The Texans have one of the deepest defensive end units in the NFL.
Bookend pass rushers in Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are the stars, but Houston also brought back Derek Barnett after he started the final four games of the 2023 season and put up 17 tackles, 10 QB hits, 6 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks. Fourth-rounder Dylan Horton from the 2022 draft is also on his way back following a cancer diagnosis after he played 26% of the defensive snaps in the 10 games as a rookie.
The team signed Denico Autry this offseason, who has the flexibility to play outside as well as inside and can provide talent and depth at the position behind Anderson Jr. and Hunter. Behind those five players, Houston has Ali Gaye and Marcus Haynes — who haven’t played a snap in the NFL.
Anderson Jr. isn’t going anywhere for a long time but the same can’t be said about the rest of the group. Hunter will be a free agent after the 2025 season and Autry is under contract for the next two seasons but the Texans could move on from him after this year if he’s not playing to expectations. The Texans can move on from Gaye and Haynes at any time while Barnett is a free agent after the 2024 season.
The Texans have major contracts on the horizon in the coming years and don’t have a lot of talented depth at the defensive end position past the upcoming season. They could look to add a pass rusher on a rookie contract for the next four years with only Anderson Jr. and Horton under contract past the 2025 campaign. However, they'd have to do so starting in the second round.
Here are four edge players that the Texans could target at pick No. 42 or No. 59.
Full draft target breakdowns: WR | RB | TE | OT | DB | DT | LB
Texans 2024 NFL draft targets
Darius Robinson, Missouri
Measurables: 6-foot-5 | 285 pounds | 34.5-inch arms | 7-foot-0.5 wingspan
Combine numbers: 4.95 40-yard dash | 1.73 10-yard split | 35-inch vertical | 9-foot-3 broad | 21 reps
Robinson would give the Texans a backup to Autry’s specific role as he could play defensive tackle at the 3-technique for Houston and also take reps at defensive end. The move provides value at both positions as the Texans remain thin at defensive tackle and end for the future.
Robinson plays with leverage and length and can violently discard offensive linemen. He has a power rip move and he’s tenacious, remaining active throughout the play. Robinson easily sets the edge and creates space and separation by benching linemen off of him.
Robinson has been projected anywhere from a first-round pick to the middle of the second round. If the Texans want to acquire him they’ll need to select with their first pick at No. 42 overall.
Chop Robinson, Penn State
Measurables: 6-foot-3 | 254 pounds | 32.5-inch arms | 6-foot-4 wingspan
Combine numbers: 4.48 40-yard dash | 1.54 10-yard split | 34.5-inch vertical | 10-foot-8 broad | 4.25 short shuttle
Penn State's Robinson is similar to Alabama's Dallas Turner as they both are projected to get drafted higher than their film would suggest, due to their athletic profiles. However, Robinson comes up short in arm length and wingspan, providing one more question that Turner lacks.
Robinson’s strength is in his quickness, shiftiness and ability to stay active and play violent. When he flies out of the wide-9 position he hits the chest of the offensive tackle driving them back into the quarterback’s lap.
Robinson has been viewed as a first-round pick throughout the process but could see himself available around the range of the Texans’ first pick. Despite the speed and quickness he possesses, Robinson struggles to win the edge as he doesn’t hold up to offensive tackles leaning on him at the bend and is routinely put on the ground.
Austin Booker, Kansas
Measurables: 6-foot-5 | 240 pounds | 34-inch arms | 6-foot-9.5 wingspan
Combine numbers: 4.79 40-yard dash | 1.67 10-yard split | 32.5-inch vertical | 10-foot-0 broad
Booker uses his unique acceleration step amid his rush. The speed change routinely gets offensive linemen off balance as they attempt to stay with Booker. He takes advantage of offensive linemen being off balance by attacking with a sharp plant and cutting against their weakness.
Booker has combative hands which he utilizes for chops, swiping, grip-and-rip and more as he has a bag of tools. Booker displays a quick spin move that he sets up with a long outside step before spinning back to the inside of the offensive lineman.
Booker’s biggest concerns are due to his lack of speed and slender frame that prevents him from winning the edge consistently as tackles are routinely in position and can lean on him, preventing him from getting to the break point and holding up through it.
Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
Measurables: 6-foot-3 | 267 pounds | 34.5-inch arms | 6-foot-11.5 wingspan
Combine numbers: 4.75 40-yard dash | 1.66 10-yard split | 35.5-inch vertical | 9-foot-11 broad | 7.02 3-cone | 4.18 short shuttle | 21 reps
Kneeland uses his length well to shock offensive linemen off the snap of the ball. He excels with his use of the long-arm technique on pass rushes and his strength to drive back offensive tackles with his bull rush. He avoids pulling blockers or knocking them out of his path.
Kneeland easily avoids cut blocks, stacks and sheds blockers quickly and shows impressive change of direction for his size. He’ll use a runway to build up steam when standing versus the interior of the offensive line, slamming into them and making it impossible to stop.
Kneeland isn’t a fast or explosive player, but can win the edge through force and bend but lacks the speed desired for a pure NFL edge position.
Who will the Texans draft?
The Texans would have to draft either of the Robinsons — Darius or Chop — at pick No. 42 or earlier if they want a shot at either of them. Between the two, Darius Robinson’s positional value on the inside and outside would be worth consideration. But after what the Texans gave up to draft Anderson Jr., along with the contract shelled out to Hunter, pick No. 42 seems a little too rich this year.
The Texans could consider Kneeland or Booker and there is a shot either last until the team's second pick at No. 59. Between the two, Booker has the skillset and upside worth betting on if the Texans want to go back to the well at the edge position. The move would be questioned in 2024, just like the trade-up for Anderson Jr. was in 2023, but in the seasons to follow he has the upside to play on par with most of the top pass rushers in his class.
