Tank Dell asked the Houston Texans to not let him leave the city, and they obliged.
The Texans spent their No. 69 overall pick in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL draft to take the former Houston Cougars receiver. On an emotional level, Dell is starting his NFL career as high as it could get.
From a football perspective, Dell going to the Texans is also a decent opportunity for the 23-year-old to make an impact early.
According to Gordon McGuinness from Pro Football Focus, the Texans rank as the the seventh-best receiver situation for a rookie.
Dell had one of the most intriguing landing spots, finding himself in Houston with Nico Collins, John Metchie III and Robert Woods ahead of him on the depth chart, a rookie quarterback in C.J. Stroud and a new offensive coordinator in Bobby Slowik who should bring some elements of the San Francisco 49ers offense to the team. Dell is undersized but put up more than 1,300 yards in each of the past two seasons and forced 19 missed tackles on receptions in both 2021 and 2022.
After the Texans drafted Dell on Day 2 of the draft on April 28, general manager Nick Caserio saw the 5-8, 165-pound wideout fitting into a role similar to that of former New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker.
“Wes is one of the most productive receivers in football for a period of time there,” said Caserio. “He’s a slot receiver. He’ll probably get pissed off if you say he’s a slot receiver. Wes is 5-7, 175 pounds, he wasn’t drafted. Danny Amendola wasn’t drafted. Each player is going to be motivated differently.”
As long as Dell is able to build a rapport with Stroud, along with following along closely with Slowik’s schemes, he should be able to capitalize on the Texans’ receiver situation early.
