Houston Texans select Solomon Byrd with the 238th pick in 2024 NFL Draft

Welcome to the Texans,

Not satisfied with taking one defensive player from USC, the Houston Texans decide to double down and take a defensive end from that same school.

Please welcome to your Houston Texans, Solomon Byrd, DE from USC.

Let’s see what Lance Zierlein has to say about the newest Texan:

Overview

An edge defender with a fairly productive run at both Wyoming and USC, Byrd fails to stand out physically or athletically on tape. He plays with solid aggression and play strength but finds himself entangled with blockers more than he should. He can be creative when attacking tackles at the top of the rush, but he struggled to get much done when tasked with taking on some of the more talented opponents on the schedule. Byrd possesses certain play features that are worthy of consideration, but he might not have enough above-average qualities to make much of a mark in the league.

Strengths

Displays adequate play strength in his upper body.

Uses a variety of moves when attacking at the top of the rush.

Focused and talented at creating strip sacks when he’s in the pocket.

Possesses lower-body strength/bend to sink under an edge block.

Able to strike and jolt in-line tight ends at the point of attack.

Weaknesses

Below-average short-area explosiveness and twitch.

Rush attack lacks get-off to beat quality tackles with speed.

Has trouble navigating around tackles with length.

Tends to duck head into first contact and lose sight of play development.

Setting firm edges with arm extension can be a struggle.

He has Byrd as a priority UDFA so this could be considered a bit of a stretch, but with this being the seventh round, expectations shouldn’t be all that high; but anything can happen.

Whatcha think, Texans fans?