The Houston Texans selected five players in the 2020 NFL Draft, which made it easier for pundits to identify who were their favorite picks and who weren’t.
According to Pro Football Focus’ Michael Renner, the best pick that the Texans made was in the fourth round when they took Penn State cornerback John Reid with the 141st overall pick.
“Reid has exceptional instincts for the position and can be thrown in the slot from day one,” Renner wrote.
The Texans have a deep cornerback group, but the challenge for first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will be determining who can help improve the coverage. Having a young, mature, versatile cornerback such as Reid would help.
Renner was not impressed with the Texans’ selection of Florida outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who the Texans picked 90th overall in the third round.
“Greenard is a well below-average athlete at a position where athleticism matters a good deal,” Renner wrote. “He struggled mightily against better tackles in the SEC last year.”
Even though Greenard may have struggled against SEC tackles, he isn’t expected to be the dominant pass rusher from the outset. The rookie will be part of a wave of pass rushers that includes Brennan Scarlett, Duke Ejiofor, Whitney Mercilus, and Jacob Martin. As long as Greenard can one day grow into the type of pass rusher that can adequately upgrade or replace those players, then the pick was a success.
