The Houston Texans need to prepare for the future at edge rusher, and they have many chances to do so in the 2022 NFL draft.
While Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson, and Georgia defensive end Travon Walker figure to garner attention for one of Houston’s twin first-round selections, the Texans can still build for the future at the position later on in the draft.
One edge defender in the draft who had the highest pass rush win rate among eligible 2022 draft class members is former UAB defensive end Alex Wright, who is one of Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey’s “guys” heading into the draft.
Wright has pretty much everything an NFL team would want in a developmental edge prospect who will likely come off the board somewhere in the third to fourth round range.
The size and length are there for Wright to be an every-down player at 6-foot-5 and 274 pounds with 34-inch arms. His production across the past three seasons at UAB was also impressive, albeit against less-than-stellar competition. Wright’s 19.9% pressure rate in 2021 ranked first among FBS edge rushers in this year’s draft class.
Linsey freely admits that Wright won’t “immediately step in as a high-end starter,” but the beauty is Houston doesn’t need him to.
Defensive end Jonathan Greenard led the Texans last season with 8.0 sacks and figures to be the Texans’ lead edge rusher in 2022 as well. Greenard is entering the third year of his four-year rookie contract. Whether Houston decides to move on from Greenard or extend him, it would behoove them to add a defensive end who can develop behind the scenes with no pressure.
Even if Houston picks a top-5 edge rusher on day one of the draft, by 2024, Houston could have a formidable tandem with the top-5 edge rusher and a more developed Wright.
