2018 Justin Houston Appreciation Post

There's a lot of talk about whether #50 should still be a Chief in 2019 or not. Everyone has taken a side, and there's justification for taking either one. He is being overpaid, which is a fact when basing it off of statistical production. He also is still a great overall OLB and was at least the 3rd most important defender in 2018 for KC. He does have a worrisome injury history, but hasn't had a problem with his knee since 2016, the only hangup the past 2 seasons was the hamstring issue that kept him out of 4 games last year before he finished strong through the rest of the schedule. Either side you take, I'm here to simply show appreciation for Justin Houston's 2018 season, and point out the couple times he was the difference for the Chiefs in a victory.

Pass Rush

In his 2nd game back from the hamstring issue, he causes a fumble that temporarily gave the Chiefs a 4 point lead in the 4th quarter. 

Derek Carr wouldn't mind the Chiefs cutting Houston.

Run Defense

The one aspect of Houston's game that's hard to question is his play against the run as an edge defender. 

Enjoy the George Kittle vs. Justin Houston mini battle.

Kittle gets the best of him here, and 50 still gets a strip sack.

Part 3 of the mini battle on the far right.

#77 is All-Pro LT Andrew Whitworth

Coming across the formation for a run stop

Clutch Plays

Only up 6 and on the wrong side of the momentum with 12 minutes to go, the Chiefs needed a big play. JHou takes it into his own hands with a great INT. It led to the game sealing TD drive. 

Game tied. 44 seconds left. Ravens still had a chance with a timeout and only 25 yards to get into field goal range. A perfectly executed blitz gives 50 the opportunity to make the play, and he delivers. Butker missed the ensuing field goal, but it denied Baltimore a chance to win it in regulation. 

Justin was a big contributor in the first Chiefs home playoff win in 25 years. A batted down pass, a fumble recovery, and 2 sacks, including this one on a crucial 3rd down late in the 3rd quarter. 

Justin Houston is the best pass rusher Kansas City's had since Derrick Thomas (no disrespect to Tamba) and should be remembered fondly by Chiefs fans if the decision is to cut him. I'm hoping for a restructure. 

Replacing Kareem Hunt: Can Devine Ozigbo be the answer?

The Chiefs recent RB history is pretty remarkable. From Priest Holmes to Larry Johnson, Jamaal Charles to Kareem Hunt, Kansas City has had a top NFL RB in the backfield for almost 20 years in a row. In 2018, Damien Williams emerged as a candidate to be the next in line, but it would be a shock if there wasn't a RB taken to compete with him in the upcoming Draft. The NFL has proven you don't need to riskily invest in the RB position, so I would bet Brett Veach and company will look for a guy they can select in the mid rounds. They may not need to look much further than just up north in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Devine Ozigbo

Background

Growing up in Sachse, Texas, a neighboring town of Dallas, Ozigbo went through high school as a football player and a track athlete. He was a top 100 player in the State of Texas and a top 60 RB in the country as a college prospect, and went from committing to decommitting from Iowa State and ended up at Nebraska. He immediately played as a true freshman, and has made a significant impact all 4 seasons as a Cornhusker. 

Production

Ozigbo didn't post super impressive statistics until his senior year, where he earned 3rd team All-Big Ten honors and was the team's leading rusher. He scored 12 times on the ground, and ranked 11th in the country with a 7.0 yards per carry average. He also caught 23 balls with an 8.8 yards per catch average. 

Analysis

At 6'0 and weighing in at 219 pounds at the Senior Bowl (I would speculate that he played at a higher weight during the season), Ozigbo has the size to handle NFL contact. He shows the ability to run through arm tackles without much resistance and move piles for extra yardage. 

You notice, in the previous gif, a flash of lateral movement. He succeeds at this skill with good explosion, balance and quick recovery to sustain positive momentum out of the cut. 

Shield your eyes for this next one if you're squeamish. Ankles were indeed harmed in the making of this highlight. 

Ozigbo isn't a burner, but for his size he has impressive straight ahead speed on long runs. The subtle speed cut here sets him up for the big TD. 

That speed plus his momentum and size working together make him a player DBs won't be too fond of tackling.

He has natural awareness while running in the open field. He makes the right cuts and finishes runs with power to top off with a few extra yards. 

He shows good speed on this particular wheel route out of the backfield, a route we've seen Andy Reid use with his RBs before.

Speaking of routes, Ozigbo has some capability in the passing game. Shows good quickness out of his cut in this route here, leading to seperation and a big play (even if he did make it a little difficult on himself)

Flashes with good hands on a contested catch lined up outside. Andy Reid wants backs that can line up all over the offensive formation. 

