The Houston Texans have instantly improved their defense instantly by drafting Zach Cunningham.
The Texans made a big time move in the first round by going with Clemson quarterabck Deshaun Watson.
On day two of the NFL draft, the Texans used their second round pick on Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham.
With the 57th pick in the 2017 #NFLDraft, the #Texans select... pic.twitter.com/PYFlJYuVfa
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) April 29, 2017
Cunningham is a very talented player that was expected to go in the first round in numerous mock drafts.
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The Texans plan on having Cunningham play outside linebacker, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.
"The Texans said they will list Zach Cunningham as an outside linebacker, which makes a lot more sense. They fill a need after letting John Simon go in free agency."
Texans’ defensive back Andre Hal is happy about Houston adding Cunningham.
Welcome to houston @ZCunningham_LB finally got another Vandy boy on the team!! #NFLDraft #AnchorDown
— Andre Hal (@Drehal29) April 29, 2017
Cunningham was surprised the Texans drafted him.
Zach Cunnningham did not take a pre-draft visit with the Texans, so he said it was a huge surprise to get the phone call from Houston.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) April 29, 2017
Cunningham believes he can make plays in the NFL.
Zach Cunningham: 'I'm definitely a playmaker and able to get sideline to sideline, speed, quickness and agility'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 29, 2017
As good as John Simon was for the Texans, I believe Cunningham has the potential to be an all-pro.
The great news is that there won’t be a lot of pressure on Cunningham since he has stars like J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus around him that can help him develop as a player.
I really love this pick.
Comment below and let us know what you think about the Texans drafting Cunningham.
Update: Sounds like Cunningham is actually considered an inside linebacker by the Texans. Certainly a replacement for Brian Cushing after this season.