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Selection 6.216 Christian Covington, DT Rice

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    Votes: 43 91.5%
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Selection 6.216 Christian Covington, DT Rice
OVERVIEW
2014: Played in seven games, started six. Missed four games including final three due to knee injury. 2013: Started all 14 games. Lead team in tackles for loss. 2012: Played in 12 games, started 11. Led all C-USA freshmen with five sacks. 2011: Redshirted.

PRO DAY RESULTS
40-yard dash: 4.91 an 4.89 seconds
Vertical jump: 30 1/2 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 3 inches
Short shuttle: 4.43 seconds
3-cone: 7.43 seconds
Bench: 24 reps of 225 pounds

STRENGTHS Shoots out of stance and into blocker with good pad level and forward lean. Brings natural power to the party. Effective two-gapper who plays with proper arm extension. Keeps linemen at end of his length and keeps eyes trained on the backfield. Frees himself from blocks with jerk-and-shed action. Athletic movement in space. Can cave interior of the pocket with initial jolt and sustained bull rush.

WEAKNESSES Doesn't gather feet under him after initial engagement, causing body control and balance problems. Ends up on ground far too often. Showed suspect coordination of feet against Notre Dame. Needs to shed blocker a shade sooner. Must learn to string together pass-rush moves and improve skill level with his hands. Dislocated his kneecap in second game of the season and missed the rest of 2014.

SOURCES TELL US "I thought Christian was an early third-day selection, but could have really improved his status if he had stayed another year. With that said, all bets are off until he gets medical clearance because of that knee." -- AFC South scout

NFL COMPARISON Dwan Edwards

BOTTOM LINE Rotational defensive tackle with functional power and enough initial quickness to play in an odd or even front. Covington has played just two years of college football after missing almost the entire 2014 season due to a knee injury. Missing an entire year of football and the injury that caused his absence will both be hills to climb, but he's flashed NFL traits and talent previously.
John McClain @McClain_on_NFL
Texans use 2nd pick in 6th rd on Rice DT Christian Covington, who underwent surgery for a dislocated kneecap suffered in November.
Pro scout's take on Covington...
Junior entry and three-year starter from from Vancouver, British Columbia. Has a lean build and good speed. Lacks the lateral movement and balance required to be a two gap player and is more of a one gap slant guy. Plays with urgency and is a load to handle. Does a nice job of slicing through the line and being an inside pressure threat. Shows the ability to be a three technique one gap player. Has a quick burst off the ball to make the first point of contact and explode into his opponent. Shows good instincts to read to blocking schemes, recognizing the play and putting himself in position. Shows a strong bull rush using upper body power and playing with intensity. Pressures the middle of the field, gets up field in a hurry. Good strength and knee bend enables him to push the pocket. Has a powerful punch. Quickness with the slant moves, using a rip move to penetrate the pocket. Stays and his rushing lane.

Stands up off the snap, lacks ideal playing level and the use of leverage when dealing with blockers. Too often, he gets locked up with blockers and allows the play to clear. Has a hard time disengaging. Has trouble finding the ball at times. Will stop his feet rather than driving through or sliding laterally past. Struggles with balance and change of direction. Had knee surgery after the eighth game.
 

Lurvinator11

Veteran
I think I like this pick more than the last one.

Wilfork
Pagan
Nix
Covington

So now we have 4 DT's on the roster, unless if I missed one leaving. I think someone gets cut here....
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
Jayson Braddock @JaysonBraddock
Christian Covington was a Romeo guy. RAC loved him and fought to have him on this roster. Good job security for the Rice kid, ha!
John McClain @McClain_on_NFL
Before Rice DT Christian Covington suffered season-ending injury, he was a beast. If he had returned, he might have been a first-round pick.
 

DBCooper

Outlaw
Contributor's Club
My nephew was a freshman last year playing behind this guy at Rice.

He's a solid player. Looked really good the games I was able to see.

I think his knee injury was a kneecap issue.

CnD will know.
 

TheRealJoker

Hall of Fame
Well if one of Nix or Covington can overcome their injury concerns we will have a very good DLineman for relatively cheap!
 

