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
Murray is a great fit in Kingsbury's offense.
Composite photo by Brandon StrangeKingsbury 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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Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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