John Fox Drafted Jimmy Clausen Without Watching Him
By Ty Duffy
The Carolina Panthers drafted Jimmy Clausen No. 48 overall in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Then Panthers (and current Bears) head coach John Fox revealed that he drafted Clausen without watching him after he fell unexpectedly.
"“There’s a lot that goes into it,” Fox said. “You have to do a lot of research. That situation was a little bit unique, because I think people projected him maybe even into the top 10. On draft day, that’s not how it materialized. I can’t give you all the exacts. He was dropping. “Personally, I never even watched him, because he wasn’t a targeted guy for me in our pre-draft assignments. But I can say now I would hope we draft someone that I’ve actually gotten a chance to watch.”"
Clausen’s one season as an NFL starter was…a disaster. Carolina moved on from both Fox and Clausen as starter after 2010, drafting Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick in 2011. One would suspect this happens far more often on draft weekend than head coaches would admit, especially when the decision ends up going that poorly. Though, it probably does not happen as often with high draft pick quarterbacks.
Semi-related: much of Clausen’s college career was immortalized on YouTube.