Number19

Hall of Fame
This thread seems to place him at NT. IMO, he's going to be a 3-4 DE behind Crick and Watt. Pagan is the one to look over his shoulder, unless they carry four.
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
When the kneecap (patella) comes out of joint the first time, ligaments that were holding the kneecap in position are torn. Once the ligament(s) are torn, it often does not heal with proper tension, and the kneecap can subsequently dislocate more easily. That is why recurrent dislocation of the kneecap occurs in a high percentage of patients who have this injury. Some studies have shown redislocation to be up to 40% and symptoms of recurrent instability sometime greater than 50%. Also patellar dislocations are not uncommonly associated with cartilage damage. Therefore, for the aforementioned reasons, a significant number of orthopedic surgeons will entertain surgery even after the first dislocation.
 

bah007

Hall of Fame
This was the only pick I liked on day three. This kid is really good. It's gonna be all about that knee.
 

Hottoddie

Veteran
When the kneecap (patella) comes out of joint the first time, ligaments that were holding the kneecap in position are torn. Once the ligament(s) are torn, it often does not heal with proper tension, and the kneecap can subsequently dislocate more easily. That is why recurrent dislocation of the kneecap occurs in a high percentage of patients who have this injury. Some studies have shown redislocation to be up to 40% and symptoms of recurrent instability sometime greater than 50%. Also patellar dislocations are not uncommonly associated with cartilage damage. Therefore, for the aforementioned reasons, a significant number of orthopedic surgeons will entertain surgery even after the first dislocation.
Doc,

Can the knee be wrapped during the game in such a way as to reduce the chances of it being dislocated? Playing in the trenches shouldn't require as much mobility as playing in open space.
 

WolverineFan

Hall of Fame
If he can stay healthy he easily has the talent to be our top reserve on the DL. Might even make Crick expendable at some point.

Not sure if that can happen though with that knee.
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
Doc,

Can the knee be wrapped during the game in such a way as to reduce the chances of it being dislocated? Playing in the trenches shouldn't require as much mobility as playing in open space.
Patella stabilizer knee braces are commonly worn following patella dislocation. However, the wearing of the brace has been shown to have subjective benefits that exceed objective findings. The dislocation is commonly associated with poor hip and lower limb mechanics which if not corrected continue to place the player at risk for redislocation. Even though many college and NFL linemen will routinely and many times prophylactically wear knee braces for one reason or another, there is little scientific evidence that their presence has significant effectiveness in preventing recurrent injury. They mostly offer the players a "feeling" of security.
 

Number19

Hall of Fame
When the kneecap (patella) comes out of joint the first time, ligaments that were holding the kneecap in position are torn. Once the ligament(s) are torn, it often does not heal with proper tension, and the kneecap can subsequently dislocate more easily. That is why recurrent dislocation of the kneecap occurs in a high percentage of patients who have this injury. Some studies have shown redislocation to be up to 40% and symptoms of recurrent instability sometime greater than 50%. Also patellar dislocations are not uncommonly associated with cartilage damage. Therefore, for the aforementioned reasons, a significant number of orthopedic surgeons will entertain surgery even after the first dislocation.
Patella stabilizer knee braces are commonly worn following patella dislocation. However, the wearing of the brace has been shown to have subjective benefits that exceed objective findings. The dislocation is commonly associated with poor hip and lower limb mechanics which if not corrected continue to place the player at risk for redislocation. Even though many college and NFL linemen will routinely and many times prophylactically wear knee braces for one reason or another, there is little scientific evidence that their presence has significant effectiveness in preventing recurrent injury. They mostly offer the players a "feeling" of security.
I'm a little unclear. Covington elected to have surgery performed on November 11, with an expected recovery time of 6 months, which would have been right around his pro day and which he did participate in.

What I'm unclear on, with the surgery, what is the long term prognosis.
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
I'm a little unclear. Covington elected to have surgery performed on November 11, with an expected recovery time of 6 months, which would have been right around his pro day and which he did participate in.

What I'm unclear on, with the surgery, what is the long term prognosis.

Covington sustained his original dislocation in the beginning of the 2014 season and missed playing time. He then suffered another dislocation on November 1. Reconstructive surgery was performed on November 10. Full rehab return to game play postoperatively is usually ~-6 months. His Pro Day was on March 25 (~4 1/2).

