The Surprise Standout Player from Texans OTAs

Charles Omenihu has been a nice late round draft find since being selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. A true EDGE defender at the University of Texas, has found a niche role as an interior pass rusher in Houston. Rather than bend around offensive tackles, Omenihu has been a fresh interior bull rusher, and has played well on passing downs on the inside.

Houston will probably expand him out further this offseason. After signing Maliek Collins, and expecting more from Ross Blacklock, Houston will probably role with Shaq Lawson and Omenihu on the outside—expecting Omenihu to fill in for J.J. Watt.

During Organized Team Activities, Omehinu was one of the stand out players for Houston. ESPN recently asked their beat reporters who has been the standout surprise player for each team, Omenihu was named for Houston:

DL Charles Omenihu

We haven’t seen a lot of the Texans this spring — just three practices because the team canceled minicamp. One player the Texans hope they see stand out this season is Omenihu. Without J.J. Watt, Houston needs to find other players to get to the quarterback, and defensive line coach Bobby King said he thinks Omenihu’s versatility gives him a lot of potential to make an impact. “You can play him at a lot of positions and he can affect the quarterback in a lot of different ways,” King said. “... We expect big things from Chuck this year.” — Sarah Barshop

We know what Omenihu can do, rush on the interior. Hopefully this offseason he has been able to expand his game to be able to rush against offensive tackles as well, and his run defense issues are a thing of the past. The Texans need to find cornerstone players. Omenihu will get plenty of chances to prove his worth.