Houston Texans: Four players to watch in the preseason opener

Julién Davenport, LT, 70

Julién Davenport was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. He was seen as an excellent developmental project out of AA Bucknell. He has incredible size, standing at 6’7″ and weighing 320 lbs. The biggest thing holding him back was his lack of elite competition.

At the time, this was a great pick on a player will terrific potential to come and learn behind one of the most solid left tackles in the league, Duane Brown. Then Brown held out and was eventually traded midseason. Trades and inconsistencies also occurred. All of this resulted in Davenport being thrust into the lineup far before he should have been.

Davenport struggled mightily his first few times he was thrown into the mix. It was beginning to look like the Houston Texans had swung and missed on another mid-round prospect. However, as the season progressed, so did Davenport. He began to look like he was grasping the play speed and putting his immense size and athleticism to use.

Davenport then entered the offseason penciled in as the Houston Texans starting left tackle. It was widely expected that the team would go out and sign a left tackle in free agency. As you know, they did not. Instead, they moved forward with Davenport and drafted Martinas Rankin.

Rankin is injured and hasn’t been practicing. Davenport, on the other hand, has looked great so far in training camp and looks like he’s ready to take the next step as a left tackle. Keep a close eye on this young buck as he hopes to partner with Fulton in keeping Watson upright and healthy.