The Texans continued their draft signing spree, locking up linebacker Darryl Sharpton to a four-year-deal with $534,000 guaranteed, as first reported by a source to Pro Football Talk’s Twitter and later posted on their website.
Sharpton, the first of the Texans two fourth-round picks to officially put his John Hancock on a deal, joins Earl Mitchell, Trindon Holliday, and Sherrick McManis as picks already under contract. Sharpton started 49 games for the Hurricanes over four seasons, recording 251 tackles and 25.5 tackles for loss. Although he is most famous for being the nephew of the Reverend Al Sharpton, as Battle Red Blog demonstrated in a hilarious post that we all hope has a sequel.
Currently Sharpton projects as a special teamer and backup, and Gary Kubiak did not mention him as a candidate to start at the strong side slot that will be open for the first four games due to Brian Cushing’s suspension. His best bet to see the field long-term is probably unseating Zac Diles as the weakside linebacker.