The trainer of highly rated draft pick defensive end Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina Gamecocks has said that the player's natural athleticism will see him continue to get better when he is drafted into the NFL.

Clowney is expected by many to be the number one overall draft pick in May, and Anthony Hobgood said that any reports that the player does not try hard enough are not true.

"He'd be the first guy to show up in the morning," Hobgood told USA Today. "He'd be the first guy to breakfast. He got some bad media coverage this past year, and I honestly think he's very misunderstood. He listened. He knew what we asked him to do. He worked hard.

"His actual mechanics - he was so raw. He's good off of just sheer athletic ability, sheer raw talent. I told the guys, 'If this guy gets in a good program, his upside's insane.'

"He's so powerful, when he pushes into the ground, his body travels a greater distance before the next time his foot hits the ground. He was really a blank canvas when he got here, because there's so many things we saw that we could improve upon. He's just a natural athlete. Whoever picks him up has yet to see his best - and it's not because of his effort."

Clowney registered 24 sacks during the three years he spent at South Carolina.