E.J. Speed
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 · 16 games
Draft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Comps
STM Take
2023 tier 1 (#3) Colts STTM peak as a Tarleton State Division II 5th-round pick puts Speed in the rarest outlier-positive LB class. The 2024 tier 8 (#58) collapse plus the 2025 tier 5 (#38) Houston debut confirms the structural ceiling is highly team-fit and scheme dependent. The 2026 question is whether Speed returns to tier 3 territory with the Texans or whether the structural tier 5 finish becomes the stable late-prime baseline.
Speed came out of Tarleton State (Division II) as the Indianapolis Colts' 5th-round pick (164th overall) in 2019 and delivered a tier 1 (#3) STTM peak in 2023 with the Colts. He signed with the Houston Texans in 2025. His STTM career runs tier 3 (#22) in 2022, tier 1 (#3) peak in 2023, tier 8 (#58) in 2024, and tier 5 (#38) in 2025 with Houston.
Strengths
- 2023 tier 1 (#3) STTM peak as a Tarleton State Division II 5th-round pick puts him in the rarest outlier-positive LB class.
- Seven years of NFL survival as a Division II Day 3 pick gives him real journeyman veteran market value.
Concerns
- Career STTM volatility (tier 3 in 2022, tier 1 in 2023, tier 8 in 2024, tier 5 in 2025) confirms the ceiling is highly team-fit and scheme dependent.
- Houston's broader defensive identity around the C.J. Stroud offensive priority compresses the structural support around Speed.
What to watch: Whether Speed returns to tier 3 (top 25) in 2026 with the Texans, the threshold for confirming the 2023 ceiling can be recaptured.