Houston Texans Draft Prospects: Armand Mambo

It’s February. The 2024 soccer season has been quietly nestled away within the recesses of our collective thoughts. The gamers are resting their weary our bodies. A winter’s breeze twists by the streets, careening by vehicles and bundled people alike as fireplaces crackle in tender properties throughout the nation. A season of chilled marvel certainly… for some.

Whereas the soccer world enters right into a blissful slumber, scouts and analysts are laborious at work crunching movie on the 2025 NFL Draft prospects. THAT’S RIGHT BABY. ‘Tis the season for measuring hand sizes on quarterbacks, analyzing foot speed on 320-pound lineman, watching 20-year olds sprint 40 yards in their underwear, and pouring through film to find diamonds so deep in the rough that your fingers start to blister (oh, we’ll get to William and Mary’s left sort out Charles Grant… you draft-oholics).

For our first prospect on this sequence, we’re beginning within the limelight. As an alternative of a diamond within the tough, we went to Jared and located the brightest gem we may.

Armand Membou is a proper sort out out of Missouri who has the dimensions, intangibles, tenacity, and method to be a stellar offensive lineman on the subsequent stage. Membou is 6’3, 325-pounds and has two-plus years of beginning expertise within the SEC. He completely performed proper sort out in faculty, however scouts imagine he has the flexibility to slip inside and be an elite proper guard. He’s a real Junior – turning solely 21 subsequent month – giving him an unimaginable ceiling based mostly on his present expertise.

Armand Membou

6’3 325 lbs

Can play OT however higher suited as a Guard

90.3 general PFF grade

Positives – sturdy leg drive with the flexibility to maintain energy & motion within the run recreation

-Scheme and place versatility due to a mix of dense body, mild toes, and robust… pic.twitter.com/9rr9ZdgT3F

— Korey Jennings (@KJReporttt) January 15, 2025

Membou wins with stellar footwork – significantly his leg drive. The ending means is one thing Houston hasn’t seen since Derek Newton. The Missouri offensive run scheme required their lineman to get out of their stance and MOVE. You will note in his tape two methods; both he squares up the defender and tries to push them to the boundary or he wheels round them to make use of their up-field momentum to set the sting. The latter is a fairly distinctive, scheme-specific tactic that many scouts ding him on however isn’t prevalent on the subsequent stage.

In move safety, there isn’t a extra well-grounded sort out within the class. He retains his weight beneath his toes and permits defenders to point out their hand earlier than he initiates contact. Membou’s higher at getting width than depth, which results in sooner edge rushers getting by to his chest. His technical footwork wants enchancment because it’s too affected person off the snap. All mentioned, PFF didn’t tally a single sack in opposition to Membou in 2024.

Within the movie in opposition to future first-rounder Shemar Stewart, Stewart’s greatest reps come when he will get momentum on Membou and may stroll him again with velocity and energy. Membou shall be much less inclined to this on the within when tackles have their fingers within the floor and fewer leverage.

Inside the scouting world, Membou is the definition of a meteor. Have a look at his PFF Common Draft Place:

At this second within the draft course of, Membou goes 5-10 picks earlier than the Texans at 25. That is nonetheless earlier than the NFL Mix takes place. For all intents and functions, Membou ought to have a improbable efficiency, but when he measures in a tad beneath 6’3 or a shorter wingspan, he’ll fall down draft boards on account of size limitations. That will put him squarely within the Texans’ draft crosshairs.

Our frienemies over at Running a blog The Boys analyzed Membou earlier this week:

THE GOOD

Exhibits distinctive explosiveness off the snap and spectacular agility for his measurement. Look ahead to his 10-yard cut up on the mix, it can impress.

He has wonderful energy and the flexibility to generate energy, making him efficient in each pass- and run-blocking in zone-blocking eventualities.

Shows good depth in his move units.

Successfully mirrors edge rushers with good foot velocity and arm size.

His hand strikes are highly effective, usually jolting defenders and serving to him keep management in move safety.

Exhibits a nasty demeanor as a finisher.

Exhibits good vary to permit him to achieve the second stage and seal lanes successfully.

With the addition of Membou at guard, Houston may feasibly preserve Blake Fisher at proper sort out, transfer Tytus Howard to left guard, and be set for the 2025 season. This mix would give the Texans a improbable mix of move safety and run-grading lineman. Membou has a number of key areas to work on, together with probably making the transition to protect for the primary time ever, but when he’s in a position to match into an unknown Texans offensive scheme he may very well be the important thing to unlock the Texans’ offense transferring ahead.