The Houston Texans needed to add more artillery to their edge defense, and they may have addressed that need in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In Round 3 of the draft, the Texans selected Florida outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard 90th overall. According to the latest metrics from Pro Football Focus, the former Gator was one of two Power 5 edge defenders in the entire draft class that finished with a grade of 85-plus in both run defense and pass rushing. The other edge defender was another SEC product in the Alabama Crimson Tide’s Anfernee Jennings.
If those grades translate to the NFL level, then the Texans found a tremendous complement to outside linebackers Whitney Mercilus, Brennan Scarlett, Jacob Martin, and Duke Ejiofor.
Greenard told reporters on April 24 that he feels comfortable playing either upright or with his hand in the dirt coming off the edge in defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme.
“I feel pretty comfortable in both a three-point and a two-point stance,” Greenard said. “Definitely for me, I’ve done it all my college career and I feel like I’m pretty comfortable on both sides so I don’t feel like it will be any adjustments. I definitely just have to continue to build and go off of my technique. All it is at this point in time is the technique standpoint.”
The Texans finished with 31 sacks in 2019, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth-fewest in the NFL. If Greenard can provide the Texans with quality edge defense, it should bolster what they already have on the roster and restore the unit to the upper echelon of the league.
