well in those reps from 2022:
- 78.7 overall
- 86.4 run defense
- 58.6 pass rush
Clemons didn’t perform as well as a pass rusher, but that is a part of his game that could be unlocked in 2023.
“While Clemons might be less bendy, fast, or explosive than the average edge rusher, he would be better than the average defensive tackle in all of those categories. Clemons’ athleticism would be an unusual challenge for guards and centers to deal with,” Michael Nania of Jets X-Factor explained in a column posted on Saturday, May 27.
“The Relative Athletic Score system backs up these claims. Based on his testing in the 2022 pre-draft process, Clemons earns a RAS of 8.20 (out of a maximum 10) if projected against defensive ends, which is still good, but nothing special. However, if you project Clemons’ testing results against defensive tackles, his RAS rises to a stellar 9.72.”
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