Houston Texans: Greatest all-time players in franchise history

19. Vonta Leach, Fullback

The common link between the solid running for the Texans from 2006-2010 was the three-time pro bowler Vonta Leach.

Although two of those pro bowls came while he was on Baltimore, Leach made his presence known during his time in Houston.

To go along with his stellar lead blocking, Leach brought in 71 receptions for 518 yards and four scores while a Texan, although he had only three carries for three yards during that span. Two of those three carries did go for touchdowns for the big guy.

18. Whitney Mercilus, EDGE

A first-round pick out of Illinois in 2012, Whitney Mercilus has carved out quite a career for himself. He’s played eight seasons in Houston and while he had double-digit sacks just once (12 in 2015), he’s been a consistent edge rusher that puts up decent numbers. In all, he has 324 tackles and 50 career sacks and in 2019, he even recorded his first two career interceptions.

17. Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE

The No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina in 2014, Jadeveon Clowney had an up and down tenure in Houston. He missed 12 games as a rookie and then struggled to get back to full strength in 2015. Entering his third season, some asked if he was a bust as he had just 4.5 sacks under his belt.

He started to turn things around in 2016, making his first Pro Bowl after recording 52 tackles with six sacks. Clowney followed that up with 9.5 sacks in 2017 and nine in 2018 — again making the Pro Bowl in each of those seasons.

Clowney headed to Seattle in 2019 after the Texans decided against signing him to a long-term deal. He never lived up to his No. 1 draft status but he was still a solid player.