The Houston Texans draft made another solid move on Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft as they selected an edge rusher in Jonathan Greenard from Florida.
This Houston Texans draft choice at 90th overall of Jonathan Greenard was another one where the franchise drafted for a need, and on paper, it was a very nice selection. The Texans need to find a way to pressure quarterbacks more in the AFC South and find a way to get off the field faster, and the selection of Greenard will help with those efforts.
Player Profile: Greenard had a third-round grade from Dane Brugler of The Athletic, and that is exactly where the Texans drafted him, so this overall was a perfect value selection. Greenard ran a 4.87 40-yard dash, and from film watched on the pass rusher, he’s going to help the Texans on the edge.
In his senior season with Florida — where Greenard must have impressed the Texans draft decision makers — the edge rusher was selected first-team All-SEC, and he was the SEC leader in tackles for loss with 15.5, which is no easy feat to accomplish.
Being 6’3” and 263 pounds, Greenard played three seasons at Louisville, graduated, and then joined Florida for a season via the transfer portal.
Player Stats: 2015: Redshirt; 2016: nine games played, eight solo tackles, 22 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, two passes defensed; 2017: 13 games played, 29 solo tackles, 48 total tackles, 15.5 TFL, seven sacks, one pass defensed, one forced fumble; 2018: injured; 2019: 11 games played, 27 solo tackles, 53 total tackles, 16 TFL, 10 sacks, one interception, four passes defensed, one touchdown, three forced fumbles.
Pick Opinion: Seeing how Jonathan Greenard improves as a player for Houston over time following the Texans draft of him is going to be fun to watch play out. The Texans have added an edge rusher who has the skills, but the potential is high with Greenard, and that makes this Texans draft exciting, to say the least. For this to happen in the third round at 90th overall is great.
Draft Pick Grade: A-
Final Thoughts: As stated earlier, the Texans draft for the second and third rounds have had an eye on defense, and this pick — and the second-round pick of Ross Blacklock — are two well-respected choices.