The Houston Texans’ five-man 2021 draft class was about acquiring talent that could provide competition at their respective positions.
With the Texans picking fifth-round linebacker Garret Wallow from TCU, Houston was looking for a defender who could meld well into then-defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 scheme.
With the Texans promoting Smith to coach in Feb. 2022, he isn’t the only one who has taken another step. According to linebacker Christian Kirksey, Wallow is also making strides in his development.
“Garret, that’s my guy,” Kirksey told reporters after the first day of training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. “I call him ‘Gary’ just for fun. It’s a little inside joke. But he’s a high motor. He’s smart. He can play any of the three linebacker positions and he just has that high motor where he’s going to go make a play and he can go do it all day.”
Wallow generated 23 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and 1.0 sack through 17 games, two of which he started. The former Horned Frog played 286 special teams snaps compared to 180 on defense.
That may change if Wallow’s progress can translate to the gridiron.
Said Kirksey: “You could see the leap from year one to year two in his confidence level. Also you could see what he’s been doing in the weight room and on the field, just how his body is transitioning. He’s put a lot of work in the offseason. So, I’m excited for him this year.
The Texans also drafted a linebacker in Round 3 of the 2022 NFL draft in Alabama’s Christian Harris. With the Texans trending towards a younger linebacking corps, Wallow may emerge as one of the leaders by example of the unit.