For all his skills as a ballcarrier, he doesn't show the same talent as a blocker or a pass protector. Seems to get beat even when in good position.  

In this next gif, he seems to be in a good position to wash away the blitzing LB off the edge, but just can't get there. If his QB needed to hold onto the ball a second longer he would've gotten destroyed. 

There are signs of hope though, he shows better technique and focus in spurts as a blocker. Kareem Hunt wasn't a very good pass protector at first either. It's a skill that takes time to develop, and Ozigbo has shown enough and has the size to fall on the side of optimistic about his future as a blocker. 

I'm definitely not saying Devine Ozigbo would be the player Kareem Hunt was right out of the gate. Hunt was special in his rookie season, and Ozigbo may not be able to be an immediate star like that, but he doesn't need to be. His skillset would complement Damien Williams' well, and together they could open up the offense even more for Super Bowl runs in 2019 and beyond. His draft stock will only rise if he puts up impressive numbers at his Pro Day, but if he gets into Day 3, I hope the Chiefs can make this draft pick happen. 

2019 Pre-Combine NFL Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player	College	Pos.
1	Arizona Cardinals	Nick Bosa	Ohio State	EDGE	Kliff Kingsbury might push for an offensive pick, but Bosa is too good to pass up. Can be versatile along the DL and will give them a top tier pass rush alongiside Jones
2	San Francisco 49ers	Josh Allen	Kentucky	OLB	Niners have picked IDL/EDGE the past few years, but Allen's off ball ability gives them a moveable playmaker and a good contributor to the pass rush
3	New York Jets	Quinnen Williams	Alabama	IDL	The Jets have made picks in this position at the top of the draft before, but Williams is a different animal, and can produce in the run and pass rush game quickly
4	Oakland Raiders	Greedy Williams	LSU	CB	Raiders need to stockpile the defense, and a playmaking CB is never a bad idea. Greedy will make big plays and bring the Raider attitude back to the black hole.
5	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jonah Williams	Alabama	OT	Bruce Arians needs a good OL to make his system successful to the levels at has been in the past. Williams is versatile and a high character, leadership guy.
6	New York Giants	Clelin Ferrell	Clemson	EDGE	Eli will be the 2019 QB, so NYG will turn their attention towards the pass rush, and address it with a safe pick. Ferrell's size and consistency will translate well to the NFL.
7	Jacksonville Jagaurs	Dwayne Haskins	Ohio State	QB	Jacksonville can still be the contender they once were with an upgrade at QB. Haskins may not be as NFL ready as past prospects, but JAX can make it easy on him and roll through the growing pains.
8	Detroit Lions	Devin Bush	Michigan	ILB	Detroit has plenty of positions they could take, but the middle of the defense is important in Patricia's D scheme, and the UM alum Bush can come in and upgrade the athleticism and overall play skills of the position.
9	Buffalo Bills	D.K. Metcalf	Ole Miss	WR	Buffalo has seen what Josh Allen can do, now they need to pair him with a big talent at WR. Metcalf gives you everything you need in a WR1, including outstanding deep threat ability.
10	Denver Broncos	Drew Lock	Missouri	QB	John Elway has made it pretty obvious he's interested in Lock, so he pulls the trigger. It may end up paying off, Lock's natural arm talent and success in the SEC give Denver hope, but the erratic play and bad technique are also worries.
11	Cincinnati Bengals	Noah Fant	Iowa	TE	New HC Zac Taylor will have an influence on picking an offensive playmaker. WR and RB have been invested in recently, but it's time to find a TE that can have Eifert's production without the injuries. Fant looks like the real deal and will add blocking help as well.
12	Green Bay Packers	Brian Burns	Florida St.	EDGE	Green Bay has another pick to add a O playmaker, so adding pass rush help is smart. Burns has as high a ceiling as any of the EDGE prospects and if he grows into his frame, could be a star.
13	Miami Dolphins	Ed Oliver	Houston	IDL	Coach Flores comes into a situation with money invested in the offense. No doubt Miami goes defense here, and grabs a polarizing DT that could end up being a steal. Oliver's athleticism and power at his shorter stature make him a high risk high reward pick.
14	Atlanta Falcons	Deandre Baker	Georgia	CB	Atlanta could use some help along the IDL, but grabbing the UGA alum after releasing a starting CB in the offseason could pay big dividends. Baker has shown all the tools to be a CB1.
