The Alabama State tackle played quarterback in high school and has played tackle for a few years
Texans get their tackle at 23 selecting Tytus Howard
Apr 25, 2019, 10:32 pm
Credit to Alabama State Football Twitter
The draft board started to set up perfect for the Texans. With just one tackle going in the top 20 picks Washington State's Andre Dillard, Oklahoma's Cody Ford, and Florida's Jawaan Taylor all remained on the board. Three of most draft experts top four tackles. Moments later the Eagles had traded up and were on the clock.
There went Dillard. One pick before the Texans were set to select. Then they were on the clock. Now they trusted their board.
Roger Goodell walked to the podium and announced the Texans had selected Alabama State tackle Tytus Howard.
"It's just an unbelievable feeling right now," Howard said after he was picked. "I'm just blessed to be a part of the Houston Texans."
Howard said he had a good feeling about being a member of the Texans when he had his visit with the team.
"They decided to draft me and I promise you they didn't make a mistake. I'm going to give them everything I have."
Texans general manager Brian Gaine knows there's a fit for his new lineman.
"We see Tytus Howard as an offensive lineman," he said. "We'll start the best five, however it works out. He'll have a chance to compete for a starting job, come in and earn what he gets, but the fact of the matter is, is Tytus has been a starting-caliber player at right tackle and left tackle."
Gaine mentioned Howard "checked all the boxes" and said he is the type of player that matches their physical as well as intagible profile.
As for where he played, Gaine doesn't mind Howard's track record against non-Power 5 schools.
"I know the competition in terms of comparably speaking to a power-five conference, he's not coming from a power-five conference, but I'm not concerned about that at all."
Howard was a high school quarterback. He then started a transition to tight end before ultimately ending up as the right tackle for Alabama State. He credits his coaches and the strength staff for staying on him. He also said his fiance was instrumental in getting him to eat enough.
"My favorite would be her chicken spaghetti," Howard said with a chuckle. "I would eat that back to back nights. I would eat that whole pan."
Howard said his time as a quarterback helps him at the tackle spot.
"I know how being sacked feels," he said. "So I try my best not to give up any sacks so I try to play as long as I can to keep guys from hitting the quarterback."
Speaking of keeping the quarterback clean, Howard knows all about how important Deshaun Watson is to the Texans.
Howard said he thinks Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and he said his athleticism will help him work longer to keep Watson clean.
As for Howard, he has a clear mentality to take to the NFL.
"There was a saying that one of my offensive line coaches used to say, his mentality is you put him in a cage with a gorilla, you better pray for the gorilla, not him because he's going to be all right. That's just how I feel. You just put me in a cage with anybody and I feel like I'm going to come out. That's my mentality going in."
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Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
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