While there is a big disparity in sack totals (I’ll get there, don’t worry) the gap between QB hits is what really stands out to me. That number should be impressive already, but it gets even more so when we put it into context.
Since Charles hasn’t had as many opportunities as other defensive linemen, we have to consider how his snap count factors into a volume stat, such as QB hits. Thus, I researched how many snaps it takes Charles to register a QB hit, and by dividing his total snaps (318) by total hits (11), we find he gets 1 QB hit for every 28.91 snaps.
Now, if I just threw that number in with no other information, it wouldn’t really mean a whole lot, would it? So, let’s take a look at this same stat, which I’ll call Snaps per Hit (SPH) for the top 3 sack leaders in the NFL, and some Texans.
Myles Garrett: 9.5 sacks, 14 QB hits, 492 snaps, 35.14 SPH
Trey Hendrickson: 9.5 sacks, 17 QB hits, 387 snaps, 22.76 SPH
Aaron Donald: 9 sacks, 17 QB hits, 547 snaps, 32.17 SPH
Charles Omenihu: 2 sacks, 11 QB hits, 318 snaps, 28.91 SPH
J.J. Watt: 4 sacks, 9 QB hits, 695 snaps, 77.22 SPH
Whitney Mercilus: 4 sacks, 6 QB hits, 497 snaps, 82.83 SPH
Looking at these numbers you can see that not only is Charles the most efficient pass rusher on the Texans, by a lot, but also ranks among the top 3 sack leaders, and averages 1 QB hit on fewer snaps than DPOY candidates Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald.
Now, I’m not trying to say Charles is as good as Garrett or Donald. Those players have different situations where they are highly double teamed and the center of attention for opposing offenses.
However, Charles’ ability to be productive in minimal snaps is certainly intriguing. Now, I know what you’re thinking, that’s a small sample size to judge a player off of. What’s to say that Charles can replicate his success when given the amount of snaps as a Garrett, Donald or Watt?
While I don’t have a crystal ball to see how he’d play given 500+ snaps, his success can be somewhat projected by analyzing his performance through his film. As I’ll soon show, his process of how he wins and gets to the QB isn’t just a fluke. He’s not a one trick pony and he’s not just granted free access to the backfield either.
This can help us understand that while the sacks aren't there right now, he's winning his matchups consistently, and good process will lead to good results, over a longer time period. If he continues to play at this level, and fine tunes little details, the sacks will come.