When the Houston Texans traded up in the second round to select Ohio State All-American defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, they had big plans for him to get involved in the trench play early on is tenure.
Two practices in and coaches are having to learn better techniques on how to hold their blocks when McDonald is trying to run through drills.
McDonald looks like an early standout in training camp as the Texans prepare for another postseason run. Still learning the foundation of defensive coordinator Matt Burke's defense, it'll take time for him to master the craft of being a two-down run-first defensive tackle in the pros.
That doesn't mean the former Buckeyes star hasn't bullied his way past coaches in individual drills to catch people's attention.
"Kayden has really shown how strong he is," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Thursday after practice. "He's probably one of the stronger guys that we have. When you see him doing drills, he's knocking the coaches back a lot. Coaches are trying to hold bags and be tough guys, but Kayden is doing a great job of showing the strength that he has."
The 6-foot-2, 326-pound defensive tackle out of Georgia, McDonald was considered a consensus top two defensive tackle in the class. Last season under the direction of Matt Patricia, McDonald totaled 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery while helping the Buckeyes finish with a top 10 run defense in college football.
Nose tackle is one position the Texans have frequently ignored addressing in free agency and the draft. They've survived, using a cominbation of agile defensive tackles and largert defensive end to rotate during drills on drives to help eliminate eplosive runs.
On paper, history says that a player of McDonald's size is not the ideal fit for Ryans' defense as a three-tech. Of course, Houston traded up two spots in the second round to make McDonald a difference-maker in the run game as a 1-tech, so perhaps the switch is a welcome addition beyond 2026.
And Ryans can see the flashes, but knows there is still work to be done.
"Now it's, 'Can he pull it all in and consistently play with the proper hand placement, the proper footwork every single rep?'" Ryans said.
The Texans return to practice on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans rookie DL Kayden McDonald is turning heads early in training camp
