Most Concerning Question Mark Texans Face With Kayden McDonald

The Houston Texans made a statement selection in the NFL draft in getting their defensive line even more fortified than it already was by landing on defensive tackle Kayden McDonald at pick 36.

In a slight trade up the board by two spots, the Texans loved what they saw from McDonald's tape; his power, physicality, and explosiveness in the middle of the Buckeye's defense popped to make him one of the best defensive tackle prospects in the entire class.

So to do what was necessary to move up the board for McDonald certainly made sense, especially when factoring in their void at the second defensive tackle spot next to Sheldon Rankins.

But at the same time, there is one lingering concern to factor in when plugging in McDonald's fit to the Texans defensive line––that's his scheme fit.

Kayden McDonald Will Have to Adjust to Texans' Scheme

McDonald comes from an Ohio State defense lining up in an odd-front, particularly in a 5-1 look, where he was able to put together some impressive tackling production in the middle of the line as their nose tackle.

During his last season in Ohio State, McDonald started in 14 games to log a combined 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and three sacks en route to being one of many top prospects coming off the draft board early from this star-studded defense.

And in that role, he excelled, enough to be an All-American talent in just one year of being a starter. But things will have to shift a bit as he enters his new situation in Houston.

Houston's defense under DeMeco Ryans runs with a wide-9 front, one that has two defensive tackles on ther interior pairing in-between their elite edge duo of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. Doing so gives Houston advantage in their-pass rush, but takes a hit to their effectiveness in defending the run.

Adding McDonald into that equation does help that prowess in defending the run, especially with his particular skill set brought to the table. But of course, it's not a one-to-one comparison of how he'll have to adjust in a brand-new formation from how he spent his college days.

Texans Confident About Kayden McDonald's Fit

Coach Ryans appears to be confident in that transition for McDonald, who spoke about how he could fit into the Texans' unit, highlighting the unique physical traits that jump out as easily translatable.

"What I liked about about Kayden [McDonald] from his tape at Ohio State was the physicality," Ryans said during rookie minicamp. "It shows up, right? When he's across the line from an offensive lineman, no matter who it was, he was knocking those guys back in the backfield that translates to Houston Texans defense."

"We want to knock guys back. He does that. And he's still a very young player who has so much room to grow, so much room to ascend. But it starts right here today. You see him in as individual drills. He has the power. We can win with that type of power."

There could be a slight learning curve to be had upon initially joining, but there are still about four months until Week One kicks off. So there's tons of time to be had for that development behind the scenes, which there's bound to be a lot of through OTAs and training camp later this summer.

If McDonald can put the pieces together to be that aspired complementary piece in between Houston's power on the edge, though, he's a game-changing acquisition.

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