2022 NFL Draft: Texans Look To Solidify Offensive Line With Selection Of Kenyon Green

The Houston Texans entered the 2022 NFL Draft with a litany of needs, but maybe none more pressing than the offensive line. After trading its 13th overall pick for Philadelphia’s 15th overall pick, the Texans selected a massive human-mover in offensive guard Kenyon Green out of Texas A&M.

The Texans received a 4th rounder (#124), and two 5th rounders (#162, #166) from the Eagles to move down 2 slots.

Green (6-4, 325) enters into an offensive line that has particularly struggled at guard - often rotating starters week to week. Here’s what The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has to say about Green:

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Texas A&M, Green played the majority of his snaps at left guard in head coach Jimbo Fisher’s balanced offensive attack. After starting at right guard as a freshman and left guard as a sophomore, he was the only returning starter on the offensive line as a junior and was asked to fill in across the line, becoming the only NCAA player with 80-plus snaps at four different offensive line positions in 2021. A wide-based blocker, Green flashes explosive traits and physical hands to create movement in the run game or anchor in pass protection. Although he can catch himself thanks to his center of gravity, he will make things more difficult for himself with lunging tendencies. Overall, Green must fix the bad habits and penalties at the next level, but he does a great job staying balanced before and after contact with the mobility and brawling mentality to win his matchups. He should establish himself as a dependable starting guard early in his NFL career.

As Brugler’s evaluation suggests, Green’s strength lies in being a nimble-footed bulldozer in the run game, often being asked to pull on power runs and quickly get to the second level of the defense. Put on his college tape and it’s easy to see the value the Texans expect to get out of a Top-15 selection.

Green was Lance Zierlein’s 16th highest-graded player on NFL.com with a 6.45 rating (labeled as “will become a good starter within two years”). At A&M, Green was a starter on the offensive line from the day he walked onto campus and made the SEC All-Freshman team his first year. He showed consistent improvement (even in his accolades), earning a spot on the 2020 AP All-American Second Team and the 2021 All-American First Team in his junior year.

Presumably, the plug-and-play insertion of Green into left guard allows the Texans to slide Tytus Howard into a more natural position at right tackle while playing free-agent acquisition A.J. Cann at right guard.

The Texans need massive help on the offensive line as the unit ranked 29th in PFF’s final offensive line rankings, dead last in ESPN’s advanced stat “run block win rate,” and 27th overall in “pass block win rate.”

As Houston continues its march toward near-relevance, building in the trenches lays a great foundation for improvement. With the selection of Green, the Texans add 325 pounds of bulldozing toughness that could add validity to the power scheme run game that new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton intends to run in 2022.