Houston Texans
Whitney Mercilus - #59 - LB
| Status | Active |
| Height/Weight | 6' 4"/ 257 lbs. |
| Birthday | 07/21/1990 |
| Birthplace | Akron, OH |
| College | Illinois |
| Years played | 2 |
| Drafted | 2012, 1st round, 26th pick by Texans |
2012 STATS
| Tack | FF | Int |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 2 | 0 |
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PLAYER NEWS
Mercilus recovered a fumble and had two sacks as the Texans (11-1) remain tied with Atlanta for the best record in the NFL with their sixth straight win Sunday.|||||||
This was a nice bit of progress for the Mercilus, who the team would hope to see more production from.
The Houston Texans have signed No. 26 overall pick Whitney Mercilus to a four-year deal. The team did not release financial terms of the deal.|||||||
The 6-foot-4, 254-pound player was a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme at Illinois but has moved to outside linebacker in the 3-4 alignment the Texans use. He started just one season in college, but was the nation's leader in sacks with 16 and forced fumbles with eight.
Mercilus had one - and only one - spectacular season at Illinois. That was all Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips needed to see. Houston used the 26th pick in the first round on the 6-foot-3, 261-pound Mercilus, and the projected outside linebacker officially joined his new team Friday.|||||||
Mercilus was an early entry junior. He led the nation in sacks with 16 and forced nine fumbles last season, helping Illinois make a dramatic turnaround on defense. Phillips said that if Mercilus had stayed in school, he would've been a top-10 pick next year.
