The Z Report
Lance Zierlein: Even with no early picks, the Texans hit in the draft
Lance Zierlein
May 2, 2018, 1:14 pm
All in all, I was very pleased with the Houston Texans draft. They stole a future starting safety in the third round while adding to obvious positions of need. Brian Gaine said they wanted to get faster and they did just that and they also added players at the end of the draft who should help improve their special teams unit. Here are my thoughts on the players drafted by the Texans.
Round 3, (68th) Jordan Reid, S, Stanford: To be honest, I had a first round grade on Reid, but expected him to go sometime in the early second round. Reid is what teams are looking for at the safety position. He's a plus size/speed prospect who has the athletic ability to help with man coverage and the instincts and ball skills for ball-hawking duties on the back end. Reid can get himself into some trouble when he's overly aggressive, but his positive plays far outweigh the negative. He has the talent to become an early starter and a good one. Tyrann Mathieu is at his best when he’s free-styling in space so even though Reid can play a combo safety role, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Texans used him as a safety on the back-end. Make no mistake, Reid has the talent to become an instant starter in this secondary.
Round 3 (80th) Martinas Rankin, OL, Mississippi State: In my personal opinion, the further Rankin kicks inside the better he will be. I’m sure the Texans will give Rankin the first look at tackle, but Rankin may have issues as a run blocker handling the power he will face. He’s played at a relatively high level in a good football conference and offers position flexibility which is key. He has heavy hands and good instincts in pass protection. He could become a good NFL starter but I’m not sure it will be at tackle. The Texans are bamking on the fact that he can make it work at that position.
Round 3 (98) Jordan Akins, TE, Central Florida: Akins has decent size, but flashes with his speed and ability to challenge man coverage down the field. Akins saw 43.7 percent of his catches go for 20-plus yards this season, but he also has the necessary talent with the ball in his hands to take a short throw and turn it into a first down. Akins is a move tight end with the ability to separate and create throwing windows, but he won't offer much as a blocker. Many teams were turned off by the fact that Akins is going to be a 26-year old rookie.
Round 4 (103) Keke Coutee, WR, Texas Tech: Lanky speed merchant with an ability to take the top off of a defense as well as handle the nickel and dime catches underneath. Coutee's lack of route experience and play strength could lead to a bumpy initial season, but his ability to separate both vertically and out of his breaks should make him a coveted slot target capable of adding chunk plays to an offense or return game in need of some juice. Coutee can handle kick return dutie and he can also handle the duties that were supposed to go to Braxton Miller in the slot. There isn’t going to be much need for Bruce Ellington, Braxton Miller, and Coutee on one roster.
Round 6 (177) Duke Ejiofor, DE, Wake Forest: The only reason Duke Ejiofor fell to this spot was because there were concerns about his medicals. He’s not a naturally gifted athlete, but he’s a very advanced pass rusher in terms of his skill level. Ejiofor's game revolves around his heavy hands and his ability to finish as a rusher if a blocker gives him an opening. Ejiofor needs to play faster as an edge rusher, but don’t sleep on his ability to rush from the interior in sub-packages. He consistently harassed the quarterback as an interior rusher and might be able to do the same with the Texans if he’s healthy. Great value pick.
Round 6 (211) Jordan Thomas, TE, Mississippi State: Thomas has rare size, speed and athletic traits as a converted receiver-to-tight end that is intriguing. He'll need simpler routes as a tight end and has to be coached up on how best to utilize his frame to wall off defenders. I wasn’t sure I saw enough toughness to envision him as an in-line blocker, but the Texans said after the draft that they believed he had the “want to” in order to make it happen when they worked him out.
Round 6 (214) Peter Kalambayi, EDGE, Stanford: Kalambayi is a well-built athlete with adequate strength, above average wingspan and sudden feet who hasn't been able to match the production to his traits. Kalambayi is an explosive athlete who never seemed to get much better after his freshman season, but he does have some talent. I see him as a backup 3-4 linebacker who will used as a core member of the special teams.
Round 7 (222) Jermaine Kelly, CB, San Jose State: Kelly fits the mold of height-weight-speed cornerbacks that Brian Gaine and Bill O’Brien wanted to start adding to the roster. He can really run and could land a roster spot with his special teams abilities alone. As a cornerback, it will take some time and it may never happen for him. He had just one career interception.
The Houston Astros (28-25) will open a two-game series against the Oakland Athletics (23-31) on Tuesday night, as both teams look to build momentum in very different contexts. The Astros are fighting to keep pace in the AL West, while the Athletics are trying to stop the bleeding after a 1-9 stretch.
Pitching matchup
Tuesday’s matchup features Hunter Brown (6-3, 2.04 ERA), who has become a stabilizing force in a rotation that’s been hit hard by injuries. Brown boasts a sparkling 0.91 WHIP and 71 strikeouts over 66.2 innings, ranking among the league’s most efficient starters in May.
Oakland counters with JP Sears (4-4, 4.00 ERA), who’s been steady but unspectacular this season. Sears owns a solid 1.15 WHIP and will look to keep the ball in the park against a Houston lineup that’s showing signs of waking up.
Astros heating up
Houston enters the series 6-4 in its last 10 games and 18-10 at home. The offense has quietly started to produce again, hitting .275 over that 10-game stretch. Jose Altuve remains a key contributor, going 11-for-38 with a pair of home runs. Isaac Paredes continues to anchor the middle of the lineup with 11 homers, a .276 average, and the versatility to move around the infield.
Pitching has also steadied, with the Astros posting a 3.51 team ERA during their recent run. With Brown on the mound, Houston will look to keep pressure on AL West rivals while making the most of this two-game home opportunity.
A’s slumping but still dangerous
Oakland enters Tuesday’s contest with the worst record in the AL West and little momentum. The A’s have lost nine of their last 10 and have been outscored by 26 runs during that stretch. The team’s 5.79 ERA over that period has made it hard to stay in games, even as the offense ranks sixth in MLB with a .419 slugging percentage.
Brent Rooker leads the power surge with 12 homers and a .468 slugging mark. Miguel Andújar has been one of the few bright spots lately, going 15-for-43 with three doubles and a home run over the past 10 games.
First meeting of the season
This marks the first meeting between the Astros and Athletics in 2025. Houston has had the upper hand in the rivalry in recent years and will look to keep that trend going. Oddsmakers agree: the Astros are -207 favorites on the BetMGM moneyline, with the over/under set at 7.5 runs.
With Houston surging behind elite starting pitching and Oakland trying to find stability, Tuesday’s matchup offers a sharp contrast in direction—and a clear opportunity for the Astros to keep stacking wins at home.
Here's an early look at tonight's lineup!
.@hellokitty Night!
⚾️: 7:10pm
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/8BPEDP9L14
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 27, 2025
Altuve is hitting third in the DH spot, with Chas McCormick hitting eighth and getting the start in left field. Meyers is hitting fifth and Mauricio Dubon is starting at second base and hitting ninth.
*ChatGPT assisted.
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