4 most underappreciated players in Houston Texans history

Whitney Mercilus

There is no question that J.J. Watt is the best defensive player in Houston Texans' franchise history however who is number two is open for debate as there are a number of players who could stake a claim to that.

The Houston Texans have ended up with the first overall pick a number of times in their franchise history and twice used it on pass rushers when they selected Mario Williams in the 2006 NFL Draft and then Jadeveon Clowney in the 2014 NFL Draft. However, in between that time would use a first-round pick on Whitney Mercilus and a case could be made that he was more impactful than Williams and Clowney.

Whitney Mercilus was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft and would play in 134 games over 10 seasons with the Texans. While he would only have one season with double-digit sacks, he would have at least five sacks in six of his seasons.

Mercilus was often playing alongside players like Watt or Clowney and his performance would be overshadowed. However, he was a very consistent presence on the defense during his time with the Texans.