Houston Texans players have been trying out general manager Rick Smith's chair, and they seem to like it.
And to at least three of them, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft facing Smith isn't too tough a decision: They like the way Jadeveon Clowney would look in a Texans uniform. Danieal Manning became the third Texans player to publicly endorse Clowney as the club's No. 1 overall choice in the May 8-10 NFL draft. But Manning, unlike the two previous Texans on the Clowney bandwagon -- former South Carolina stars D.J. Swearinger and Johnathan Joseph -- doesn't have a history with Clowney clouding his judgment.
"I would love to see somebody like him," Manning said, according to houstontexans.com. "I don't think there's a lot of players in the draft like him."
Swearinger was a teammate of Clowney's at South Carolina, and Joseph knows Clowney from their childhood days in Rock Hill, S.C.
Manning, like his teammates, said he doesn't believe concerns about Clowney's work ethic will be an issue in his NFL career. At least, not in Houston.
"I think if you get around the right guys and coaches, you can see what's really going on with him if that's the case," Manning said. "I don't believe that's the case. I think the guy's a phenomenal player."
A Texans defense featuring Clowney would figure to pair one of the NFL's most talented defensive end tandems in Clowney and veteran J.J. Watt, whose high motor and strong work ethic, according to club owner Bob McNair, might create just the locker room presence Clowney needs.
That, and a presence of teammates who endorsed his acquisition from the beginning.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
