Perhaps the diamond in the rough that will cure all of our depth issues on the defensive line will come in the form of Kyle Clement, a Division II product from Northwood University in Michigan. Probably not, but you never know. Not all young kids develop physically at the same pace, so it's not wise to discount his chances alltogether simply because he wasn't heavily recruited at age 17.
Clement really impressed me when I saw him on Saturdays. Scratch that, never seen a game of his or any D-II game, but check out these career stats for Clement, a three-time all conference selection:
33 of 45 games started; 20.5 sacks; 143 tackles (90 solo); 50.5 tackles for losses.
Bet you didn't think there was YouTube footage of him, did ya? There is, check it out. You may need some binoculars to get a good view from the bleachers, but there's a few good shots in there that showcase Clement's size (310 pounds and ability):
Clement threw up 37 reps on the bench during his Pro Day, ran a respectable 5.21 40, and somehow posted a vertical leap of 29.5" despite being a hefty 310 pounds. At 6'4", Clement certainly has the size to be disruptive, and clearly, at least judging from those bench press numbers, that weight isn't all blubber. Color me intrigued.
Clement will get his chance to make a good first impression this weekend during mandatory mini-camp, starting tomorrow and running through Sunday.