Which Houston Texans rookies will have largest impact?
3. Kahale Warring, Tight End
Last season, the tight end position was a letdown for the Houston Texans, and it showed on the offense and the stat sheet. The trio of Ryan Griffin, Jordan Thomas and Jordan Akins combined for 61 receptions for 745 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were caught by Thomas, and he had no touchdown receptions in the final four games of the regular season.
That is why for the second straight year (Thomas in 2018) the Texans used a third-round pick on a tight end, and that brought Kahale Warring to the roster for the 2019 season. Where Warring can be impactful for the Texans is he has nice speed, and he can also catch the football and make plays that way, too.
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Houston can use Thomas as a red zone tight end, but Warring can become the tight end they’ve been looking for since Owen Daniels retired. In a pre-draft profile by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, he compared Warring to former Baltimore Ravens star Todd Heap. If Warring can be the type of player Heap was — a player who totaled 499 career receptions for 5,869 yards and 42 touchdowns in a 12-year career — well, the Texans might have just hit the jackpot.
Warring increased his receptions each year he played at San Diego State, and in just nine games last season he totaled 31 receptions for 372 yards, averaging 12 yards per reception. Warring also caught three touchdowns last season and for his collegiate career caught eight touchdowns and had 51 total receptions for 637 yards.
The potential is there for Warring to be an impact player for the Texans, and his production will be noticed once he gets things situated with his new offense.