Houston Texans second-round draft pick Marlin Klein has a lot to prove ahead of the team's rookie report date of Tuesday, July 21st. Considering the nebulous nature of the tight end's selection at 59th-overall, and his injury-induce absence the close out team OTA's and minicamp, Klein is sitting behind the proverbial "8-ball" as it relates to fan confidence in him making an impact in year one.
Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 250 pounds, his physical traits give him the height of soon-to-be Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski and the weight of current top-tier tight end in San Francisco 49er George Kittle. However, his scarce production as a Michigan Wolverine in seasons prior make him a relative unknown in terms of a projection of a ceiling. Also, the team's current depth at the position confirm that he'll be battling for reps at TE3 at best, and a spot on the practice squad at worst.
Marlin Klein has a tall hill to climb to breakthrough onto the 53-man roster
Dalton Schultz signed an extension this offseason after a career year last season, so TE1 is "hands off" territory. Then you have the newcoming veteran in Foster Moreau, who's already ingratiated himself among the team as a locker room leader and who brings quality on-field experience. In this case, I'd also look at TE2 as "hands off", unless something catastrophic and/or amazing happens.
That's when we land at arguably the second-most realistic goal of TE3, which is currently occupied by the oft-injured Brevin Jordan, who has no contractual connection with the team after this season. Jordan has shown explosive athleticism in the past, as evidenced by his now famous 76-yard catch-and-run touchdown grab in the 2023 AFC playoffs against the Cleveland Browns. After that, Jordan has missed back-to-back seasons with major lower-body injuries. Although, Jordan's veteran standing could give him an edge. Regardless, Klein could have a chance --with major production in training camp-- to make it a real competition with Jordan if he flashed in camp.
Either that, or a step down in weight class would be for Klein to do battle with third-year tight end Cade Stover for TE4, who many in the fan base already consider either a cut candidate or an option to change positions and find playing time at the fullback position. In this scenario, Klein could comfortably make the roster while still being able to develop as a long-term "project" option at the position. This would somewhat make the most sense, but it would be disappointing for a considerable amount of Texans supporters who already think the 59th-overall pick could've been spent elsewhere on the roster.
Here's hoping that Klein can put the concerns to bed with a strong outing in training camp. And who knows, maybe he shines so bright that he becomes a potential "breakout" candidate heading into the preseason?
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