2020 NFL Draft: Texans
Texans take Ross Blacklock with 40th overall pick
Apr 24, 2020, 7:07 pm
NFL.com
Ross Blacklock
The Texans used the 40th overall pick in the draft to select hometown guy defensive lineman Ross Blacklock out of TCU. Blacklock is a native of Missouri City who played at Elkins High School. His dad, Jimmy, was the first black captain of any athletic team when he played basketball for the Longhorns. He's currently the head coach for the Harlem Globetrotters, a team in which he also played for. As you can see, the kid comes from good stock.
There's a lot to like about this pick. At 6'3 and 290lbs, Blacklock is a long armed guy who uses his quickness on the inside to shoot gaps and give interior offensive lineman fits. His 4.9 40 yard dash time was impressive, but his 10 yard splits were the better tell of his quickness. Missing time in 2018 with an Achilles tear hurt him, but he looked to have recovered this past season. Told by the advisory board to go back to school for his senior year, Blacklock decided to gamble on himself and looks like it paid off.
It's not often that being your team's first draft pick of a draft class will place you as your team's second biggest headline of the day, but that's life as a Texan Blacklock will have to get used to. For a full rundown on Blacklock as a prospect, head over to Lance Zierlien's NFL.com profile of Blacklock and read the full write up. In my opinion, he's not going to replace the loss of D.J. Reader and he won't be an elite pass rusher to start off, but he's a good player and someone they needed to add to the defensive line. Please don't compare this kid to DeAndre Hopkins either. Sure he was selected with the pick they got for Hopkins, but he'll have enough pressure to perform by where he was selected. Look for him to show signs of improvement over time. I expect him to be a day one starter and become a mandatory double team on passing downs. If he improves versus the run, you could be looking at a potential Pro Bowler.
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Reynaldo López struck out seven over six scoreless innings, Orlando Arcia homered and the Atlanta Braves won their third straight, 6-2 over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
López (2-0) allowed four hits and walked one in his third straight sterling outing to start the season.
“It’s like I’ve always said, for me, the important thing is to focus,” López said through an interpreter. “To have the focus during the outings and then, to be able to locate those pitches.”
He has given up one run in 18 innings for an ERA of 0.50.
“He threw the ball really well against a really good hitting club,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “Another solid one.”
Arcia hit a solo home run to left in the second and a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Luis Guillorme and backup catcher Chadwick Tromp each hit a two-run double in the ninth to put the Braves ahead 6-0.
“Tromp has done a good job ever since we’ve been bringing him in these situations and filling in,” Snitker said. “I’ve got all the confidence in the world in him back there. ... He’s an aggressive hitter. He’s knocked in some big runs for us in the limited time that he’s played.”
Kyle Tucker homered for the Astros leading off the ninth against Aaron Bummer, and Mauricio Dubón had a two-out RBI single to cut the lead to four. After Bummer walked Chas McCormick to put two on, Raisel Iglesias induced a groundout by Victor Caratini to end it and secure his fourth save.
“They pitched well, and our guys are grinding out at-bats,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “Even in the ninth inning there, we’re grinding, fighting until the end.”
Hunter Brown (0-3) yielded two runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks in six innings. Brown allowed nine runs in two-thirds of an inning in his previous start, last Thursday against Kansas City.
Brown said he executed better Tuesday than he had in his previous two starts.
“He mixed all his pitches well,” Espada said. “The breaking ball was effective. He threw some cutters in on the hands to some of those lefties. He mixed his pitches really well. That was a really strong performance.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: 2B Ozzie Albies was placed on the 10-day injured list with a broken right big toe. IF David Fletcher had his contract selected from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Albies’ place on the roster.
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (right shoulder inflammation) threw a side session Tuesday, but Houston will wait until Wednesday to see how Verlander feels before deciding whether he will make his first start this weekend against the Nationals, Espada said. ... RHP Luis Garcia (right elbow surgery) threw around 20-25 pitches off the bullpen mound, and RHP José Urquidy (right forearm strain) also threw off the mound, Espada said. ... LHP Framber Valdez (left elbow soreness) played catch off flat ground.
UP NEXT
Atlanta LHP Max Fried (1-0, 8.74 ERA) starts Wednesday in the series finale opposite RHP J.P. France (0-2, 8.22).