Whitney Mercilus, defensive end, Illinois (6-4, 265)

I’m not a fan of the Mercilus pick, simply for the fact that I think he’s too stiff to stand up and be overly effective rushing off the edge as a 3-4 linebacker. The Texans already have a solid pair of OLBs in Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed and I don’t think that Mercilus offers them much of an upgrade over either.

NFL Ceiling: Solid NFL contributing OLB

NFL Floor: Never able to transition to the rush linebacker position in 3-4