Houston Texans News: Realistic expectations for the 2020 draft class
4. Jonathan Greenard, Edge- Florida (Round 3, 90th overall)
6’3, 263 lbs, Age: 22
The obvious need for improvement on defense was apparent early, and spending two picks on Day 2 solidifying a shaky front seven will hopefully pay dividends, with the third round pick being Jonathan Greenard.
The team clearly lacked an outside presence after J.J. Watt tore his pectoral, and the combo of Whitney Mercilus and Jacob Martin wasn’t enough to get after passers. Greenard produced a monster collection of stats during his senior season, including 15.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception, and a touchdown.
Greenard was dignified with an All-SEC first-team distinction and snagging him with the 90th selection was another value selection for the Texans. He now faces the challenge of competing for the starting lineup, but he is probably best suited to start out as a situational pass rusher. Using his athletic frame and impressive lateral agility helped him succeed in college, but Greenard needs to prove that he is 100-percent recovered from his 2018 wrist injury and capable of playing at the NFL level.
The best Houston Texans news that can be had early on is Greenard is likely to start the season behind Mercilus, Martin, and Brennan Scarlett, but realistically he can beat out Duke Ejiofor. The Texans news from this draft choice of Greenard is it may take a year or so to develop into the kind of player he eventually became in Gainesville, but at the very least he will help fortify a very weak front seven in Houston.