The Texans moved on from former second-round draft pick Ross Blacklock, trading the defensive tackle and a seventh-round selection to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick, according to a league source.
"It's hard," the Elkins graduate said in a telephone interview after the trade. "This is always going to be home for me. The trade, it is what it is. It's an opportunity to go to another place. I'm excited to take it forward and go to Minnesota."
The former TCU standout played in 29 games for the Texans, starting three games and recorded 36 career tackles. He had a career-high two sacks last season with one forced fumble. He had four quarterback hits. Blacklock has always had the talent, but didn't put it all together during his time with the Texans. He is expected to a popular target on waiver claims.
As a rookie, Blacklock was ejected from a game against the Baltimore Ravens and drew a stinging rebuke from former teammate J.J. Watt.
The son of former Harlem Globetrotters player and coach Jimmy Blacklock didn’t have a lot of highlights as a rookie. A former All-Big 12 Conference selection, Blacklock played in 15 games with one start and finished with 14 tackles, one for a loss and two quarterback hits. His playing time was relatively limited. Operating in a rotation, Blacklock played 255 plays for just 23 percent of the overall defensive snaps.
During his final season at TCU before declaring early for the draft, Blacklock recorded 40 tackles, nine for losses and 3 ½ sacks. A former freshman All-American and Big 12 Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year, Blacklock overcame a torn Achilles as a sophomore and finished his career with 67 tackles, 15 ½ for losses and 5 ½ sacks.
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