Houston Texans: 5 small school prospects to monitor at the NFL Combine

BOCA RATON, FL - SEPTEMBER 15: Devin Singletary #5 of the Florida Atlantic Owls celebrates after scoring his fifth touchdown against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats during the first half at FAU Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FL - SEPTEMBER 15: Devin Singletary #5 of the Florida Atlantic Owls celebrates after scoring his fifth touchdown against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats during the first half at FAU Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 30: Max Scharping #73 of the Northern Illinois Huskies celebrates after defeating the Buffalo Bulls 30-29 to win the MAC Championship at Ford Field on November 30, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 30: Max Scharping #73 of the Northern Illinois Huskies celebrates after defeating the Buffalo Bulls 30-29 to win the MAC Championship at Ford Field on November 30, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Max Scharping, OT, Northern Illinois

2018 stats: 14 games started

Max Scharping is a big human that has a lot of experience playing tackle in the college ranks. At 6-6, 320 pounds, size and length is not a concern and he should test well at the NFL Combine in both. As an added bonus, while at Northern Illinois, Scharping hadn’t missed a start in the four years he played which is impressive considering his position.

In 2018, Scharping finished as Pro Football Focus’ best tackle in the MAC conference. He only allowed eight pressures on the year on 469 pass-blocking snaps, which earned him an outstanding pass-blocking grade of 92.2, so he is a player the Houston Texans could be interested in.

While Scharping did well in pass protection in college, he does have some issues (like all tackles), that could be exposed. Benjamin Solak, of Draft Network, narrowed them down, saying;

"Lacks notable athletic traits that likely deep-sixes his future at NFL tackle and may still present problems at guard. Does not have good foot quickness to deal with agile rushers or recover when he’s moved out of position."

Although those aren’t good traits outlined by Solak in his Draft Network article, they are fixable. Like Julie’n Davenport in 2017, Scharping is far from a complete product, but he has the tools and experience that hint that he can be a consistent pass blocker when stepping up to a new level. It’s also nice to know that Scharping has the frame to move over to guard if need be.

Round projection: 4th-6th round