Texans Select TCU EDGE Dylan Horton With No. 109 Pick in NFL Draft

The Houston Texans have added another edge rusher for DeMeco Ryans, with TCU pass rusher Dylan Horton

Houston - The Houston Texans have been making some serious moves in the 2023 NFL Draft. And on Day 3 on Saturday, they made another one, selecting TCU edge rusher Dylan Horton with the no. 109 pick. 

Horton becomes the second edge new edge rusher for DeMeco Ryans and his new defense after the team traded up for Alabama star Will Anderson Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick. 

In his three seasons at TCU, Horton was elite, making 110 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He also added five of those sacks in the Horned Frogs' two College Football Playoff matchups, four of which came in the semi-finals against the Michigan Wolverines.

Now, he will stay home in Texas, and hope to bring the same impact in Houston as he did in Fort Worth. 

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You can view Horton's full scouting report from NFL Draft Bible below:

TCU lines Horton up as a 3-tech, 4-tech, and 5-tech, often giving him snaps in all three roles every game. He’s added roughly 75 lbs. since high school, including roughly 30 lbs. since arriving at TCU. Horton’s impact in 2022 was limited by TCU’s 3-3-5 scheme, which didn't create many opportunities for him to operate as a traditional 4-3 defensive end. 

The scheme also forced Horton to face double teams as a pass rusher, and he’s not physically dominant enough to beat multiple linemen regularly. His hands are active and engage the lineman early in the rep. Horton displays some explosiveness off the line. He sheds linemen and redirects to the ball against the run. Horton flows down the line of scrimmage to the football, but sometimes he over-pursues and opens cutback lanes. The former safety recruit showcases good change of direction skills for his size. He offers the closing speed to chase down plays to the near sideline but doesn’t have elite speed. 

Horton’s motor runs hot, and he adopts an aggressive and hungry mentality as a run defender and pass rusher. He has the ankle flexibility to flatten his outside rush to the quarterback but shows stiffness in his hips and upper body when attempting to bend around the edge. As a pass rusher, Horton utilizes spin moves, swim moves, and a rip move to the tackle’s inside shoulder. However, these moves appear segmented at times and lack fluidity. Horton shows some upside shooting the B-gap thanks to his explosiveness. He has the strength to set the edge against the run but does it inconsistently. 

Horton held his own fine on the edge against Bijan Robinson and Texas (2022) but struggled to avoid giving ground against Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Texas native is highly experienced on special teams with snaps on the kick return, punt return, kick coverage, punt coverage, and field goal block units. Horton appeared on Bruce Feldman’s 2022 Freaks List for The Athletic. Per Feldman, the TCU defensive lineman has posted a 38" vertical and 10'0" broad jump in the past. He also reportedly runs a 4.55 40-yard dash, power cleans 400 lbs., and squats 700 lbs. 

Horton lacks elite arm length but meets NFL thresholds. He doesn’t generate any push against double teams. The fifth-year senior lacks the pop in his hands to stun linemen and doesn’t get his hands up for pass breakups consistently. It’s unlikely Horton’s alignment versatility translates to the NFL. Horton displays limited advanced pass rush moves or sequences and lacks a diverse arsenal of counters once his initial rush dies.

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