Texas Football: Ranking Longhorns left in Super Bowl hunt
Pick Analysis. Defensive End. Experience: 7 years. Alex Okafor. Scouting Report. 3. player. 124
One of the most underrated former Texas football players in the NFL by now is Okafor of the Chiefs. It’s a shame that Okafor did undergo that torn pectoral muscle injury that ended his 2019 season. Especially with how far the Chiefs went in the playoffs after finally getting healthier on the offensive side of the ball, this would be special to include Okafor in the run through the AFC.
Last weekend, the Chiefs took care of business against a fellow former Longhorns defensive end Charles Omenihu and the Houston Texans. The Chiefs fell behind early by a 24-point margin in the first half. But former Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes rallied the troops for the second half and the Chiefs wound up coming away with a win by the final score of 51-31.
How dominant the Chiefs offense is looking of late will make it difficult for that Titans defense to contain them in the AFC Championship Game. Mahomes is back fully healthy now, and his ankle looks really good. But there is a gap in defensive line depth for the Chiefs in this game since Okafor is one of a number of players still dealing with injuries along the front seven.
Before he went down with that season-ending injury, Okafor was on a roll with 15 solo tackles, five sacks, and one forced fumble. Okafor also had nine quarterback hits and an approximate value of 4.0 before he went out for the season after 10 games played. He got to double-digit quarterback pressures while playing in around half as many games as he would if he was healthy otherwise.