2020 NFL Draft grades for each Houston Texans selection
Putting a letter grade on each pick made by the Houston Texans in the 2020 NFL Draft.
We were all ready to sit back and make fun of what Bill O’Brien and the Houston Texans did in the 2020 NFL Draft. Let’s be honest, this team does not have the most impressive recent track record. That being said, O’Brien and company did a nice job of filling needs with talented players in the 2020 NFL Draft. Under the leadership of star quarterback Deshaun Watson, this team is ready to come in and legitimately compete in the AFC South during the 2020 season.
The Houston Texans made five selections in the 2020 NFL Draft and they are as followed:
Round 2, Pick 40: Ross Blacklock, IDL, TCU
Round 3, Pick 90: Jonathan Greenard, EDGE, Florida
Round 4, Pick 126: Charlie Heck, OL, North Carolina
Round 4, Pick 141: John Reid, CB, Penn State
Round 5, Pick 171: Isaiah Coulter, WR, Rhode Island
How did the Texans do with these picks? Follow along as we grade each and every 2020 NFL Draft selection made by the team.
Round 2, Pick 40
B+. . IDL. TCU. ROSS BLACKLOCK
The Houston Texans consistently struggled to put pressure on the quarterback in 2019. This is an area that is usually a strength for Houston but was a constant issue in 2019. The Texans only sacked the quarterback 31 times last season, the third-fewest times in the entire NFL. While sack totals do not tell the entire story, they also had the fifth-worst team pass rush win rate, according to ESPN. Simply put, they struggled to put pressure on the quarterback all season long.
With their first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Texans immediately help their lack of a consistent pass rush with the selection of Ross Blacklock. Getting pressure from the interior is just as important as getting it from the outside and Blacklock is an extremely disruptive interior rusher who has massive upside at the next level.
Blacklock has a quick first step and active hands throughout the play. He is physical through the line of scrimmage and always seems to find himself in the backfield. Blacklock shows a nice combination of power and quickness and has a ton of upside as a one-gap penetrator at the next level. The Houston Texans needed to find players who can attack the quarterback and Blacklock certainly fits the bill.