Do The Houston Texans Have A Breakout Player For 2015?
By Josh Wilson
Every year we get a look at some great NFL players who fly under the radar. Often they can be rookies who slipped into the second or third round, but occasionally it’s players who have been in the league for a few years but haven’t been catalyzed correctly to become their full potential.
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Richard Sherman could even be considered one of these breakout players. He only had four interceptions in his first year, but doubled this for the next two seasons. Lots of players in the league are just breakouts waiting to happen, and sometimes there’s no telling what teams have the breakout players.
Others considered Doug Martin to be a breakout player in his rookie year, although he did trail off after an impressive first season.
Looking at the Houston Texans’ roster, there are lots of players with seemingly untapped potential. On both sides of the ball, there’s players who could serve as well-working parts to a winning season for any team. Here’s a quick look at a few of them.
Ryan Mallett, QB
Mallett got a shot last year at quarterback, and did a decent job. He hasn’t really done much wrong, and has only appeared in seven total NFL games so far. Mallett will have to face off against former Browns starter Bryan Hoyer for the starting position, but I’m confident that he’ll win the job. With a decent cast of wide receiver targets, I think he could break out and show the league what he’s made of.
Garrett Graham, TE
I find Graham to be a tight end full of potential for the Texans. He’s spent all of his six seasons so far with Houston, and has proven to be an asset for picking up some occasional yards, but I think this year he may be recognized as a scoring super power. It sure helps that he shares a last name with one of the league’s best offense-centered tight ends, Jimmy Graham.
He’s shown he’s great at goal line scoring like in the video below, but maybe next year we can see him breakout into something new.
Here’s more of what I’d like to see from Garrett next year. Graham has never caught a ball at this many yards as the play to Jimmy below.
Jadeveon Clowney, LB
Sure, we would’ve had Clowney’s name on this list last year. But after a devastating injury early in the year, we didn’t get to see what Clowney has to offer. Now, with Clowney’s injury rehab going along smoothly, the hope is we will see him in action next year, alongside some of the best defensive players in the NFL. He is expected to be a huge breakout player.
Benardrick McKinney, LB, ROOKIE
McKinney was drafted in the second round by the Texans. Over his time in Mississippi State, he totaled over 50 tackles in all of his three years, and even got above 100 in his first year there. I’m expecting this rookie to make the most out of his playing time. Although he may have some trouble working into the lineup with all of the defensive arsenal, I believe he has potential. I’ll be interested to see if that potential comes out.
As we can see, there’s plenty of potential on the team, it’s simply a matter of extracting that potential. This can be done by the right coaching, game situations, and dedication at practices, and even after practices. This is just a small sample of players who could potentially “break out,” this year, and that can get Texans fans very excited.