AND THE HOUSTON TEXANS SELECT...

Josh Jordan's mock draft 3.0: The rule of three

Josh Jordan's mock draft 3.0: The rule of three
Photo by Brian Ray/Hawkeyesports.com

They say good things come in threes. Hopefully, that's the case with my 3rd mock of the year. I have the Texans taking a player that would be an immediate upgrade, and will give the team some stability where there's currently a huge weakness. 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

Composite photo by Brandon Strange

All signs point to the Cardinals drafting Kyler Murray.

2. San Francisco 49ers- Ohio State DE Nick Bosa

The 49ers take the best player on the board despite trading for Dee Ford.

3. New York Jets- Kentucky Edge Josh Allen

Passing on Josh Allen would be a mistake, and they need somebody to pressure Tom Brady.

4. Oakland Raiders- Alabama DL Quinnen Williams

Mike Mayock knows what he's doing. He'll take the best player on the board, and that's Williams.

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

The Bucs have to improve on defense. They roll with Gary to hide their weak secondary.

6. New York Giants- Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins

All this talk about Eli Manning playing several more years for the Giants is just a smoke screen. The Giants select their future QB here.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Florida OT Jawaan Taylor

The Jags want to run the ball and play good defense. They appear committed to Leonard Fournette, so they improve their o-line with the best right tackle in the NFL Draft. If Cam Robinson comes back healthy from his ACL, the Jaguars will love their starting tackles.

8. Detriot Lions- Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat

Matt Patricia is all about defense, and they have to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers. Trubisky and Cousins aren't too shabby either. Hopefully his heart condition doesn't push him down the board.

9. Buffalo Bills- Washington State OT Andre Dillard

The Bills might actually have an offensive line worse than the Texans. This pick is a no-brainer as they get the best left tackle available.

10. Denver Broncos- LSU LB Devin White

The Broncos had an elite defense the last time they won a Super Bowl. Devin White will make an immediate impact.

11. Cincinnati Bengals- Missouri QB Drew Lock

12. Green Bay Packers- Houston DL Ed Oliver

13. Miami Dolphins- Clemson DL Christian Wilkins

14. Atlanta Falcons- Oklahoma OT Cody Ford

15. Washington Redskins- Alabama OL Jonah Williams

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

17. New York Giants- Michigan LB Devin Bush

18. Minnesota Vikings- Iowa TE Noah Fant

19. Tennessee Titans- Clemson Edge Clelin Ferrell

20. Pittsburgh Steelers- LSU CB Greedy Williams

21. Seattle Seahawks- Oklahoma WR Marquise Brown

22. Baltimore Ravens- Ole Miss WR D.K. Metcalf

23. Houston Texans- Kansas St. OT Dalton Risner

I had the Texans selecting LSU corner Greedy Williams in my first mock, and had them taking Ole Miss tackle Greg Little in Mock Draft 2.0. This time, I have the Texans drafting a right tackle because there aren't any left tackles that are worth drafting this high. Also, with the Texans signing Matt Kalil, they are not locked in to taking a left tackle in the first round. I also think that current Texans left tackle Julién Davenport is a better bet to be a decent starter than current right tackle, Seantrel Henderson. Henderson can't stay on the field because of non-stop injuries, so the Texans need a right tackle just as much as they need a left tackle. Remember when the Texans had Eric Winston at right tackle? Yeah, those were good times. Hopefully Risner can have that type of impact.

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

25. Philadelphia Eagles- Washington CB Byron Murphy

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- NC State C Garrett Bradbury

30. Green Bay Packers (via Saints)- Mississippi State DL Jeffery Simmons

31. Los Angeles Rams- Georgia CB Deandre Baker

32. New England Patriots- Alabama TE Irv Smith Jr.

Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5. We're on every Sunday from 10-noon,

@JoshJordan975

@Moneyline975

@JerryBoKnowz

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How latest Astros news reveals puzzling path forward for Houston

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The future is bright! Composite Getty Image.

Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.

Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.

He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.

Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.

Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.

The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.

“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”

And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.

Astros plate discipline

Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.

Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.

Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.

Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.

What is Dana Brown saying privately?

Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!

We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!

The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!


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