HEADLINES

Kenyon Green

Texans Sign First-Rounder Kenyon Green

May 15th, 2022 at 1:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Several days after agreeing to terms with No. 3 overall pick Derek Stingley Jr., the Texans have signed the second of their two first-round choices in 2022. Per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, Houston has inked No. 15 overall selection Kenyon Green to his rookie deal.

It will be a four-year, $15.9MM pact for Green, all of which is fully-guaranteed. Of course, the contract will also come with a fifth-year option.

Green, a Texas A&M product, was widely seen as the top guard in the draft, and he was indeed the first guard off the board. Said Houston GM Nick Caserio, “[h]e’s been a really productive, consistent player. He played tackle. He played guard. I would say he is probably a better guard than he is a tackle. I think he is probably more of an inside player, but we’ll put him in the mix. Local kid, so I’m sure all of the Texans, fellow Texans, will be happy about that.”

Green was an All-SEC Freshman performer at right guard for the Aggies in 2019, then became the full-time starter at left guard in 2020. As Caserio noted, Green spent time at several positions along the O-line in 2021: two games at right tackle, one game at left tackle, two games at right guard, and seven games at left guard. He presently projects as the Texans’ starting left guard, and his presence should be a boon for second-year QB Davis Mills and new running backs Marlon Mack and Dameon Pierce.

The 6-4, 323-pounder was a finalist for the Lombardi Award in 2021, given to the nation’s top collegiate O-lineman. As one AFC scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com before the draft, “[m]ost of his bad reps were when he was playing tackle this year, when guys were hurt. His guard tape is first round for me.”

Draft Rumors: Giants, Jets, Eagles, Lions, Seahawks, Cowboys, Browns

April 9th, 2022 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants used a top-five pick on an offensive lineman in 2020, and Andrew Thomas now anchors their line. But the team entered the offseason with needs everywhere else up front. Even after adding multiple likely interior O-line starters in March, Big Blue has a vacancy at right tackle. This has led the Giants to do extensive prep on this draft’s top tackles, including Alabama’s Evan Neal, NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano notes. Other teams are penciling the Giants in to take a tackle at No. 5 or No. 7, a rival exec said, via Vacchiano. The Giants brought sizable contingents to the three top tackles’ pro days and have been previously linked to Cross, who rates behind Neal and Ekwonu.

With two picks in the top seven, it would surprise if one of the top three tackles remained on the board after the Giants’ second pick — assuming it is not traded. The Panthers, who hold the No. 6 pick, have eyed Ekwonu and Cross as well. That could put the Giants to the test with the first of their Round 1 choices, with other teams in front of them — namely the Texans and Jets — strong candidates to draft tackles as well. The Giants could exit the first round with a right tackle to join offseason additions Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano as part of their latest up-front overhaul.

Here is the latest from the draft realm:

  • Another candidate to join the Giants, Ahmad Gardner will pay them a visit and meet with several other teams ahead of the draft. The Cincinnati standout has emerged as the favorite to be the first cornerback taken, and ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson notes the Jets, Eagles, Lions and Seahawks join the Giants in scheduling “30” visits. The Giants and Jets are believed to have strong interest in Gardner, who seems unlikely to make it out of the top 10. The Jets hold the Nos. 4 and 10 picks.
  • The Cowboys brought in a few first-round prospects this week. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd and Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green visited the Cowboys this week, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (all Twitter links). Lloyd and Davis rate as top-12 prospects, per NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah. Barring freefalls or Dallas trading up from No. 24, they will be out of range. Green is viewed by Jeremiah and ESPN.com as the top guard available, being slotted just outside the top 25 by each. The Cowboys, who lost Connor Williams in free agency, are targeting O-linemen early.
  • One of this draft’s top wide receivers, Treylon Burks has met with a few teams already. In addition to Cowboys and Buccaneers summits, the Arkansas product spent time with the Browns and Jets this week, Wilson tweets. The Texans are up next. The Browns are an unrealistic Burks suitor, having traded their first-round pick (No. 13) to the Texans, who would loom as a potential destination thanks to one of the choices they acquired in the Deshaun Watson deal. The Jets have made their wide receiver interest fairly well known this offseason.
  • Although they do not have a first-round pick until 2025, the Browns still hold their second-rounder (No. 44) this year. In addition to their Friday Burks meeting, the Browns brought in North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. ESPN and Jeremiah slot the Division I-FCS product 45th. The 6-foot-4 pass catcher played with Trey Lance as a sophomore in 2019 and earned All-American acclaim in 2021.