Unfortunately, there are not a great deal of quality studies in the surgical literature that address prognosis. The most cited recent study (2013) of prognosis following surgery (followed for 5 years) revealed 87% of patients remained free of dislocation at final follow-up, and 66% of patients no longer experienced any patellar instability. Significant ongoing pain was a very common problem, even with no redislocation. In a football environment, direct trauma to the knee/patella is very common and would make the above stats somewhat more unreliable (understated) than for the normal population, especially if the surgery revealed articular knee cartilage damage. The results of patellar stabilization surgery are not quite as reliable as seen following the more common torn meniscus repair or torn ACL surgeries. A patient must realize the extreme amount of rehab necessary following surgery for patellar dislocations and that they will be required to perform extensive regular exercises to maintain good control over their hips and lower extremities (which have been found to contribute heavily in many cases) to prevent future dislocations.

Hope this answers your question.
 

Number19

Hall of Fame
Thanks.

He certainly had been cleared for his early pro day work out. He's now had an additional month and will have another three weeks until OTA's, which will last through mid-June. He'll then have about four weeks until rookies report for training camp in mid-July. So he should be near full speed by training camp.

Given the high quality of on-going rehab/work out he'll have that is unavailable to most patients, I think his sixth round selection represented a reasonable risk with a high upside.
 

Blake

MMQB
Thumbs up. I felt like a team who runs multiple fronts would grab Christian as a rotation player. He seems like a great fit for Houston. Love it.
 

Hottoddie

Veteran
Patella stabilizer knee braces are commonly worn following patella dislocation. However, the wearing of the brace has been shown to have subjective benefits that exceed objective findings. The dislocation is commonly associated with poor hip and lower limb mechanics which if not corrected continue to place the player at risk for redislocation. Even though many college and NFL linemen will routinely and many times prophylactically wear knee braces for one reason or another, there is little scientific evidence that their presence has significant effectiveness in preventing recurrent injury. They mostly offer the players a "feeling" of security.
Thanks Doc.
 

Lucky

Ride, Captain, Ride!
Staff member
Late to the party, I know; but I found this interesting… Christian Covington was ranked number one for the CFL draft :thumb up
Great. Should we worry about Covington holding an hour long TV special where he announces "I'm taking my talents to Saskatchewan"?
 

Mollywhopper

Facilitator
Staff member
Great. Should we worry about Covington holding an hour long TV special where he announces "I'm taking my talents to Saskatchewan"?
What the hell is wrong with? Any real fan knows that Ottawa has the first pick.

You can take your Roughrider nonsense to their forum. Jeez.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
Quick interview: http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/1-on-1-DE-Christian-Covington/bec5bf01-1f40-4915-859e-d40e107c6594

I'm telling ya... if the knee thing works out okay, scouts rave about this young man.


Covington says buh-bye to Jake Matthews, hello to Johnny Football

That's gonna leave a mark

Watched CC beat ~8 double-teams, and on half one of the OL'men couldn't get a hand on him. One, he put two OL on skates and walked them back to the QB. Great instincts. Fingers crossed.
Agreed. He'll get after the QB but if he works on his balance off the snap he looks like a steal in the 6th. I'm going to temper my expectations because all these steals we've got lately have had injury issues and that's how they fell in the draft. Covington says he's ready to go and if he is, let's get it! !
 

Giant Tiger

Veteran
Great. Should we worry about Covington holding an hour long TV special where he announces "I'm taking my talents to Saskatchewan"?
No worries; no CFL team will draft somebody who has a chance to play in the NFL... not early, anyway ;) CFL teams don't draft the best available prospect; they draft the player they feel will be available for them... big difference. I just thought it was cool he was projected number one :)
 

b0ng

Bad Hombre
When the kneecap (patella) comes out of joint the first time, ligaments that were holding the kneecap in position are torn. Once the ligament(s) are torn, it often does not heal with proper tension, and the kneecap can subsequently dislocate more easily. That is why recurrent dislocation of the kneecap occurs in a high percentage of patients who have this injury. Some studies have shown redislocation to be up to 40% and symptoms of recurrent instability sometime greater than 50%. Also patellar dislocations are not uncommonly associated with cartilage damage. Therefore, for the aforementioned reasons, a significant number of orthopedic surgeons will entertain surgery even after the first dislocation.
Are you a party pooper in all avenues of life or just in the medical field 😜
 

badboy

Hall of Fame
About a week ago N D Kalu said he watched Covington work out and the knee should not be any problem at all (of course he is not a doctor). Also said he is extremely strong.

Some info:
Rice fans have been talking about Covington for the last three years. In 2013, he helped them win their first outright conference championship in 56 years.



Covington suffered a broken kneecap midway through last season and surprised a lot of people by entering the draft a year early.

