Winner: Texans add to championship-caliber D, add Zach Cunningham
Vanderbilt product Zach Cunningham could have been drafted in the first round, and nobody would have batted an eyelash. He’s really good.
Yet somehow Cunningham fell into Houston’s lap at No. 57 overall, which was the 25th pick in Round 2. It really highlighted the fact that he was a guy who really deserves more respect that he’s been getting throughout the pre-draft process.
But for Houston, it was one of those deals where you just cannot even believe the good fortune a team had to land such a high-caliber player that fits a need and is an unbelievable value.
Cunningham fits Houston’s defense like a custom-fit Italian shoe.
Zach Cunningham is an excellent fit for the Texans. Productive and quick with ability to cover RBs out of the backfield.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 29, 2017
He is a veritable bolt of lightning who can cover sideline to sideline and make plays behind the line and in space on the back end. However, he isn’t the type of linebacker who’s going to be effective taking on blockers. Thankfully, the Texans have some darn effective defensive linemen up front who’ll keep him clean as he flies to the ball.
While Brian Cushing has been great for years when healthy, the fact is he just can’t stay healthy. He’s currently recovering from a shoulder injury and might just be supplanted by Cunningham this summer. If that happens, the the rookie will be playing next to another young stud, Benardrick McKinney.
After finally landing their franchise passer in Deshaun Watson, the Texans’ championship-caliber defense just got even scarier.
Then, as an added bonus, the Texans landed some thunder to pair with Lamar Miller in former Longhorns running back D’Onta Foreman.