Denico Autry
Houston TexansModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
Season Stats · 12 games
Draft & College
STM Take
Back-to-back tier 2 finishes (#15, #16) with the Titans in 2021-2022 plus 12 years of NFL survival as a 2014 UDFA puts Autry in the rarest outlier-positive career-arc class at the position. The Mississippi State origin plus the late-career chapter Houston move gives him real veteran market value. The 2026 question is whether Autry holds tier 7 or better at age 37 or whether the structural age-related decline finally closes the chapter.
Autry came out of Mississippi State as a 2014 undrafted free agent signed by the Oakland Raiders and has spent 12 NFL seasons across the Raiders, Colts, Titans, and now Texans. He delivered back-to-back tier 2 (#15, #16) finishes with the Titans in 2021-2022. His STTM career runs tier 2 (#16) in 2021, tier 2 (#15) in 2022, tier 4 (#25) in 2023, tier 8 (#67) in 2024, and tier 7 (#52) in 2025 at age 36.
Strengths
- Back-to-back tier 2 finishes (#15, #16) with the Titans plus 12 years of NFL survival as a 2014 UDFA puts him in the rarest outlier-positive class at the position.
- Mississippi State UDFA origin plus the multi-team experience gives him real veteran market value as plug-in pass-rush rotation.
Concerns
- Two-year decline from tier 2 (#15) in 2022 to tier 8 (#67) in 2024 confirms the structural age-related decline is real.
- Age 36 plus 12 years of pass-rush wear puts the late-career structural decline question on every 2026 projection.
What to watch: Whether Autry extends through age 37 in 2026 plus holds tier 7 or better, the threshold for confirming the late-career chapter continues.