Who would have thought the most under appreciated player on the Houston Texans would be Marlon Mack, a former Indianapolis Colts running back?
So says Cynthia Frelund from NFL.com, who compiled a list of each under appreciated player across the AFC. Frelund’s calculations are based on whether the player was drafted in the second round or later and their contract with the team. Frelund admits she likes to use players on existing teams, but the flurry of free agent moves made it difficult, which is why Mack, who has never played a snap for Houston, ends up as their most under appreciated player.
APY: $2 million (tied for 36th among running backs).
OK, so, it’s not ideal, for the purposes of this list, that Mack has played in just seven games over the past two seasons, and for a different team, at that — but my models love this fit and the upside. The last time Mack had a full season’s worth of workload, in 2019, he ran for 1,091 yards, the 10th most among running backs in the NFL that season. Computer vision shows that the ex-Colt’s change-of-direction speed ranked seventh-highest in the NFL that season. NGS [Next Gen Stats] shows he exceeded 15 miles per hour on 51 runs in 2019, which ranked fourth among RBs.
That Mack’s under appreciation is based on work from 2019 before he tore his Achilles is inauspicious as to his effectiveness with the Texans in 2022. Jonathan Taylor took the reins from Mack after his injury early in 2020 and never looked back.
The Texans and Mack do make for a good situation for one another. Houston has an insurance policy in fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce should Mack not work out. Mack similarly won’t be expected to be the feature back in the Texans’ offense, which is also run heavy, which means Mack will have chances to make his case he can still be a bell cow.
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