Growing up in Canada as the son of a pass-rushing legend, Christian Covington embraced a love for football and hitting quarterbacks.

Instead of studying slap shots and hip checks for the more popular sport of hockey, the native of Vancouver, British Columbia gained knowledge from his father, Grover Covington, a Canadian Football League Hall of Fame selection and all-time sack leader, about the nuances of escaping blocks.

How the Texans defensive lineman and former Rice standout goes about his handiwork compared to his retired father tends to be as different as their respective body types.

Compact and strong at 6-2 and down to roughly 300 pounds after playing some nose tackle as a rookie last season at 325 pounds, Christian Covington is at least 50 pounds heavier than his much leaner father. And his approach to the game is built around his combination of power and quickness.

"I only weighed about 255 pounds when I was playing, so I would try to avoid you and use my quickness to my advantage," said Grover Covington, who recorded 157 career sacks. "Sometimes, you have to run a guy over. I felt like playing against a guy that's 300 pounds, they can't catch me. Fight, fight, fight until the whistle blows.

"Christian can use power. He can use speed. He's real balanced. You want to change it up and have another move in place if one doesn't work. I always tell him, 'Try a rip sometimes, try a swim,' but I don't try to coach him up too much. I let the pros take care of that. I'm very honest with my son. I'm going to tell him what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear."

The strategy is working.

Covington blasted San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde during the Texans' 24-13 preseason victory Sunday night at Levi's Stadium, forcing a fumble that linebacker John Simon returned for a touchdown. Covington finished the game with three tackles.

"Christian has definitely improved," Texans veteran middle linebacker Brian Cushing said. "He plays very hard and is a really tough, smart kid. He loves the game of football."

Chip off the old block

The ability to shut down a play in rapid fashion is a quality Covington has displayed ever since Rice coach David Bailiff recruited him to move to Texas from Canada on the advice of Darrell Patterson, a former teammate of Grover Covington's with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

"Christian's a tough kid and as athletic a big man as I've ever been around," Bailiff said. "In his recruiting video from high school, it's Canadian football, but you could tell that he had quickness and technique and that his dad had worked with him. As an edge rusher, he was always a step ahead, using his hands, keeping his pads down. You could tell he was raised in the game.

"I put the video on and saw his coordination and hands and his feet, how athletic and quick he was. He came here at age 17 and I guess he weighed 255 pounds. He kept looking down at his feet like a puppy, then he grew into a 300-pound man."

At Rice, Covington emerged as an All-Conference USA defensive lineman. He had five sacks as a freshman.

Covington was drafted in the sixth round by the Texans, declaring early for the draft after a knee injury shortened his final season for the Owls.

"He was a big-time player for us, the absolute poster child for everything you wanted in a Rice football player," Bailiff said. "He was involved in the community, had a great work ethic and is such a good young man. The best for him is yet to come."

Operating primarily at left defensive end while filling in for three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt as Watt recuperates from back surgery, Covington is competing with Devon Still for a starting job opposite Watt on the right side.

Covington finished his rookie season with two sacks, four tackles for losses, four quarterback hits and eight tackles. Playing in all but one game, Covington displayed flashes of power, versatility and the skill to be disruptive at the line of scrimmage.

"Obviously, you're going to have those rookie jitters," Covington said. "Having that year under my belt truly does make a difference. To know that I can compete in this league, to know that I can put work in on and off the field, it just comes down to work and I'm excited for it."

More to come

As promising as Covington was as a rookie, he's being counted on more this year and has drawn praise from the coaching staff. In particular, his pass-rushing repertoire appears much more refined.

"I've been putting work in," Covington said. "I've been trying to overemphasize that. I've been trying to overemphasize my playing ability across the board, whether it's my pass-rushing ability, my run-stopping ability, everything.

"I just want to be known as a complete player. I don't want to be known as just a pass rusher. I want to be able to know that when my number is called I can come in and play every single position. That's been my goal."

Covington is athletic, with 4.89 speed in the 40-yard dash, a 301/2 inch vertical leap, a 9-3 broad jump and bench pressing 225 pounds 24 times.

The defensive end spot appears to be a natural fit for him.

"We know what some of his abilities are," Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said. "Hopefully, he will learn also having a season under his belt and now this offseason, when we get to the regular season, he'll show the kind of improvement that we need from him."

Covington's versatility and positional flexibility is a plus for the Texans' defensive line. He's a bit of a 'tweener, though.

Covington is shorter than most defensive ends by about three inches. He's lighter than most 3-4 nose tackles. His body type is probably more suited to playing an under tackle in a 4-3 scheme, but what Covington is doing is clicking.

"I have so much respect for those guys that play inside because it's no joke," Grover Covington said. "You're getting double-teamed in there. At defensive end, you've got a little bit more freedom."

Body changes

To capitalize on his increased opportunity when veteran end Jared Crick signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Denver Broncos this offseason, Covington dramatically changed his body composition. He adopted more of a high-protein diet, with less fats and carbohydrates, after having to eat a lot as a rookie to play nose guard.

"Being at that nose guard position, I naturally have to bulk myself up," Covington said. "Near the midseason, I was roughly 320, 325. To get back down to 300, I wanted to get my quickness back down and my speed back up. That was my main emphasis. You just have to eat right, eat the right portions."

Covington quickly overcame a concussion suffered early in training camp, getting medically cleared under the mandatory NFL concussion protocol to return in time for the 49ers game.

"I got cleared as fast as I could to get back out there," Covington said. "I'm just glad I didn't have to be out too long. It feels great to be back on the field making plays."

If not for the connections between his father and Patterson, perhaps Covington would have never found himself in this position: playing college and pro football in Houston.

"Not too many people knew about my son because, in Canada, hockey is king," Grover Covington said. "It all worked out with him going to Rice and then getting drafted by the Texans. This is a rare opportunity. I always tell him to embrace this moment."