Notre Dame Football NFL Draft Fits: Khalid Kareem and the Texans

Khalid Kareem has made some big plays for the Notre Dame football program during his time in South Bend. Now it’s time for him to do the same on Sundays.

Defensive end Khalid Kareem is one of several Notre Dame football players expected to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft later this year. During his three seasons in South Bend, Kareem totaled 106 tackles, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, and even knocked down seven passes.

He was a dominant force for the Irish every time he took the field, and he will be sorely missed.

Now he’ll take his talents to the NFL, where he will terrorize quarterbacks with his relentless pass-rushing skills and ability to knock down passes at the line of scrimmage. With that, it’s not hard to figure out where Kareem would fit in best on Sundays.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has been in the nightmares of NFL quarterbacks since he came into the league in 2011. Now entering his tenth season, age and injuries are beginning to take their toll on Watt’s abilities, and you can see the end of his career on the horizon.

Enter Khalid Kareem.

Kareem would give the Houston Texans a dependable, long-term solution to replace Watt. The transition would not need to happen immediately, as Watt does have some good years left. Kareem has time to settle in, get used to the speed of the game, and even been mentored by Watt — especially since their skill sets are so similar.

Kareem does not have the physical attributes that Watt has — but few do. What Khalid Kareem does have is speed, strength, athleticism, and a solid foundation of skills that will allow him to be productive in the NFL immediately.

Kareem will likely have success anywhere he ends up, but it’s just hard to envision better scenario than him landing with the Houston Texans.