Houston Texans Rumors: 3 edge players to target in draft if Clowney hits market
By T.A. Mock
Ben Banogu, Texas Christian University
The Houston Texans have a lot of pressing needs on their roster they need to fill if they want to take the next step as a team. They’ll also still have a pretty deep stable of pass rushers to lean on as with the J.J. Watt leading the way and Whitney Mercilus, Duke Ejiofor, and Peter Kalambayi following him up.
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So, they could wait until day three to fill the hole Clowney leaves if they think the guys that are already on the roster can step up. If this is true, the guy to target would be Ben Banogu out of TCU. Banogu is a very solid prospect that does a whole lotta good and not a ton of great.
He has good size, 6’4″ and 250 lbs, and with that, he also has very good length. An area of concern is his overall athleticism. There are some questions about whether or not he will be able to consistently get after the quarterback. So, the combine will be important for him to showcase his athleticism.
He was pretty productive after transferring to TCU for his final two seasons of collegiate football after beginning his career at the University of Louisiana Monroe. He totaled 17 sacks during his two years at TCU and should be able to at least be a situational pass rusher at the next level.
He definitely needs some development if he is truly going to be able to help replace Clowney. He needs work on his pass rushing repertoire and his hand usage. He has some raw ability that should be able to play right away but he will take some work to crack the rotation more full time.
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For the Houston Texans, replacing Jadeveon Clowney will never be ideal. He is a very good player but there is a lot that needs to go into the decision to tag and keep him, tag and trade him, and just let him walk. However, these three guys could at least help replace the production that might be lost.