Background and career
Justin Donovan Houston (born January 21, 1989) is an American former professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, earning first-team All-American honors in 2010. Houston was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, he was also named to the All-Pro team in 2014. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins.
Houston attended Class AAAA Statesboro High School in Statesboro, Georgia, where he was a two-time All-Region selection and All-State honorable mention. He also played in three State Championships in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Statesboro won the State Championship in 2005, defeating Northside High School. He was teammates with fellow Georgia recruit DeAngelo Tyson. Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Houston was listed as the #11 weakside defensive end in the class of 2007.
As a sophomore at the University of Georgia in 2009, Houston was a second-team All-SEC selection after recording 7.5 sacks. As a junior, Houston recorded 10 sacks, leading all linebackers in the SEC, and only second to Auburn's Nick Fairley who had 11.5 sacks as part of the defensive line, and was a first-team All-SEC selection and an All-American.
On January 15, 2011, Houston announced his decision to forgo his senior season and enter the 2011 NFL draft. He attended the NFL Combine and performed all of the combine and positional drills. On April 26, 2011, it was reported that Houston had failed a drug test for marijuana that was administered at the NFL Combine. On March 22, 2011, Houston attended Georgia's pro day and opted to run the 40-yard dash (4.61s), 20-yard dash (2.66s), and 10-yard dash (1.61s). He improved his times in all three drills and also performed positional drills during his pro day.
Houston attended pre-draft visits with multiple teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Houston was projected to be a second-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He received a late first-round projection by NFL draft experts prior to his failed drug test. Houston was ranked as the fourth-best linebacker prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Gil Brandt and Sports Illustrated and was ranked as the fifth best linebacker by DraftScout.com.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Houston in the third round (70th overall) of the 2011 NFL draft. He dropped to the third round after initially being projected as a late first-round pick due to a failed drug test at the NFL Combine. Houston was the ninth linebacker drafted in 2011. On April 4, 2011, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Houston to a four-year, $2.78 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $1.04 million. During training camp, Houston competed against veterans Andy Studebaker and Mike Vrabel to be a starting outside linebacker. Head coach Todd Haley named Houston a backup outside linebacker to begin the regular season, behind starting outside linebackers Andy Studebaker and Tamba Hali. Houston made his NFL debut and first NFL start in the season-opener against the Buffalo Bills and made two solo tackles during their 41–7 loss. On September 13, 2011, Houston was promoted to starting outside linebacker after surpassing Andy Studebaker on the Chiefs’ depth chart. On December 4, 2011, Houston collected a season-high seven solo tackles and made a season-high three sacks on Bears’ quarterback Caleb Hanie during a 10–3 victory at the Chicago Bears in Week 13. Houston sacked Caleb Hanie for a nine-yard loss during the second quarter to mark the first of his career. On December 13, 2011, the Kansas City Chiefs fired head coach Todd Haley after they fell to a 5–8 record. Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He finished his rookie season with 56 combined tackles (46 solo), 5.5 sacks, four pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 16 games and ten starts. Houston received the Mack Lee Hill Award after teammates and coaches determined he was the best rookie on the Kansas City Chiefs in 2011.
