The defense is better with the Texans 2022 NFL Draft pick at No. 75 overall.
If fans of the Houston Texans want to give No. 75 overall pick Christian Harris a proper welcome and make him feel at home, the proper greeting should be a simple “Roll Tide,” as the newest Houston linebacker played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Houston moved up five spots in a draft night trade with the Denver Broncos, with Denver moving back to No. 80 overall, plus they gained the 162 overall pick (fifth round) by moving back five spots with the Texans.
The Broncos trade: Pick 75
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 30, 2022
The Texans trade: Pick 80, 162
Linebacker was a big need for the Texans ,and according to ESPN Draft coverage Harris can play both inside and outside linebacker, which is an excellent fit for the Texans and Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 defense.
Harris was timed with a 4.44 40-yard dash time during prep for the draft, and in the NFL.com draft profile Harris was projected as a second-round pick, so this selection at 75th overall is a steal for Houston.
In three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Harris finished with 26 tackles for loss, plus he had 10 career sacks. Looking at his ’21 season at Alabama, the newest Texans linebacker collected 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Also in ’21, Harris had three passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
Draft 2022: What is the draft grade for Christian Harris?
The positive of this selection is Houston needed to get some youth at linebacker, and they need more linebackers they can depend on in ’22 and beyond. The current linebackers for the Texans are: Kamu Grugier-Hill, Jalen Maybin-Reeves, Nevile Hewitt, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Garret Wallow and Tre Davis at outside linebacker, and on the inside the depth chart are Christian Kirksey and Blake Cashman.
This pick for the third round is tough not to like because the goal for Houston entering this draft should have been to rebuild the defense, and that’s what general manager Nick Caserio is working to achieve.
Thus far, Houston has selected three defensive players being cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. of LSU, safety Jalen Pitre of Baylor and now Harris. All three were big needs for the Texans entering this draft, and they’ve also added a wide receiver (John Mitchie) and an offensive guard (Kenyon Green).
All in all, this as a solid draft choice by Houston, and though some of the players picked might not have been “favorites” at the start of the draft, it is becoming clear Caserio is building depth with the defense that will eventually pay off with wins down the road.