NFL DRAFT
3 prospects the Houston Texans must consider with pick No. 67
Apr 29, 2021, 11:54 am
The Texans are set to make their 1st selection in the 3rd round. Composite image by Jack Brame.
The Houston Texans arguably have the worst draft capital heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. Their first selection will come in the third round as a result of acquiring Laremy Tunsil in 2019. Although the team will be missing out on the top-66 prospects, the Texans still have an opportunity to draft a foundational player at pick No. 67.
The first round of the NFL Draft is set to begin Thursday night at 7:00 CT on ESPN, the NFL Network and ABC. Here are three prospects the Texans should consider with their top pick in this year's draft.
1) Kyle Trask, QB, Florida
The unpopular opinion surrounding the Texans heading into this year's draft is whether they should select a quarterback with their first pick. Houston has a bevy of holes on the roster — mainly on the defensive side of the ball. But the uncertainty surrounding Deshaun Watson has left the Texans' quarterback situation in a snafu state.
Should Watson's legal troubles sideline him for all the 2021 season, there is a chance the Texans will hold on to their disgruntled QB in hopes of rebuilding his trade value. The acquisitions of Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Finley have given the Texans a short-term answer under center for next season. But what about the long-term plans? If Kyle Trask is still on the board at pick No. 67, the Texans should add the Florida quarterback to their roster.
Is Trask on the level of Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields or Zack Wilson? No. But he has the upside to develop into a solid starting NFL quarterback — something the Texans will be seeking beyond the 2021 season.
One of Trask's most valued attributes is his size. At 6-foot-5, Trask has the ideal built for a QB — one who can see over defenders when observing play downfield. While throwing for 7,386 yards and 69 touchdowns, Trask established himself as an intelligent decision-maker in the pocket with the ability to take care of the ball. The Houston native only committed 15 interceptions during his collegiate career at Florida.
Trask's erratic mechanics as a passer is one of the main reasons he may fall to the third round. But the chance to develop alongside QB coach Pep Hamilton would give Trask an opportunity to translate his college success to the NFL.
Other prospects to consider at this position: Kellen Mond and Davis Mills
2) Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
The primary defensive goal for the Texans in 2021 is to create turnovers. The Texans finished last in the league in turnovers, with a franchise-low nine in 2020. A part of Houston's lack of turnovers came from its secondary, which recorded only three interceptions. To improve their secondary, the Texans need to target a prospect with the knack to find the ball. And Stanford's Paulson Adebo would be a logical selection.
Adebo's top skill set as a defensive back is his hands. He is a former high school wideout who uses his experience as a receiver to track the ball once in the air, which often leads to a pass deflection or interception. Despite appearing in 22 games in four years, Adebo recorded 34 deflections and eight interceptions at Stanford. Amid receiving First Team All-Pac 12 honors in 2018, Adebo led the conference in interceptions with four.
In addition to his talents to make plays on the ball, Adebo is a physical defensive back whose size (6-foot-1) would be invaluable when matchup up with the opposing team's bigger receivers. He is one of the most underrated corners in this year's draft. If not for opting out of the 2020 season, Adebo's draft stock would have been higher.
Other prospects to consider at this position: Aaron Robinson and Robert Rochell
3) Dayo Odeyingbo, EDGE, Vanderbilt
The Texans need a significant upgrade to their defensive front — especially following the departure of J.J. Watt. It will take more than one player to replace Watt's Hall-of-Fame contributions. But edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo from Vanderbilt would help with the Texans' transition out of the Watt era.
At 6-foot-5, 285lbs, Odeyingbo can use his athletic physique to rush pass blockers to create havoc in the opposing team's backfield. His most supreme talent is his ability to get after the quarterback. Odeyingbo finished his career with the Commodores, recording a total of 12.0 sacks in three seasons. During his final season, Odeyingbo posted a pass-rush grade of 77.8, according to Pro Football Focus.
Other prospects to consider at this position: Payton Tuner and Robert Rochell
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There was a conversation Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell had during training camp, the topic being all the teams that were generating the most preseason buzz in the Eastern Conference. Boston was coming off an NBA championship. New York got Karl-Anthony Towns. Philadelphia added Paul George.
The Cavs? Not a big topic in early October. And Mitchell fully understood why.
“What have we done?” Mitchell asked. “They don't talk about us. That's fine. We'll just hold ourselves to our standard.”
That approach seems to be working.
For the first time in 36 seasons — yes, even before the LeBron James eras in Cleveland — the Cavaliers are atop the NBA at the 25-game mark. They're 21-4, having come back to earth a bit following a 15-0 start but still better than anyone in the league at this point.
“We've kept our standards pretty high,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “And we keep it going.”
The Cavs are just one of the surprise stories that have emerged as the season nears the one-third-done mark. Orlando — the only team still unbeaten at home — is off to its best start in 16 years at 17-9 and having done most of that without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero. And Houston is 16-8, behind only the Cavs, Boston, Oklahoma City and Memphis so far in the race for the league's best record.
Cleveland was a playoff team a year ago, as was Orlando. And the Rockets planted seeds for improvement last year as well; an 11-game winning streak late in the season fueled a push where they finished 41-41 in a major step forward after a few years of rebuilding.
“We kind of set that foundation last year to compete with everybody,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Obviously, we had some ups and downs with winning and losing streaks at times, but to finish the season the way we did, getting to .500, 11-game winning streak and some close losses against high-level playoff teams, I think we kind of proved that to ourselves last year that that's who we're going to be.”
A sign of the respect the Rockets are getting: Oddsmakers at BetMGM Scorebook have made them a favorite in 17 of 24 games so far this season, after favoring them only 30 times in 82 games last season.
“Based on coaches, players, GMs, people that we all know what they're saying, it seems like everybody else is taking notice as well,” Udoka said.
They're taking notice of Orlando as well. The Magic lost their best player and haven't skipped a beat.
Banchero's injury after five games figured to doom Orlando for a while, and the Magic went 0-4 immediately after he tore his oblique. Entering Tuesday, they're 14-3 since — and now have to regroup yet again. Franz Wagner stepped into the best-player-on-team role when Banchero got hurt, and now Wagner is going to miss several weeks with the exact same injury.
Ask Magic coach Jamahl Mosley how the team has persevered, and he'll quickly credit everyone but himself. Around the league, it's Mosley getting a ton of the credit — and rightly so — for what Orlando is doing.
“I think that has to do a lot with Mose. ... I have known him a long time,” Phoenix guard Bradley Beal said. “A huge fan of his and what he is doing. It is a testament to him and the way they’ve built this team.”
The Magic know better than most how good Cleveland is, and vice versa. The teams went seven games in an Eastern Conference first-round series last spring, the Cavs winning the finale at home to advance to Round 2.
Atkinson was brought in by Cleveland to try and turn good into great. The job isn't anywhere near finished — nobody is raising any banners for “best record after 25 games” — but Atkinson realized fairly early that this Cavs team has serious potential.
“We’re so caught up in like the process of improve, improve, improve each game, improve each practice," Atkinson said. “That’s kind of my philosophy. But then you hit 10-0, and obviously the media starts talking and all that, and you’re like, ‘Man, this could be something special brewing here.’”