The Houston Texans drafted Mississippi State tackle Martinas Rankin in the third-round of the 2018 NFL draft as a part of their attempt to upgrade the offensive line.
It wasn’t enough of an upgrade as quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered 62 sacks, the most in the NFL. Furthermore, Rankin started four games out of the 16 he was active. Now, the club is figuring out where Rankin fits in his second season.
“Martinas is a very hard worker,” said Texans coach Bill O’Brien at the AFC coaches breakfast Tuesday. “He’s a really mature guy for a young player. I saw him the other day, he came by to see us. He looks good. Been working out, I think he went back to Mississippi State for a while, worked out with them.”
What O’Brien likes about Rankin is his versatility, not just as a perimeter defender, but in the interior.
“He could play left guard, he could play right guard, he’s played tackle last year,” said O’Brien. “I think he’s more of a guard than he is a tackle, but he’s a great guy. Our expectations for Martinas are high. We have high expectations for Martinas.”
The 6-5, 311-pound former Bulldog may be more suited for guard. If he can take one of the guard spots away from veterans Senio Kelemete or Zach Fulton, then it will inject youth and better talent to a unit that has finished first and second in the most sacks surrendered the past two seasons.
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