“I saw this as an opportunity for me to solidify my resolve after this injury,” he said. “It took a lot of prayer and a lot of thought. It was in my heart, and it was in my mindset.

“The rehab actually has been great. I’ve been running and cutting ever since January. It’s been tremendous. The (progress) I’ve made has been awesome.”
http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2015/02/uhs-joey-mbu-rices-christian-covington-looking-to-take-the-next-step-in-nfl/#30736101=0



CBS Sports' Dane Bugler notes that Rice senior DT Christian Covington "compared very favorably to Timmy Jernigan" on tape.

"The British Columbia native lined up mostly as a one-technique defensive tackle for the Owls last season and on tape he compared very favorably to Timmy Jernigan, who was a second round pick this past May, Brugler wrote. The 6-foot-3, 295 pound Covington led the Owls in tackles for loss (11.5) in 2013 and earned First Team All-CUSA honors in his sophomore campaign. If Covington can refine his game as a junior, Brugler "wouldn't be a surprise if Covington earns top-40 grades from NFL scouts."
http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/cfb/133281/christian-covington
 

Mollywhopper

Facilitator
Staff member
Dude looks small to me. I hope he's a fast twitch explosive player.
He's not. Either actually. He's similar in size to Antonio Smith, which works. Ok at getting off the snap, but finds leverage very well and works hard with his hands to get free while being mobile laterally to find free space to either get after the ball carrier or advance forward. He's a heady player who'll take to pro coaching very well and I think deliver in spades for his draft slot, should that knee hold up. Kid's gonna be a fan fave here easily.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame


DT Christian Covington

(on the size and quickness of players in the NFL) “I mean, I just look at rosters from the past, I’ve just looked
at rosters from the NFL. You just expect guys in this league to be bigger, faster and stronger. So you know
it was like going into that, coming into this next level, I was expecting that as a challenge that every rookie
has to go through with their first year. I’m here and I have been embracing it since the OTAs and I want to
keep continuing to get better, to be able to go against guys like that and to have success against guys like
that.”

(on what he wants to show the coaches) “I just want to continue showing them my work ethic. I want to be
able to show them that I can be a dependable player. I want to be able to show them that I can, I have what
it takes to make that 53-man roster.”

(on the strides he has made at training camp) “I believe so. Everybody is different, everybody has different
individual goals and daily goals. For me, I am just trying to improve one thing, I am just trying to get better
at one thing every day when it comes to my defensive line position. Whether that’s my stance, or that’s my
get off, or my use of hands. I want to be able to continue that as long as training camp goes and hopefully
as the season continues.”

(on being complimented by Head Coach Bill O’Brien) “It feels great. At the same time, you know I don’t
want to let things like that go to my head. This is my first training camp here embracing the grind. I am just
out here trying to get better every day I can really.”

(on who mentors him) “Honestly it has been the collective unit of the defensive line really. You know we
have such great veteran leadership on this team and not just on this team, but particularly this defense and
in my case this defensive line. I try to learn from everybody on this defensive line, whether it is a secondyear
guy, whether it is a 12-year guy like Vince (Wilfork), or whether it is a guy like J.J. (Watt). I can’t go
wrong with this defensive line to be able to learn and soak up any type of information I can.”

(on playing for Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel) “Oh it is something else, something else. He is a
great coach. I love working with him. He brings that fire to the defense meeting rooms and he brings that
fire to practice. It is great to be able to work for a coach like him.”
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
"I feel like Batman!"

I'm always going to think of that when his name comes up. I don't know why but it just struck me as funny when he said that while watching all the bats fly out from under the Waugh bridge on Hard Knocks. That should be his new knickname, "Batman".
 

PapaL

Loose Screw
"I feel like Batman!"

I'm always going to think of that when his name comes up. I don't know why but it just struck me as funny when he said that while watching all the bats fly out from under the Waugh bridge on Hard Knocks. That should be his new knickname, "Batman".
That and the Game of Thrones book collection he brought with him. I didn't know much about him before HK but he's one guy I'm pulling for.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
(on defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni talking about playing time) “Nothing really has been said so far to supreme details. I’m just looking forward to the game on Saturday. Whatever happens, happens, you know? The whole depth chart thing is really a big focus for a lot of these guys, so whatever happens, happens. Just the fact, if I’m able to get into this game this Saturday. I’m going to take the most of my advantage.”

