The Houston Texans signed undrafted free agent K.J. Malone, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
"It's a dream come true," Malone said. "I always dreamed of playing in the NFL and to play for an organization like the Texans is amazing. Training out there, I felt like I was at home."
And it would appear his father is now a Texans fan:
"They said if they had more picks they would have taken me," K.J. Malone told Ross Dellenger of the Advocate. "They only had a couple of today. They wanted more O-linemen there. I'm glad to be a Texan now."
K.J. Malone played offensive tackle for LSU and was a two-year starter, though a knee injury cost him six games in 2017. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 5.34 seconds and did 15 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press while posting a 29.5-inch vertical leap.
In Lance Zierlein's scouting report, he wrote that Malone "has an NFL frame and will check enough of the intangible boxes to interest offensive line coaches but he lacks the body control and balance teams look for from starters."
He added, however, that at LSU he "played in an offense that emphasized his weaknesses and minimized his strengths. He should benefit from a move to guard and better scheme fit, but average backup to replaceable starter may be his ceiling."
If the NFL doesn't work out, Malone at least has a backup plan—he nearly skipped his senior season with the Tigers to become a U.S. Marshal, per Wilson. For now, however, he'll have the chance to add depth to the Texans' offensive line and eventually fight for a starting gig should he make the team.
If nothing else, he's excited to practice against players he watched in the past like defensive lineman J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.
"I was always like, 'Dang, those guys are freaks,'" Malone told Dellenger. "Now I get to go against them."
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