Texans add to D-line, select Ross Blacklock in 2nd round

With the pick they received from the Arizona Cardinals in the DeAndre Hopkins trade, the Houston Texans selected defensive tackle Ross Blacklock out of TCU in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft at 40th overall.

Blacklock features primarily as an interior defender and should help the Texans' 25th-ranked run defense.

Prospect Profile

School: TCU
Height: 6-3
Weight: 290 lbs

Positives

• Athletic interior rusher with excellent quickness and burst off the line
• Quick, powerful hands to swipe past offensive linemen in the run game and win as a pass-rusher
• Excellent lateral agility to move around opponents
• Very flexible - gets low and makes himself difficult to block
• Has shown the ability to split double-teams
• Excellent motor with great speed - plays sideline to sideline
• Advanced run defender with a number of tackles for loss
• Understands gap discipline and is difficult to move off his spot
• Great speed-to-power rusher

Negatives

• A bit undersized for the position
• Doesn't possess many effective pass-rush moves - will need to diversify repertoire in the NFL
• Failed to consistently convert pressures into sacks
• Has a tendency to overrun screens or rushes

Bottom line

Blacklock isn't likely to top 10 sacks as an NFL rookie, but he has unique raw tools that will excite a number of scouts. The All-Big 12 defender has burst, speed, and agility you can't teach, and he uses his flexibility to win the leverage battle and dominate against the run. Blacklock must refine his pass-rush repertoire and become more disciplined through his gap to make it in the pros, but his ceiling is sky-high. His strengths translate best to a one-gap rusher who can utilize his explosiveness to push the pocket.