The Houston Texans will have some new faces on the defensive unit next season, and looking at the 2021 NFL Draft the case can be made that is where the Texans will find some depth for the position, especially if the franchise moves away from veteran J.J. Watt.
This offseason the trade rumor cycle has mentioned the name of Watt a number of times due to the fact the Texans are rebuilding their franchise on-and-off the field. Watt is about to enter his 11th season, and to be honest a Super Bowl victory most likely isn’t in the cards for the Texans next season, which is the the final year of Watt’s contract, which he’s owed $17.5 million in 2021.
Though it would be tough to see for Texans fans, the odds are most likely in favor of J.J. Watt being traded at some point this offseason for some draft capital. The positive for Watt — the Texans all-time sacks leader — is he will most likely end up on a team that actually does have a chance to compete for a Super Bowl title.
So for the purposes of moving forward, this upcoming 2021 NFL Draft will be very interesting to see what type and how many picks the Texans end up with. Since franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson is still on the roster and hasn’t been traded, the first time the Houston Texans will make a selection is the 67th overall pick, but all of that can change at any time.
Who are some of the defensive ends/pass rushers that could be added to the roster to play along side second-year player Ross Blacklock, a second round pick in 2020? Who will most likely have the tough task of replacing Watt if he is traded?
Next are five edge rushers who could take over for J.J. Watt if a trade is made. Remember Watt is an all-time great, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and the greatest player to ever play for the franchise, so the shoes would be very large to fill.
All of that said, Watt deserves a real chance to play for a Super Bowl opportunity in his 11th NFL season, and to do so he’ll have to leave the only franchise he’s ever known as the Texans are rebuilding the team from the front office to the football field.
4. Patrick Jones II
Here is a player who can rush the quarterback but has been described as a player who has the built of an NFL pass rusher, but not the strength of one. Pro Football Focus has Jones as a fourth round selection, which for the Houston Texans if things stay exactly like they are currently for their draft picks, would be a nice addition to their rebuilt roster.
Jones played 540 snaps outside of the tackle this past season playing for the University of Pittsburgh, totaling nine sacks, five QB hits, 23 QB hurries and he even had three pass deflections.
The past three seasons at Pittsburgh, Jones collected 23 sacks, with 10 sacks in 2019. That season seemed to be his best as he also had 44 QB hurries and eight QB hits.
Patrick Jones is a name to remember this offseason as the Houston Texans prepare for the draft. Who knows, if Jones does improve on his strength, as that seems to be an issue, the Texans could find some serious depth at defensive end during the second or third day of the draft.
3. Joshua Kaindoh
In a draft preview by Pro Football Focus they said that Joshua Kaindoh left them “wanting more” as they did their evaluations for the 2021 NFL Draft, but if that is the case, that should mean they have high expectations of the edge rusher from Florida State University.
Joshua Kaindoh had an leg injury in 2019, but in 2020 in his final season at Florida State he had 14 tackles (seven solo), with one interception (a 25-yard touchdown), and one pass defensed.
The 6’7, 265 pound defensive end also played four seasons at FSU, collecting a total of 60 tackles (37 solo) with 8.5 sacks (none in 2020), and two passes defensed.
PFF says Kaindoh’s biggest weakness is his “play speed.”
There is improvements needed by Kaindoh, but if he’s still on the board on Day 3 of the draft in Round 4, the Texans must take a look at him. The defense is in a rebuild mode, and why not select a player who can build his game as the defense works to become a better overall offensive unit?
The more reps Kaindoh can get in the early stages of his career, the better, and in 2021 the new-look Texans defense would be better off in the long term if they give younger players more reps on the field.
2. Dayo Odeyingbo
If the Houston Texans want to find a defensive end in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft then look no further than Dayo Odeyingbo of Vanderbilt, because he could become a quality player in the league.
Odeyingbo is versatile, and has the size to stand up to offensive linemen in the NFL. Odeyingbo is a 6’6, 276 pound player who played in 428 snaps this past season with Vanderbilt. In those snaps he played the run well with 10 run stops to go along with five sacks and eight QB hits.
Odeyingbo also this past season collected eight QB hits and played on 247 pass rush snaps. The pass rusher also had one pass defensed in 2020.
For his collegiate career, which was a total of four seasons, Odeyingbo finished with 126 total tackles (63 solo) with three passes defensed, 12 sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception (2017).
Nick Falato of Sports Illustrated’s Giants Country wrote the following on the defensive end for a draft profile in late January:
"“Very versatile at Vanderbilt; played in with his hand in the dirt and a two-point position while also lining up everywhere on the line of scrimmage, including edge, 3-tech, 1-tech, and at nose tackle.”"
The versatility of Odeyingbo is what draws the attention in the pre-draft process. If the Houston Texans could use his positives to their advantage, if they were to draft Odeyingbo, then like the others mentioned, he could learn as the defense rebuilds. That means the longer the season goes, the better Odeyingbo would be if given the proper coaching moving forward.
1. Joe Tryon
Here is another potential third round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft for the Houston Texans and his name is Joe Tryon of the University of Washington. The first words seen when researching Tyron was “bull rush,” and that is the type of player the Houston Texans need on their defense, especially if they decide to trade J.J. Watt this offseason.
In this rebuild of the Houston Texans defense, a player like Joe Tryon would bring some much needed aggression to the football field at NRG Stadium. Tryon should be rested as he didn’t play a single snap this past season, as he chose to opt-out for 2020.
In what was his final collegiate season in 2019, Tryon totaled eight sacks and had one pass defensed, while in 2018 he finished with one sack and one pass defensed. For his two seasons at Washington, Tryon finished with 37 solo tackles and nine sacks.
Again, with Tryon it comes back to being an aggressive player. Yes, there is such a thing as too much aggression when being an edge rusher as he can play both outside linebacker or defensive end depending on the defensive formation, so that a positive for any team that drafts Tryon.
Tryon be facing much stronger competition in the NFL, but it would be nice to see a Lovie Smith coordinated defense bring some much needed aggression on defense in 2021. Maybe Tryon is that player as he’s spent the last few months preparing for the NFL, and is probably more than ready to take the field in 2021.