Houston Texans Will Look Hard At Outside Linebacker In The Draft

Oct 18, 2014; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Ryan Timmons (1) carries the ball in front of LSU Tigers defensive end Danielle Hunter (94) in the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

Danielle Hunter  (2^nd round)

6’5”, 252 – LSU

Danielle Hunter played a traditional 4-3 defensive end at LSU and falls into the category of a player that will likely need to transition to a 3-4 outside linebacker.  For Texans fans, that may be a scary thought after the disaster that was Sam Montgomery, also from LSU, also a 4-3 defensive end trying to convert.

Hunter, however is no Sam Montgomery.  Montgomery was a thicker bodied player and LSU coaches reportedly told NFL scouts that Montgomery would not be able to convert to a 3-4 outside linebacker but the Texans attempted it anyway because they thought he was too good of a player to pass up in the 3rd round.  I would suggest stop worrying about “steals” and players that have slid and just rely on your evaluations and draft good football players no matter the position, but I digress.

Oct 12, 2013; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers defensive end Danielle Hunter (94) against the Florida Gators during the first half of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Hunter is a tremendous athlete for a man his size.  He’s a little taller than you normally see at outside linebacker but that could actually benefit him.

Hunter has long arms and shows good power.  He also possesses a freakish combination of size, athleticism and explosiveness and a has a high motor.  Here is a clip of Hunter against Mississippi State.

Hunter ran a 4.57 at the NFL combine, very quick for a defensive end in college, and pumped 25 reps on the bench.  But then Danielle Hunter really blew up at the LSU Pro Day.

He added to his combine numbers with a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-10 broad jump.  He then ran the 20-yard short shuttle in 4.47 seconds and the 3-cone drill in 6.95 seconds, which is an outstanding number for a man of his size.

Hunter should be available to the Texans with their 2nd round pick.  His athleticism and outstanding measurables will tempt some teams to grab him sooner, but he’s still going to be a bit of a project that will need to be coached to the new position but the payoff could be huge.