AND THE HOUSTON TEXANS SELECT...

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

Josh Jordan's mock draft 2.0: Draft a tackle, don't get Greedy
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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Hector Neris is returning to Houston! Composite Getty Image.

As the Astros head down the homestretch, it appears some reinforcements are arriving at the perfect time.

One day after the return of Justin Verlander to the starting rotation, the Astros are adding a top-notch high-leverage relief pitcher.

According to multiple reports, the Astros are signing former Houston reliever Hector Neris.

The timing of this move couldn't be better, with Ryan Pressly on the injured list and Bryan Abreu racking up a massive amount of innings.

Neris was arguably the club's most dominant relief pitcher last season, posting a 1.71 ERA and coming up with some huge outs in the postseason.

Neris also brings leadership to a team that lost Martin Maldonado and Michael Brantley after the 2023 season.

His ability to get left-handed hitters out with his nasty splitter will definitely come in handy down the stretch and hopefully into the playoffs.

Last season, Neris held left-handed batters to a .155 batting average and only allowed one homer to lefties. He was also effective against righties, who only recorded a .187 batting average against him.

If he's so good, why did the Cubs release him?

If Neris had continued pitching for Chicago, he would have hit certain milestones in his contract that would guarantee his salary for next season. So the Cubs decided to put him on waivers and eventually DFA him.

Neris also won't be expected to be the team's closer in Houston. He will provide Joe Espada with another quality option to attack hitters late in games.

And while Kaleb Ort and Tayler Scott have been pleasant surprises this season, 2024 has been an outlier when looking at their career numbers.

Also, Scott has been used a lot this season, and we're seeing some diminishing returns. In his last 8 outings, he's given up at least one run in 4 of them.

What should we expect?

Neris is sporting a 3.89 ERA in 2024, but the biggest concern is his 1.52 WHIP. His WHIP is inflated because of the massive amount of walks he's allowing.

Hector is surrendering over FIVE walks per nine innings this season. A number he's only reached in the COVID-shorted season.

Last year, he walked a little over four batters per nine innings. So he's walking one extra hitter per nine this season. And when we look back at his 2022 numbers with the 'Stros, he was only allowing free passes at a rate of 2.3 per nine innings.

Hopefully, reuniting with the Houston pitching coaches will help him get that walk number down and make him more effective.

Double whammy!

Neris had a lot of interest since his release from the Cubs, so it says a lot that he wanted to return to Houston instead of going to the Yankees, Red Sox, or another contending team. Plus, his signing with the 'Stros not only strengthens them, but also keeps him from making one of Houston's competitors stronger.

It's a win-win for Hector. If he pitches well for the remainder of the season, he'll likely get another nice contract in the offseason either from the Astros or another team.

If Neris pitches up to his potential and Pressly returns healthy and effective, it's hard to imagine a better bullpen than the Astros'.

He also provides an extra arm to go to when Josh Hader, Pressly, or Abreu are unavailable in a must-win situation.

Be sure to watch the video above as we examine the addition of Neris, and discuss how Alex Bregman's arm injury will impact the DH spot in the lineup, and the challenges this will present moving forward.

Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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