Zack Baun, OLB, Wisconsin
The Houston Texans must add to their pass rush in some way this offseason, and one of the ways that can be achieved is via the 2020 NFL Draft and one of those players who would add to the defense is outside linebacker Zack Baun of Wisconsin.
Baun, at 6-2, 240 pounds, is being projected as a second-round pick, and at the NFL Combine last month he ran a 4.65 40-yard dash, with a bench press of 24 reps, along with a vertical jump of 32.5 inches.
Here is where the interest really can draw attention, as NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein of NFL.com draws companions for Baun to Clay Matthews.
That is a big-time comparison for a draft prospect, and this is what Zierlein says about Baun in his draft profile of the linebacker:
"“Baun’s twitchy get-off and deep bend at the edge is nightmare fuel for Big Ten tackles and he’s still at the early stages of pass rush development.”"
If Baun is this good now — 53 solo tackles, 12.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception all as a senior — then imagine how good he could be working with the likes of J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus for the foreseeable future on the Texans defense, as he could be in some sort of rotation with Benardrick McKinney, who was also a second-round pick in 2015.
In the Big Ten Championship Game, Baun had a sack and six solo tackles against Ohio State, and against both Minnesota and Nebraska in November he had two sacks in each of those games.
Baun is a name to remember for this draft for sure, and if he were to join the Texans and make it to the 57th overall pick, it would be hard-pressed to be upset over this selection.