Houston Texans positional breakdown: Defensive line

Dec 13, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) before the game against the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) before the game against the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) and defensive tackle Christian Covington (95) celebrate in front of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) during the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) and defensive tackle Christian Covington (95) celebrate in front of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) during the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive End – Christian Covington

A knee injury ended defensive lineman Christian Covington’s junior season, but the kid from nearby Rice University still declared early for the NFL Draft. His injury shortened season led to him dropping in the draft, and he was selected in Round 6 last season.

Vitals
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 289 Pounds
Age: 22
Career Tackles: 8
Career Sacks: 2

Covington played in a rotation for Houston and showed some burst during his time. His two sacks were impressive given his limited time, and even more impressive was that he was playing out of position.

The team was thin at tackle and played Covington there despite him being under 300 pounds. With a full offseason to get a true nose tackle backup look for the team to give Covington a shot as an end in the 3-4 system.

The sophomore player could very well win the starting job and make things easier in terms of replacing the underrated Jared Crick.

Season prediction: 45 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

Next: Defensive end depth

Schedule