Houston Texans: Top 30 players in franchise history

Connor Barwin has had a very similar career arc to Jason Babin, who we discussed earlier. Though, I’d argue that Barwin is the better player overall, even if Babin had a higher peak. Barwin has managed to consistently find roles on defenses across the NFL and probably will still be able to.

Barwin was a little known defensive end coming out of Cincinnati in 2009. He was a sub-par tight end the first three years of his college career before they moved him to defensive end for his senior year. He blew up to the tune of 14.5 sacks.

The Texans rewarded that with a second-round draft selection. He quickly earned himself a spot in the rotation and added some nice situational pass rush during his rookie year. After spending his second season hurt, he broke out in a big way in 2011 with 11.5 sacks.

Barwin had some inconsistencies to his game but No. 98 was always a player the opposing offense had to account for on every snap. He was always active and had relentless hustle and effort. He helped create the Texans defensive identity we know and love today.