Houston Texans 2022 NFL draft target: Is Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux the next DeMarcus Ware?

Nothing triggers Houston Texans fans more than telling them they could spend a top-5 overall draft pick on a defensive end.

The club drafted Mario Williams No. 1 overall in 2006 and then did the exact same thing with Jadeveon Clowney in 2014. Although both were Pro Bowlers, neither had careers that lived up to the billing of being the first pick in the draft.

Conversely, former Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware didn’t even go in the top-10 of the 2005 NFL draft. However, the 11th overall pick from Troy finished with 138.5 career sacks along with four All-Pro selections, nine Pro Bowls, and a Super bowl ring at the end of the 2015 season.

What if the Texans actually picked a player like Ware with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft?

According to Daniel Jeremiah from the NFL Network, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is similar to Ware.

He reminds me of: DeMarcus Ware. There isn’t a perfect comparison for Thibodeaux, but I see a lot of similarities to Ware when I evaluated him coming out of Troy in 2005. They have the same long, wiry build and they both have an explosive first step. I would give Ware the edge as a pure bender at the top of his rush, while I see a little more power from Thibodeaux at the same point in their development. Ware had a Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career and Thibodeaux has the potential to become a similar player. Ware became a pass-rush student and constantly added to his game, improving along the way. That will be the challenge for Thibodeaux. If he puts in the work, the sky is the limit.

Co-assistant directors of player personnel Matt Bazirgan and James Liipfert will have to trust their scouts and give the best information to general manager Nick Caserio by April next year. If Thibodeaux is the best player on their board, regardless of scheme and the situation at quarterback, Houston should consider adding the next Ware to their edge defense.