AND THE HOUSTON TEXANS SELECT...

Josh Jordan's mock draft 1.0

Josh Jordan's mock draft 1.0
Alabama RB Josh Jacobs. Photo via: Alabama/Facebook

It's that time of year again and now that the NFL Combine is over, it's time to start all the mock drafts. The Houston Texans have the 23rd pick, so let's take a look at how the draft board might stack up.

1. Arizona Cardinals- OU QB Kyler Murray

Kliff Kingsbury, Kyler Murray

Murray is a great fit in Kingsbury's offense.

Composite photo by Brandon Strange

Kingsbury gets his QB and the Cardinals move on from Josh Rosen.

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

49ers get some help rushing the passer, and this guy will make an immediate impact.

3. New York Jets- Kentucky Edge Josh Allen

The Jets add Josh Allen to help get after the QB.

4. Oakland Raiders- Alabama DL Quinnen Williams

Williams made a huge splash at the Combine and the Raiders take the best player on the board.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Michigan DE Rashan Gary

The Bucs need some help on the edge, and they get exactly that with Gary.

6. New York Giants- Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins

Haskins is sitting there for the taking at #6.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat

The Jags need to get their defense back to dominance, and a pass rusher just might do the trick. This dude can RUN!

8. Detroit Lions- LSU LB Devin White

Matt Patricia gets a playmaker at linebacker, and he's fast too.

9. Buffalo Bills- Washington State OT Andre Dillard

The Bills have to address the offensive line and protect their young QB.

10. Denver Broncos- Florida OT Jawaan Taylor

Corner might be an option, but right tackle Jared Veldheer is a free agent in 2020, and they have to protect Flacco.

11. Cincinnati Bengals- Oklahoma OT Cody Ford

12. Green Bay Packers- Iowa TE Noah Fant

13. Miami Dolphins- Duke QB Daniel Jones

14. Atlanta Falcons- Alabama OT Jonah Williams

15. Washington Redskins- Missouri QB Drew Lock

16. Carolina Panthers- NCST OL Garrett Bradbury

17. Cleveland Browns- Ole Miss WR D.K. Metcalf

18. Minnesota Vikings- Michigan LB Devin Bush

19. Tennessee Titans- Clemson DL Christian Wilkins

20. Pittsburgh Steelers- Oklahoma WR Marquise Brown

21. Seattle Seahawks- Clemson Edge Clelin Ferrell

22. Baltimore Ravens- Ohio State WR Parris Campbell

23. Houston Texans- LSU CB Greedy Williams

The Texans would love to take an offensive tackle, but they're desperately in need of help at corner too. I believe that all the tackles worth taking will be gone by the time the Texans pick, so they get a stud corner and a steal with Williams.

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

25. Philadelphia Eagles- Washington CB Byron Murphy

26. Indianapolis Colts- Houston DL Ed Oliver

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

28. Los Angeles Chargers- Clemson DL Dexter Lawrence

29. Kansas City Chiefs- Temple CB Rock Ya-Sin

30. Green Bay Packers (via Saints)- Kansas State OL Dalton Risner

31. Los Angeles Rams- Georgia CB Deandre Baker

32. New England Patriots- Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson


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Joe Espada's lineup card looks a little different. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

After a rough weekend and a five-game home losing streak looming large, the Houston Astros return to Daikin Park on Monday night looking to get back on track against the visiting Washington Nationals. This three-game set opens a critical homestand for the first-place Astros, who, despite the skid, still lead the AL West with a 60-46 record.

Houston will turn to its ace, Framber Valdez, who’s quietly piecing together one of the most dominant seasons in the league. The left-hander is 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA and 129 strikeouts — and when he’s on, he’s a stopper in every sense.

The Nationals counter with Brad Lord, who brings a solid 3.39 ERA into the matchup but has just two wins in 7 starts. Lord’s numbers suggest he's pitched better than his record shows, though his 1.26 WHIP could be tested against a Houston lineup that has proven dangerous when clicking. The Astros are 33-7 this season when scoring at least five runs — the formula is no secret.

At the plate, José Altuve continues to anchor Houston’s offense, hitting .280 with 17 homers and 17 doubles on the year. The supporting cast has been inconsistent of late, with the Astros averaging just .241 and getting outscored by 17 runs over their last 10 games. Rookie Brice Matthews has shown flashes, with three homers in his last 10 games, but Houston is still searching for a rhythm without key power bats fully healthy.

The Nationals arrive in Houston at 43-62, last in the NL East but coming off a competitive 5-5 stretch. James Wood, one of their key young pieces, has slugged 24 homers and added 21 doubles while batting .263. Josh Bell has also been swinging the bat well, collecting 12 hits in his last 39 at-bats.

The Astros hold a 33-23 mark at Daikin Park this season, and they’ll try to lean on home-field advantage — something that’s recently been elusive — to jumpstart a second-half push. With the trade deadline approaching and the division tightening, Houston knows it can’t afford to drop games to teams below .500.

First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET, with the Astros listed as heavy -232 favorites on BetMGM’s sportsbook. The over/under is 7.5, a nod to the belief that pitching could dominate this series opener.

Injuries

You can see all the updates in Brian McTaggart's post below.

 

It sounds like Jeremy Pena will return the soonest, followed by Spencer Arrighetti. Pena is playing for Sugar Land on Tuesday.

 

Joe Espada is shuffling his lineup

Taylor Trammell is leading off and playing right field, with Cam Smith getting the night off. Altuve is once again hitting second and playing left field and is followed by the DH, Victor Caratini. Christian Walker will hit cleanup and play first base, no surprise there.

Jacob Melton has been recalled to the big league roster and Jon Singleton has been DFA'd. So Melton will hit fifth and play center field followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Mauricio Dubon (3B), Brice Matthews (2B), and Zack Short (SS).

 

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*ChatGPT assisted.

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