Houston Texans Draft Grade: John Reid makes defense better

By drafting John Reid in the fourth round, the Houston Texans draft continues to be a standout effort.

On paper, the 2020 NFL Draft through four rounds for the Houston Texans is going well with three defensive players selected and an offensive lineman. John Reid of the Penn State Nittany Lions joins the Texans draft list after being selected with the 141st overall pick, which was the second pick made by Houston in the fourth round.

The selection of Reid fills a need for the Texans at cornerback because under no uncertain terms are the Texans set at the position. According to OurLads.com, the depth chart of the Texans cornerbacks include Lonnie Johnson Jr., Vernon Hargreaves, Keion Crossen and Phillip Gaines all at left cornerback, and at the right cornerback position, listed are Bradley Roby, Gareon Conley, Anthony Chesley and Cornell Armstrong.

Player Profile: Reid played against tough competition in the Big Ten during his collegiate career, where at 5’10” and 187 pounds the Penn State product battled against some of the very best against the Ohio State Buckeyes who have had many players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Though Lance Zierlein had Reid as a sixth-round projection, this is still a position of need that was filled by the pick. Zierlein went on to say in his draft profile of the PSU cornerback:

"“Reid’s passion, competitiveness and football IQ are fun to watch, but physical limitations could cap his ceiling.”"

Player Stats: At the NFL Combine, Reid had a 4.49 40-yard dash time, 20 reps in the 225 pound bench press, and a vertical jump of 36.5 inches. According to the PSU profile page of Reid, he ranks in at No. 11 all-time with 37 passes defensed, with 30 of those being passes broken up and seven career interceptions.

In 2019 at PSU, Reid totaled 26 solo tackles (37 total tackles), 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, eight pass breakups and one QB hit. Against Ohio State this year, Reid finished with four solo tackles, and one pass breakup.

Pick Opinion: This is a nice pick with potential for the Texans draft to add a solid role player in varying situations for this upcoming a future seasons. Reid isn’t the tallest player, but has good speed, and could possibly help in the return game because as a sophomore he had 22 punt returns for 166 yards (including a 59-yard return) as a sophomore at Penn State.

Draft Pick Grade: B

Final Thoughts: The fact the Texans draft for 2020 is focusing more on defense this year is what was needed to happen. Drafting a cornerback who can work his way into the depth chart of the Texans, and gain some playing time as a rookie, that is even better. It won’t be easy with all of the players on the cornerback roster, but the battle for all to stay on the roster will make training camp worth watching, if nothing else.

Though the Texans have made some decisions that many haven’t agreed with this offseason, the Texans’ draft decision to select Reid in the fourth round was one that many should agree with, as the competition is a little tougher with the cornerback on the roster.