Whitney Mercilus

Whitney Mercilus (born July 21, 1990) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Houston Texans.

He was the highest selected Illinois defensive lineman since Simeon Rice was drafted third overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 1996.

Immediately after the draft, Texans' defensive coordinator Wade Phillips stated that Mercilus would be moved to outside linebacker.

Mercilus attended the University of Illinois, where he played for head coach Ron Zook's Illinois Fighting Illini football team from 2009 to 2011.

He broke out during his junior season in 2011, leading the country in quarterback sacks (16) and forced fumbles (9) while primarily playing at the defensive end position.

At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Mercilus was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media.

He won the 2011 Ted Hendricks Award, 2011 Bill Willis Award, and 2011 CFPA Defensive Performer of the Year, in addition to being recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.

He played college football at Illinois, where he received unanimous All-American honors, and was selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

On January 3, 2012, Mercilus announced his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2012 NFL Draft.

He attended the NFL Scouting Combine and completed all of the combine drills.

Mercilus finished with the fourth fastest time among all defensive ends in the 40-yard dash.

On March 6, 2012, Mercilus attended Illinois' pro day, but opted to stand on the majority of his combine numbers.

He performed positional drills and improved his time in the short shuttle (4.47s) and three-cone drill (7.03s).

Whitney attended Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Dallas Cowboys.

At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Mercilus was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.

He was ranked as the third best defensive end prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the third best outside linebacker by NFL analyst Mike Mayock.

The Houston Texans selected Mercilus in the first round (26th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Mercilus was the fifth defensive end drafted in 2012.

On June 13, 2012, the Texans signed Mercilus to a four-year, $7.63 million contract that includes $6.20 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $3.99 million.

Throughout training camp, Mercilus competed to be a starting outside linebacker against Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed after the role was left vacant by the departure of Mario Williams.

Head coach Gary Kubiak named Mercilus a backup outside linebacker to start the regular season, behind Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed.

Mercilus made his NFL debut in the season-opening 30–10 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Through the first six games of the season, he mostly saw work on special teams.

During Week 7, Mercilus recorded three combined tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first NFL sack during a 43–13 win against the Baltimore Ravens.

Mercilus recorded his first sack for a four-yard loss on Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and forced a fumble that was recovered by Ravens center Matt Birk during the first quarter.

In Week 12, he collected a season-high four solo tackles during a 34–31 victory at the Detroit Lions.

On December 2, 2012, Mercilus earned his first career start after Brooks Reed suffered a groin injury.

Mercilus finished the Texans' 24–10 victory at the Tennessee Titans with two solo tackles and made a season-high two sacks on Titans' quarterback Jake Locker.

Mercilus finished his rookie year with 25 combined tackles (20 solo), six sacks, and a pass deflection in 16 games and four starts.

The Texans finished atop the AFC South with a 12–4 record and earned a playoff berth.

On January 5, 2013, Mercilus appeared in his first NFL playoff game as the Texans defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 19–13 in the AFC Wildcard Game.

The following week, the Texans were eliminated from the playoffs after a 41–28 road loss against the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round.

Mercilus entered training camp slated as a starting outside linebacker after Connor Barwin departed in free agency.

Head coach Gary Kubiak named Mercilus and Brooks Reed the starting outside linebackers to begin the regular season.

They started alongside inside linebackers Brian Cushing and Joe Mays.

Mercilus spent the entirety of his first nine seasons with Houston, earning a second-team All-Pro selection in 2016.

After being released by the Texans early into the 2021 season, he last played for the Green Bay Packers.

Mercilus is of Haitian descent, and was born in Akron, Ohio.

He attended Garfield High School in Akron, where he played high school football for the Garfield High School Rams.

He was considered a three-star defensive end prospect by the Rivals.com recruiting service.