The Index · Live

Kayden McDonald Houston Texans · #93

Defensive Tackle · 6' 3", 326 lbs · Suwanee, GA · Age 21

Kayden McDonald is a Defensive Tackle for the Houston Texans, drafted 36th overall, 2026.

Houston Texans roster More Defensive Tackles

Defensive TackleDrafted 36th overallRookie

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Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex

◆ Rated

Houston Texans · #93 · Defensive Tackle

Kayden McDonald

Season avg— · no seasons on record yet

Career avg— · career line pending

Live win probabilitySeason

No scheduled game — showing season pace. Illustrative.

Tonight's projectionmodel

0tkl

0sacks

0int

LADDER#1310 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXKayden McDonald · Houston TexansLADDER#1310 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXKayden McDonald · Houston Texans

Scouting report

Kayden McDonald — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades are percentiles vs every active player at his position.

C-

Defensive Tackle · Rotation piece · Impact 50

Kayden McDonald is a Defensive Tackle for the Houston Texans, drafted 36th overall, 2026.

C-

Offense

C-

Defense

C-

Feel / IQ

C-

Playmaking

Below average creator

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C-

Scoring

Below average scorer

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C-

Rebounding

Below average on the glass

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C-

3PT / spacing

Below average spacing

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C-

Perimeter D

Below average on the perimeter

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C-

Paint / rim D

Below average at the rim

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C-

Clutch

Below average late

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C-

Athleticism

Below average tools

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C-

Basketball IQ

Reads the game

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Durability

Availability

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Act II

Where Kayden McDonald stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly

Jared Goff Detroit Lions▬

29%

Bryce Young Carolina Panthers▬

23%

Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers▬

22%

Tyler Shough New Orleans Saints▬

11%

Kirk Cousins Las Vegas Raiders▬

✦ Balladex Consensus: #1736 of 1982 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

50Impact index

0Star score

Career scoring average0.0 ppg

Seasons in the index0

Accolades on file0

Stat explorer

Kayden McDonald — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

C-

Scoring

0.0 PPG

drill in ↓

C-

Playmaking

0.0 APG

drill in ↓

C-

Rebounding

0.0 RPG

drill in ↓

C-

Shooting

— 3P%

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees Kayden McDonald

Projection = recency-weighted per-season production, nudged along a position aging curve, banded by his year-to-year volatility. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected next season confidence

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 0-season history below.

What moves the production line vs last season

Everything it reads

📊

0 seasons of per-minute rates

every box line, minutes-normalized

real

⚖

Recency × games-played weight

recent, healthy seasons anchor the baseline

auto

📈

Weighted least-squares trend

his own trajectory, read season over season

+dev

🕰

Per-stat aging curves

age 21 — applied per stat

curve

🔌

Live role context

usage & role shifts fold in when the feed is present

+ctx

🏥

Durability signal

GP last 3: — → games & confidence

health

The real history it trains onsource: Pro-Football-Reference / ESPN · verified

Kayden McDonald career stats, season by season

Source: Pro-Football-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers the report-card percentiles and the DNA radar — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.

Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = award / milestone season · hover any bar. Real season totals.

Player DNA + compssimilarity model

Closest comps

⚖ Overlay a rival →

Context

Are the Houston Texans built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

55–27proj record

#2conf seed

+5.4net rtg

117.5off rtg

112.1def rtg

98%playoff odds

Roster delta · what changed

Aggressive hedge & help — Hedges hard on ball screens and rotates aggressive help from the weak side. Core trending steady. Defensive anchors: Aaron Graves, Aiden Fisher.

How his role moves

Projected 55–27, 2nd in the conference. Real team projection from the roster + last-season baselines. His usage, minutes and creation load move with roster health.

Balladex Impact

50 of 99

Rotation piece tier.

Rarity

◆ Rated

Collectible tier.

Résumé

0 accolades

Career honors on file.

Act IV

The Ballad of Kayden McDonald

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

2005-03-12

The beginning

Kayden McDonald is a Defensive Tackle for the Houston Texans.

Houston Texans

Turning pro

Drafted 36th overall, 2026 as a Defensive Tackle.

true

Kayden McDonald is a Houston Texans defensive tackle, drafted 36th overall, 2026.

Chapter

He has recorded 0 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions.

Where things stand

Where McDonald goes from here.

▶

McDonald's story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ Kayden McDonald Preseason NFL Debut Highlights | All Snaps Vs Chargers ▶ The Houston Texans Select Kayden McDonald with the 36th Pick in the 2026 NFL Draft ▶ Kayden McDonald emotional after getting drafted by Texans: ‘It’s a blessing!’ | 2026 NFL Draft ▶ Kayden McDonald, you are a Houston Texan 🙌

Off the field

Measurables

Active

Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 326 lbs
Draft: 36th overall, 2026
Born: Suwanee, GA
Age: 21
Jersey: #93

Background

Kayden McDonald is from Suwanee, GA and is 21 years old. He was drafted 36th overall, 2026 and plays defensive tackle at 6' 3", 326 lbs.

He has recorded 0 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions. McDonald is currently on the Houston Texans roster.

The person

Kayden McDonald is a depth defensive lineman who has generated 0 sacks and 0 tackles across his career.

Pass rush0 career sacks with 0 forced fumbles.

Run defense0 career tackles up front.

Draft pedigree36th overall, 2026.

Verified profiles & sources

ESPN ESPN ESPN

FAQ

Kayden McDonald — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Kayden McDonald, answered.

What position does Kayden McDonald play?

Kayden McDonald is a Defensive Tackle for the Houston Texans.

When was Kayden McDonald drafted?

Kayden McDonald was drafted 36th overall, 2026.

How many seasons has Kayden McDonald played?

This is his first season on record.

What are Kayden McDonald's career stats?

He has recorded 0 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions.

Kayden McDonald career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.

Kayden McDonald Houston Texans · #93

Kayden McDonald — the report card

Where Kayden McDonald stands

Kayden McDonald — every number, three levels deep

How the model sees Kayden McDonald

Kayden McDonald career stats, season by season

The Lab

Are the Houston Texans built to win?

The Ballad of Kayden McDonald

The beginning

Turning pro

true

Chapter

Where things stand

Off the field

Kayden McDonald — frequently asked

Injury history

More Houston Texans players

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