The Houston Texans don’t have many breakout candidates among their five-man class from the 2021 NFL draft, but tight end Brevin Jordan may be one of them.
According to Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com, the former Miami Hurricane is No. 4 on her list of rookie tight ends who have a chance to shine in 2021.
Well, this projection is more of an estimate than I prefer given the uncertainty at the quarterback position for Houston, but there is potential upside for Jordan. As of right now, the Texans’ top three receivers are Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb and Chris Conley. No matter who the QB is, the lack of depth could create an immediate opportunity for volume for Jordan. As measured in game speed, Jordan was the second-fastest player among Power Five tight ends during his college career. He forced 21 missed tackles on 105 targets at Miami, per PFF, and my computer vision counts him as earning the second-most yards after contact as a percentage of total yards in the FBS among tight ends last season.
Frelund’s supposition tracks with what tight ends coach Andy Bischoff said about the 6-3, 247-pound tight end in a Zoom meeting with reporters on June 8 during the last week of organized team activities.
“First of all, a guy that talent-wise a lot of people expected to be off the board,” Bischoff said. “We were elated to get him when we got him. What I can tell you about Brevin is he comes in every day with a smile on his face, he’s smart, he’s a competitive guy, he wants to improve each day. He’s not a guy that needs multiple repetitions to get it right.
“It’s a process right now. It’s a big playbook and different from colleges. A lot of colleges have a much more condensed system. We’re just going through each day chipping away at it. We see improvement every day. He’s a welcome addition and he certainly adds to the competitiveness of the room.”
If Jordan is able to find his way on the field and get his targets, he would be able to make good on Frelund’s forecast. To do so, the rookie will compete in training camp with incumbent starter Jordan Akins and Pharaoh Brown for playing time.
