The Houston Texans attempted to get their slot receiver of the present and future in the fourth-round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The player selected, Keke Coutee, proved to be a force in his rookie year, as he has the speed and quickness to be confused with a super car.
Alongside DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller, Coutee quickly established himself as the team’s slot option in 2018; ultimately leading to a cut of Bruce Ellington. He built a pseudo brand as a “Colt Killer” receiver similar to T.Y. Hilton and the Texans. The then-rookie recorded two 109-plus yard games against Indianapolis in his lone couple of games played against the team, including post-season.
However, the former Texas Tech Red Raider’s rookie season bogged down based on a lingering, not whole entirely career-altering, hamstring injury — it led to a total of seven games played out of 17 (including playoffs).
Nonetheless, Coutee’s rookie year sparked the question during training camp of if head coach Bill O’Brien sees him comparable to slot greats Wes Welker and Julian Edelman; who he coached with the New England Patriots. O’Brien’s retaliation to the question goes as follow
“I don’t get into too many comparisons,” O’Brien said. “Each guy is a little bit different in their skillset, but those are obviously two great players that you mentioned that I’ve had the privilege of coaching.
“Keke is an excellent young player. [He] had an awesome spring after coming off of a tough year dealing with some injuries and things, but really put the time in. He works hard, he’s a very dynamic player on the practice field and the big thing for him will just be really staying healthy, being consistent and keep working the way he’s working. I think he’s got an excellent future in the league, no doubt about it.”
As O’Brien notes, comparisons for the three can’t be made or won’t, because each brings a different skill set to the table. The same goes for Coutee, who he sees a dynamic player — as he has the speed, burst, and elusiveness to evade tackles and breakout vertical plays like so little slot receivers do.
Coutee appears to be a weapon for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, but he has to stay healthy to continue to do so. Luckily, the second-year receiver has remained in good health throughout the off-season and is putting in the time to elevate his game. All indications point to the former Red Raiders having an excellent year come 2019, and as the coach says, a future in the league, too.
