The Lowsman Trophy is hanging around in Houston today and it shouldn’t be much of a commute whenever the lockout is lifted as the Texans made Rice’s Cheta Ozougwu of Rice Mr. Irrelevant by selecting him with the 254th and final pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Ozougwu profiles as a 3-4 edge rusher in Wade Phillips’ new scheme. He probably won’t contribute much in pass coverage, but you can never have enough pass rush in this league. Ozougwu will be sent to California for a weeklong vacation as the winner of the Mr. Irrelevant contest, handed out annually to the last player picked in the NFL Draft.
Once he gets back he’ll focus on seeing if he can crack the Texans 3-4 OLB rotation, Connor Barwin and fellow draftee Brooks Reed will have first choice at starting slots, but Ozougwu will join Mark Anderson as designated pass rushers who could get on the field on passing downs and create havoc for Phillips. Looks like another solid pick for the Texans, and a blue star for picking the only Houston-area college player in the draft.