Houston Texans rookie outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard earned a reputation as a pass rusher with his 10.0 sacks for the Florida Gators in 2019. However, Greenard sees himself as more of a complete edge defender.
In a recent interview with Jordan Pun of Texans Unfiltered where Greenard broke down film from his college days, the 90th overall pick in Round 3 explained that he prefers to stop the run as an edge defender because he views it as a prerequisite to pressuring the quarterback.
“Yeah, personally I like to stop the run just because, I’ve been taught to stop the run so much, we have to earn the right to rush the passer. First and second down, that’s where I thrive at. Love to create negative plays. So, I know for a fact that third down it’s going be a pass. You know, I hate being in third-and-7, third-and-8 situations because those are still sort of on the fence. You could get a short pass, or some teams are gutsy and they’re going to play for four-down territory, and just give it a shot. And it could still be a run, just depending on what kind of philosophy the coaches have.
Throughout the film session with Pun, Greenard takes the reader through his thought process and what drives him to be a more complete defender.
One of the reasons the Texans like Greenard is for his versatility.
“Jon Greenard was a guy that you could see doing a bunch of things for us, and I think position flexibility, particularly in the defense we’re trying to institute, adds a tremendous amount of value,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver told reporters on May 13. “He’s a guy that can rush off the edge, can rush inside, can drop into coverage, and when you can wear that many hates, that poses a lot of potential problems for an offense.”
If teams seek to establish the run, Greenard’s intention is to stop them.