2020 NFL Draft: Terrell Lewis needs to be on Texans draft radar
The Houston Texans draft decision makers can’t miss with their second-round pick, so going to the edge in the 2020 NFL Draft should be the way to travel.
Whenever a potential Houston Texans draft prospect is being compared to Andre Branch and Danielle Hunter, well, he’s pretty good on the football field. Terrell Lewis needs to be on the Texans draft radar, as the player from Alabama has been given that comparison, and he might just fall to the Texans with the 40th overall pick.
This past Thursday, the Texans draft took a big change when they traded the 57th overall selection to the Los Angeles Rams for Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round pick in 2022. Now the Texans have just one pick in the first two rounds, and with that they must improve on defense, especially on the edge, which leaves us discussing Lewis and how he could be a part of the Texans draft of 2020.
Houston isn’t the greatest when it comes to the edge at a consistent basis, and being that J.J. Watt is 31 years old — and the other defensive ends are Angelo Blackson, Charles Omenihu, Brandon Dunn and Carlos Watkins — there is room for competition and improvement at position for better overall pass rushers.
The redshirt junior Terrell Lewis — 6’5,” and 262 pounds — is graded as a second-round pick by various outlets, including The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who in his 2020 NFL Draft Guide ranked Lewis as the sixth-best edge rusher in this year’s draft, which should be good news for those in charge for the Texans draft.
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If the Texans draft plans were to include Lewis, what type of players would they be receiving during the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft?
For starters, Terrell Lewis had a breakout season in 2019 after coming off a 2018 season where he didn’t play because of a torn ACL in his right knee. When Lewis returned to the field in ’19 for the Crimson Tide, he had 31 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and two passes defensed.
The Texans sack leader last season was outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus with 7.5 sacks during the 2019 regular season. As a team, the Texans totaled 31 sacks in the 16-game regular season, putting them at 26th in the NFL a season ago. The Pittsburgh Steelers were first in the NFL with 54 sacks, followed the the Carolina Panthers with 53 sacks as a defense.
Lewis didn’t run a 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February, but the second-team All-SEC player did have a vertical jump of 37 inches, and a broad jump of 10’04,” so he has shown his athleticism with his tape, and his numbers at the combine.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote about the potential of Lewis and how the edge rusher can eventually work his way into a starting role in the league:
"“With more coaching and development as a rusher, he should be able to pair traits with skill to become a future NFL starter, provided his health issues are in the past.”"
The Texans have one of the greatest edge rushers to ever wear a football helmet in J.J. Watt on their roster, and if Lewis can get the chance to play with Watt early in his career, imagine all the knowledge he’d get from the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Lewis would also forced the rest of the Houston defense to step up their game, and that isn’t such a bad thing, either. The Texans draft must include an edge rusher in the second round, as that is still their top need in 2020.
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Houston has been really tinkering with their offense with a couple big-time trades this offseason, but the Texans draft plan needs to be focused on the defense.
Terrell Lewis needs to stay healthy and on the field, and if he joins the Texans, he would learn so much playing alongside Watt and others, and he could work his way into a top-tier role within the defense of the Texans.