The Houston Texans could use an influx of youth and talent to their interior offensive line.
The Texans had a platoon consisting of guards Justin McCray, Lane Taylor, Max Scharping, Tytus Howard, and centers Justin Britt and the rookie Jimmy Morrissey.
Houston’s results were dismal as they generated a league-low 3.4 yards per carry and an 83.6 rushing yards per game, also the fewest in the NFL.
If the Texans want a guard who has a combination of youth and talent to help the interior and give a boost to the run game, they need to keep their eyes on Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green.
According to Seth Galina from Pro Football Focus, Green is the third-best interior offensive lineman in the 2022 NFL draft class, and his scoring in the PFF metrics puts him in a favorable light to help a team’s run game.
His best position is left guard, where he posted an 85.0 grade in 2021. You can see how light he is in his pass sets with tackle-like pass protection reps. Green’s issues come from his hands. There have been instances of rushers being able to remove his hands from their body and then get to the quarterback. He has strength coming from his lower half and upper body, but the hands need to be grippier. As a run-blocker, he uses his leverage — he’s just 6-foot-3, 316 pounds — to get underneath defenders’ pad levels and wash them down. He’s a nasty player for a position that demands it.
He’ll be able to fill in at multiple different positions if needed, just as he did at Texas A&M, but if a team is drafting him in the first round, it must be to play left guard.
Galina has Green going in the early second round, and the Texans are picking in that range in Round 2 with the No. 37 overall pick.