15	Washington Redskins	Marquise Brown	Oklahoma	WR	Washington has run into bad luck with Alex Smith's injury. Hopefully they grab a competent QB in FA/Trade and help him out with a speedy playmaker that can stretch the field and sell tickets. Brown should be a fun weapon for Gruden to work with.
16	Carolina Panthers	Jawaan Taylor	Florida	OT	Carolina can fill major needs in different directions, but choose to address protecting their star QB with Taylor. Taylor has shownd dominance as an SEC OT and can play either the right or the left to start out.
17	Cleveland Browns	Byron Murphy	Washington	CB	CLE knows it has a chance to make a run this year, and they could help their chances by boosting their defense with another young playmaking CB alongside Ward. Murphy will bring a Honey Badger like style to an already scary CLE D.
18	Minnesota Vikings	Cody Ford	Oklahoma	OL	It was pretty obvious what the issue in MIN was last year. Cousins wasn't great, but the Line was worse, and they have to address it here. Ford can be an immediate fill in starter.
19	Tennessee Titans	Rashan Gary	Michigan	EDGE	Tennessee could try to fix the offense, but until Mariota's gone, it'll always be stagnant. Why not address the D with a high ceiling talent that can move around the DL and give pass rush help.
20	Pittsburgh Steelers	Ben Powers	Oklahoma	OG	Pittsburgh could definitely address their secondary or their receiving corps (depending on the AB situation), but I could also see them looking at Big Ben and wanting to try and protect him as well as possible. Powers showed good stuff at G at OU.
21	Seattle Seahawks	Jachai Polite	Florida	EDGE	The Seahawks are probably surprised to see Polite get to them at 21, but they won't complain. Polite fits what Seattle wants from their Edge pass rushers, and Polite's overall game will make him an immediate starter.
22	Baltimore Ravens	Mack Wilson	Alabama	ILB	If Mosley does leave in FA, Baltimore has a big role to fill in his place. They also love their Alabama prospects. Wilson can replace his fellow Crimson Tide alum and keep BAL's D in the top tier of the NFL.
23	Houston Texans	Dalton Risner	Kansas St.	OT	Houston has their QBOTF, but it won't do much if he doesn't have a decent OL. Risner will be a late riser, but he looks to be the real deal at a strong OT spot or even inside.
24	Oakland Raiders (CHI)	Montez Sweat	Miss St.	EDGE	Raiders use pick #2 to try to fill the hole Khalil Mack left in their defense. Sweat looks like an old school big 4-3 DE, but we'll see if that can still translate in the modern NFL.
25	Philadelphia Eagles	Nasir Adderley	Delaware	S	Philly could bolster the WR corps , but taking a risk on a big athlete from a small school could pay off very well. Adderley impressed with his physical ability at the Senior Bowl and got himself into round 1 talk.
26	Indianapolis Colts	Kelvin Harmon	NC State	WR	T.Y. Hilton has been Luck's favorite target over that era in Indy, but it's time to give Luck another big time weapon among the WR corps. Harmon is a bigger body but still a playmaker and a good upgrade at WR2 for Luck.
27	Oakland Raiders (DAL)	T.J. Hockenson	Iowa	TE	Jared Cook may be back, but if not, Gruden has a chance to hit on a potential big piece to his offense and their success. Hockensen could be a steal if he lives up to his potential as a run blocker and a reliable pass target.
28	Los Angeles Chargers	Christian Wilkins	Clemson	IDL	Chargers don't need many positions, but their Front 7 could be patched up. Wilkins gives them an athletic DT that will be a good locker room guy and a fun player to watch alongside Bosa and Ingram.
29	Kansas City Chiefs	Amani Oruwariye	Penn State	CB	KC will probably watch Nelson walk off into FA, leaving them a big gap of snaps to distribute. Oruwariye can come in and handle most of that. His size and ball skills make him favorable for a KC team that needs physicality in the secondary.
30	Green Bay Packers (NO)	Riley Ridley	Georgia	WR	New Coach Matt LaFluer isn't stupid enough to come out of this offseason without another weapon for Rodgers. Ridley can compliment Adams' possession ball skills and plays in the short game with big plays and deep targets.
31	Los Angeles Rams	Jeffery Simmons	Miss St.	IDL	With Suh presumably gone, Simmons can come in and contribute to getting after the QB alongside Donald. His off field issues seem to be overblown, but it will help get him all the way to 31.
32	New England Patriots	Charles Omenihu	Texas	EDGE	You can put money down on the Pats letting Flowers walk, and they'll try to replace his production as high in the draft as possible. Omenihu gives Belichick a freak of nature to play with along his DL.