AND THE HOUSTON TEXANS SELECT...
Josh Jordan's mock draft 2.0: Draft a tackle, don't get Greedy
Mar 20, 2019, 11:24 am
AND THE HOUSTON TEXANS SELECT...
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.
Murray should be a great fit in Kingsbury's offense.
Composite photo by Brandon StrangeNothing changes for the Cardinals after free agency. I still think they take Murray and move on from Josh Rosen.
With the 49ers trading for Dee Ford, they pass on Bosa and draft Quinnen Williams.
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.
The Raiders get a pass rusher to replace Khalil Mack.
Their defense was horrible last year, so they improve the pass rush with Gary.
It certainly looks like the Giants are rebuilding, and getting a QB has to be a priority.
With offensive tackle Cam Robinson coming off an ACL injury, the Jags add a tackle to protect their new QB, Nick Foles.
Guys that can sack the QB are hard to find.
The Bills have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, so they address their weakness with Taylor.
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
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
Sitting at 3-3, the Houston Texans headed to Carolina looking for their fourth win of the season as three point favorites against the winless Panthers.
Unfortunately for Houston, the team came up short, losing 15-13. Panthers QB Bryce Young outplayed CJ Stroud on Sunday, and the Texans running game was terrible once again. Which had many questioning the play calling from OC Bobby Slowik.
It's time to pivot
Slowik's unwillingness to get away from the running game, especially when it's not working, is causing some real concern. This offense needs to run through Stroud, and 24 pass attempts like we saw against Carolina isn't going to be enough.
It's also becoming clear that Tytus Howard needs to go back to playing tackle, and Houston needs to find a new answer at left guard.
Some other big lessons learned from the disappointing loss involves the passing game. Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz have to be able to produce in the same game. Schultz's increased production over the last few weeks seems to coincide with Tank Dell missing time from a concussion.
With Tank Dell back this week, Schultz only caught two passes for 5 yards. Penalties also hampered the Texans, especially a delay of game that knocked the Texans out of field goal range, leading to a punt.
Finally, the Texans offensive regression is starting to be more apparent. Houston only scored 3 points in the second half against the Saints, and the team went scoreless in the first and fourth quarters of the Panthers game.
On the bright side, Houston's defense is improving each week. We wondered if DeMeco Ryans had enough talent on defense to crack the Top 10. And as of right now, they've allowed the 6th fewest points per game at 18.3 points against per game.
Be sure to watch the video above as we react to the loss and look ahead to next week.
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