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Duke Ejiofor: The Dark Horse Of The Texans’ 2018 Draft We know about Justin Reid and his knowledge of NFL defenses. We’ve heard about Keke Coutee’s agility and willingness to learn. And we are aware of Martinas Rankin’s injury Martinas Rankin Jersey White , which may not be as positive, but it is news in this dull part of the year. One player from the Texans’ 2018 draft class we haven’t heard much about is OLB Duke Ejiofor. Drafted in the sixth round, Ejiofor fell in the draft due to a lingering shoulder injury. His measurables and production are well above his draft position, yet teams will always be wary of taking a player who has an injury history.Right off the bat, his technique needs a ton of crafting. He has skills and a couple moves, but needs to clean them up and sharpen their effectiveness. Wake Forest would occasionally put him in a four-point stance and have him rush from the interior, but he needs more space to be effective.He stays in a balanced stance when on the line, which allows him to disguise where he intends to attach the opposing lineman. With that in mind, the Texans should line him up as a wide 9 or a 6 (directly in front of the tackle). When on the edge playing the run, Ejiofor is disciplined and rarely crosses his feet. Ejiofor’s low center of gravity keeps him from being pushed off the line of scrimmage. His athleticism is certainly a question for discussion. He is definitely not fast, but he is quick in short bursts. Ejiofor is more likely to sack a quarterback when the QB gets deep into a drop because it takes Ejiofor awhile to round a corner. You can see him flailing his arms to adjust his body weight in many of his highlights. Ejiofor will not drive an offensive lineman back and collapse the pocket; rather, he resembles the role of a “change of pace running back” whose impact will be felt relieving other pass rushers and wearing out offensive tackles. When a tackle and defensive end are battling it out over an entire game Julien Davenport Jersey White , there comes a point when the tackle has seen everything the defender plans to throw at him; Ejiofor will surprise opponents with quick hands and great arm length.The Alief Taylor product dominated as an interior sub package rusher at Wake, which is a perfect skill set since the Texans’ best pass rushers play on the outside. It would also spell players like Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham from blitzing, allowing them to focus on the rush or coverage. My two biggest concerns about Ejiofor are the shoulder recovery and change in scheme. He played a 4-3 in college that allowed him to purely rush from the line of scrimmage; he may not have that luxury in Romeo Crennel’s defense.If Ejiofor is going to challenge Brennan Scarlett for a starting role, he will need to learn how to drop back in coverage. Honestly, if Ejiofor can hold the edge against the rush marginally better than Scarlett (who is coming off of an injury himself), he should jump into some meaningful reps right away. Since there hasn’t been much talk about Ejiofor’s recovery status or availability for training camp, I am worried that he has been focused on rehabbing instead of practicing his craft during rookie minicamp and OTAs. We will find out soon if Ejiofor is ready to go and able to contribute. Even though he’s not making an impact in the headlines, hopefully he will make an impact on the field in 2018. With just three games left in the NFL regular season, the playoff picture is getting clearer. However, there are still a lot of questions to be answered as the season winds down.This week, the AFC #1 seed Kansas City Chiefs (11-2) take on the AFC #5 seed Los Angeles Chargers (10-3) on Thursday Night Football. Regardless of the outcome, the Chiefs will remain the top seed in the AFC Justin Reid Jersey White , as they hold the tiebreaker over the Chargers, though a loss would certainly tighten that cushion.A Chiefs win would clinch not only a division title for the Chiefs, but also a first-round bye. The Chiefs can clinch home-field advantage and the #1 seed throughout the AFC playoffs if the Patriots lose to the Steelers on Sunday.The Chargers can also clinch a playoff berth with any of the following scenarios:1)LAC win or tie OR2)MIA loss or tie + PIT loss OR3)MIA loss or tie + BAL loss or tie OR4)MIA loss or tie + IND loss or tie + TEN loss or tie OR5)PIT loss + IND loss or tie + TEN loss or tie OR6)BAL loss or tie + IND loss or tie + TEN loss or tie鈥婣 win would also give Los Angeles two playoff teams for the first time since 1985.The AFC #2 seed New England Patriots (10-4) head to Pittsburgh to take on the AFC #4 seed Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5-1), with the Steelers hanging on to their playoff hopes after losing three straight games in heartbreaking fashion. Pittsburgh has dropped two games to teams outside of the playoff picture (Broncos and Raiders).They also collapsed by giving up a two-score lead to the Chargers at home a couple of weeks ago.Now, to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Steelers must face Super Bowl contenders in the Patriots and Saints over the next two weeks with only a half-game lead over the Ravens. A loss to the Pats could relinquish control of Pittsburgh’s destiny if the Ravens beat the Buccaneers.New England could have clinched the AFC East for the tenth consecutive season last Sunday, but a deflating loss to the Dolphins pushed their potential clincher to this upcoming Sunday. The Patriots can win the AFC East with a win over the Steelers and a Dolphins loss to the Vikings.As BRBers know, the AFC #3 seed Houston Texans (9-4) had their nine-game winning streak come to an end last Sunday with a loss to the Colts. Luckily for Houston, the team maintains a two-game lead in the AFC South over the Titans and Colts. The Texans can clinch the AFC South this week with a win over the Jets on Saturday and losses from the Titans and Colts.Now, this is when things get messy...Four teams currently sit at 7-6 — Baltimore, Indianapolis, Miami Womens Ryan Griffin Jersey , and Tennessee. With only one wild card spot for the four of them to fight over, since the runner-up in the AFC West will undoubtedly snag one of the at-large berths, things could get intense.This weekend’s games:TB @ BALDAL @ INDMIA @ MINTEN @ NYGThe Ravens are the team in control of their own destiny as they currently hold the sixth seed in the AFC. However, the team must still go to LA to face the Chargers in Week 16 in what could play a huge role in the final accounting of AFC playoff teams. Baltimore is also in striking distance of the division crown, with Pittsburgh’s lead over them at a half-game and the Steelers having the most difficult schedule remaining. If the Dolphins can get past the Vikings this week, they will close their regular season down with two teams they should beat who are heading for the couch this offseason in the Jaguars and Bills. That could put Miami in prime position to nab the second wild card.Tennessee and Indianapolis play each other in Week 17; that could ultimately be a game that puts one in the postseason and sends the other home.The Denver Broncos (6-7) currently hold the AFC’s tenth seed, but they’re just a game back of the sixth seed. Their loss on Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers really hurt their playoff chances. However, Denver will still have a chance to get the playoffsif they can get to 9-7. That quest starts on Saturday night when the Broncos face the Browns.With Houston likely heading for the third seed behind Kansas City and New England, the race for the sixth seed in the AFC should be something Texans fans should keep their eye on.Remember—if the Texans do earn the third seed, they’d host the sixth seed/second wild card team on that first weekend in January at NRG Stadium.