The Houston Texans need help everywhere after finishing 4-12 a season ago and undergoing a coaching change.
Their biggest problem in the upcoming 2021 NFL draft is that they do not make their first selection until Round 3 with the 67th overall pick. It isn’t exactly the best place to start when a team is undergoing a rebuild.
However, there is still value to be had in the bottom half of the draft’s top 100 picks. According to a survey of SEC coaches conducted by Matt Zenitz of AL.com, former Vanderbilt defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is an edge defender teams should consider selecting in the third round.
“He’s got such position versatility,” a head coach said. “He can play everything from the three-technique to an end in the NFL. And I think if you’ve got that type of speed, size and athleticism … he’s not Myles Garrett, but he’s got some of those same attributes. He’s a big, long, athletic, disruptive pass rusher who — even on a team that didn’t produce wins — he stood out.”
Odeyingbo collected 122 combined tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his 41 games with the Commodores from 2017-20.
What adding the 6-6, 276-pound edge defender would do for the Texans is provide them with a younger player who could offer depth behind defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Charles Omenihu. Over the course of Odeyingbo’s four-year rookie contract with Houston, he could develop into a formidable pass rusher and give the Texans another force off the edge.
Houston’s needs a manifold and their first selection isn’t until the third round. Odeyingbo would have to be the most convincing athlete available at No. 67 overall for the Texans to make that selection. If their board says that he is, they shouldn’t be hesitant to take Odeyingbo.