(on what he has to do Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers) “I have to perform. I have to just be able to execute my assignments. I have to be able to just do my job and just execute everything with a relentless effort.”

(on feeling extra pressure as a draft pick) “I mean, as a rookie, yes. As a draft pick, yes, but at the same time, you know, at the end of the day you have to go into it knowing that this is football and obviously it’s a bigger stage. You know you’re going against bigger, stronger, faster players, but at the same day, you know, just rely on the fundamentals, just rely on the coaching you’ve had up to this point. Just have that confidence in yourself and in your play.”

(on his dad DE Grover Covington and how much it has helped) “It has helped me a whole lot, you know, to be able to have a guy like him as my coach, as my mentor, since day one. He’s been an unbelievable asset for me and to be able to, you know, continue to learn from him and be able to continue to have the little talks with him about my play because I already know he’s going to be watching the game, critiquing me and I might just get a text message or a call from him after the game from him telling me what I did wrong. So to be able to have a guy like him in my corner, it’s a great feeling to have.”

(on getting praise from teammates) “I really do appreciate that. As a rookie, I’ve got to continue to keep my nose to the grind. You know, I don’t want to allow that stuff to get to my head. You know, this is training camp. This is an opportunity for me to be able to showcase what I can do and to try to compete with these guys out here and to be able to try to improve every day I can.”

(on practices thus far) “It’s been great. The tempo of the game, just the whole aspect of this NFL experience so far. This is everything that you could expect from an NFL training camp. This is fast-paced, hard-hitting, you know, it’s a competition everywhere. I believe that everybody has been doing a swell job so far. I believe everybody is prepared for this upcoming game. I just can’t wait to see what happens on Saturday."
 

badboy

Hall of Fame
from Chronicle post SF:

As Texans rookie defensive lineman Christian Covington stood on the sideline of his first NFL preseason game, he was near hyperventilation.

The emotions of a big moment in his football career were ones he felt before, but normally he was able to overcome those. This was different. He couldn’t believe the moment was finally here. He’d made it to the National Football League. His heart was racing.

That’s when Texans starting defensive end J.J. Watt walked over to him.

‘Hey, take deep breaths and calm down,’ Watt said.

Covington entered the game with nearly 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter. A play later, he applied pressure to Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick, causing him to throw an incomplete pass while running out-of-bounds, which forced a punt.
“It was something else, I’m not going to lie,” Covington said. “It was the experience of a lifetime. As the game progressed, it only got better.”

Hours after the start of the game, his talk about the first quarter was as giddy as a school child at show-and-tell. It took him that first quarter, though, to process the moment.

“Once I was able to calm down, everything became clear to me,” he said.

Covington, drafted this offseason in the sixth round, is listed as a third-team tackle behind starter Vince Wilfork and backup Louis Nix III. The former Rice interior lineman, who missed the second half of last season due to surgery on his left kneecap, saw playing time at both strong and weak side tackle.

Covington (6-2, 289) went up against 49ers center Marcus Martin (6-3, 321), guard Ian Silberman (6-5, 306), offensive lineman Trent Brown (6-8, 355) and guard Brandon Thomas (6-3, 317), but said his weight is what he was asked to report at for camp.

“If they want me to get bigger, I will,” Covington said. “If they want me to lose weight, I will. I feel like I can handle myself with what my weight is currently at right now.”

In the third quarter, Covington cleared Silberman and was rushing the end zone when linebacker Jason Ankrah sacked third-string 49ers QB Dylan Thompson for a safety.

During training camp, Covington worked on shedding a blocker quicker. On multiple plays Saturday, Covington shed two blockers to get clear and toward the ball carrier. His main focus, though, was getting a better feel of the 3-4 defense.

“Being a zero technique for this defense is kind of challenging and something I’ve never been involved in my whole football career, so I feel kind of like I had to make an emphasis to improve as a zero technique and as a nose tackle,” he said. “I feel like I took some strides today. I’ll look at the film and go through my corrections, but I feel I had a pretty good day today and just want to keep improving on that.”

Defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan said Covington is a player who is still learning and still improving to get better to help the team.

“He’s on a good track and works hard,” Pagan said. “He’s going to be alright.”

By late in the fourth quarter, Covington was no longer on the verge of bursting with awe at the moments before him. In fact, Watt and Wilfork called him over for a chat that lasted less than a minute.

“They asked me how my nerves were,” Covington said. “It was all good. After that first quarter, everything was all good.”
I thought he had good game
 
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