AND THE HOUSTON TEXANS SELECT...

Josh Jordan's mock draft 2.0: Draft a tackle, don't get Greedy

Joshua Jordan
Mar 20, 2019, 10:24 am
Photo via: LSU football/Facebook

With all the action in free agency, it's time to update my mock draft because many teams have filled their needs with free agents. The Houston Texans have the 23rd pick, so let's take a look at how the draft board might stack up.

1. Arizona Cardinals- Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray

Murray should be a great fit in Kingsbury's offense.

 Composite photo by Brandon Strange

Nothing changes for the Cardinals after free agency. I still think they take Murray and move on from Josh Rosen.

​2. San Francisco 49ers- Alabama DL Quinnen Williams​

With the 49ers trading for Dee Ford, they pass on Bosa and draft Quinnen Williams.

3. New York Jets- Ohio State DE Nick Bosa

I had the Jets taking DE Josh Allen in Mock 1.0, but with Bosa available this time around, they'll draft him instead of Allen.

4. Oakland Raiders- Kentucky Edge Josh Allen

The Raiders get a pass rusher to replace Khalil Mack.

​​5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Michigan DE Rashan Gary​​

Their defense was horrible last year, so they improve the pass rush with Gary.

6. New York Giants- Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins

It certainly looks like the Giants are rebuilding, and getting a QB has to be a priority.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Washington State OT Andre Dillard

With offensive tackle Cam Robinson coming off an ACL injury, the Jags add a tackle to protect their new QB, Nick Foles.

8. Detriot Lions- Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat

Guys that can sack the QB are hard to find.

9. Buffalo Bills- Florida OT Jawaan Taylor

The Bills have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, so they address their weakness with Taylor.

10. Denver Broncos- LSU LB Devin White

I had the Broncos drafting o-line in my first mock. Now that they added some players in free agency, I think they go defense and add a big time playmaker at linebacker. Is 4.42 a good forty time for a linebacker? I thought so.

11. Cincinnati Bengals- Alabama OL Jonah Williams

12. Green Bay Packers- Clemson DL Christian Wilkins

13. Miami Dolphins- Oklahoma OT Cody Ford

14. Atlanta Falcons- Houston DL Ed Oliver

15. Washington Redskins- Missouri QB Drew Lock

16. Carolina Panthers- Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson

17. New York Giants- Ole Miss WR D.K. Metcalf

18. Minnesota Vikings- Michigan LB Devin Bush

19. Tennessee Titans- Iowa TE Noah Fant

20. Pittsburgh Steelers- Oklahoma WR Marquise Brown

21. Seattle Seahawks- Clemson Edge Clelin Ferrell

22. Baltimore Ravens- Florida Edge Jachai Polite

23. Houston Texans- Ole Miss OT Greg Little

I had the Texans selecting LSU corner Greedy Williams in my first mock, and he's still on the board. The Texans would get better value with Williams, but they have to get a young tackle to develop and eventually protect Deshaun Watson. As of March 19th, the Texans still haven't signed any tackles, so drafting a tackle is a MUST. Little may take some time to develop, just like former Texan Duane Brown, but he should be an improvement over Houston's linemen on their roster currently. Also, his poor Combine performance has his value down a bit, but I don't think he'll be on the board if the Texans wait until the second round to draft a tackle. The fact that Little doesn't have his own Pro Football Focus prospect video says a lot. If he does have one, I couldn't find it. He's still under-the-radar for many talent evaluators and people putting mock drafts together. I think he'll become a quality tackle, but it may take some time.

24. Oakland Raiders (via Bears)- Florida State Edge Brian Burns

25. Philadelphia Eagles- LSU CB Greedy Williams

26. Indianapolis Colts- Mississippi State S Johnathan Abram

27. Oakland Raiders (via Cowboys)- Alabama RB Josh Jacobs

28. Los Angeles Chargers- Clemson DL Dexter Lawrence

29. Kansas City Chiefs- Washington CB Byron Murphy

30. Green Bay Packers (via Saints)- Alabama TE Irv Smith Jr.

31. Los Angeles Rams- Georgia CB Deandre Baker

32. New England Patriots- Kansas State OL Dalton Risner

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How Deshaun Watson holds the key to the next Texans head coach hire

It's all about Deshaun. Photo by Getty Images. Composite image by Brandon Strange.

The Texans moved to 3-7 following their 27-20 win over the Patriots. They are still without a permanent head coach and general manager. There lies the problem, and those problems will be settled this upcoming offseason. The new general manager and head coach will steer this franchise in the direction it needs to go in. Undoubtedly, Deshaun Watson will be at the forefront of what they do. How can he not be? You don't take a job like this with a quarterback like him and not consider him the centerpiece. What else would make one take either of those jobs? The salary cap hell the team is facing? The lack of draft picks coming off a terrible year? The faith ownership has placed in the NFL's version of Littlefinger?

Watson is the lone attraction to the flaming dumpster fire Cal McNair allowed to occur on his watch. If he's not careful, it could get worse and he'll find it hard to recover from. Watson signed an extension that'll keep him in Houston for another four years. He'll still be in his prime (barring any serious, career-threatening injury), and be eligible to hit the market as a free agent before he turns 30. So who do the Texans hire as head coach that can get the most out of Watson? Who can convince him to stay and re-sign after his extension is up?

The main cast of characters will most likely take better jobs. The Jets job is more attractive because of the cap space and draft picks. If the Falcons job opens up, so is it because of Matt Ryan and that offense. What coach/coaches would be interested in taking on this job that would be viable candidates given that the best of the best would take other jobs? Jayson Braddock and I tackled this topic not too long ago on Late Hits. Here are a few guys off the beaten path we felt were contenders:

Brian Daboll, Bills offensive coordinator: Daboll is a guy who, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, is openly campaigning for this job. The work he's done with Josh Allen has been remarkable. Allen has gone from a raw prospect with all the physical tools to an MVP candidate. Who wouldn't want a guy like that in Watson's ear guiding him over the foreseeable future?

Greg Roman, Ravens offensive coordinator: Roman has done wonders for Colin Kaepernick and Lamar Jackson. He helped Kaepernick reach a Super Bowl with the 49ers and turned Jackson into last season's league MVP. Given his history with athletic quarterbacks, he should be a natural fit and given full consideration.

Tony Elliott, Clemson offensive coordinator: Here's where it gets interesting. Elliott has been the OC (or co-OC) at Clemson since 2015. He has an established relationship with Watson and a proven track record as a coordinator of high-powered offenses in college. He's the type of hire that won't cost as much as some big names will, but might be able to provide the same spark.

Note that all three of these guys are offensive coaches. I fully understand that the defense is an issue and needs help desperately. I also understand that the previous two coaches were offensive guys as well. But Watson is your franchise quarterback and the most attractive piece in a pile of flaming dung that resides on Kirby. If anyone is going to take this job, it'll be because of number four. I know these aren't the sexy names most folks would want to hear, but these names are more realistic as candidates. None of them has head coaching experience. That fact cheapens their price tag and lends itself to them being long shots. A lot of this depends on the general manager hire. We'll get into that in another articel. For right now, dwell on this and let me know what you think.

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