The NFL Draft is just seven weeks away. The NFL Combine is behind us now and pro days will be kicking off very soon. The Texans don't have a pick until the second round due to the Laremy Tunsil trade with the Miami Dolphins before last season and we still don't know exactly what number the picks will be from round 4 on because the NFL has yet to announce the compensation picks. Currently this is how the picks for the Texans look:
2nd round (57th overall)
3rd round (90th overall)
4th round (from Miami, TBD)
4th round (TBD)
5th round (TBD)
7th round (TBD)
The Texans 3rd round comp pick they expect to get will go to the Cleveland Browns for the Duke Johnson trade. The Texans' 6th round pick went to the Patriots for Keion Crossen.
The Texans have a ton of questions to answer before then. GM and Head Coach Bill O'Brien has two more weeks to figure out his free agency plans. The free agency period kicks off March 18th and the Texans have some big pieces they either need to re-sign or replace on the roster. The bigger names that are free agents are DT D.J. Reader, CB Bradley Roby, RB Carlos Hyde, TE Darren Fells and K Ka'imi Fairbairn. Plus OT Laremy Tunsil, whom the Texans acquired last offseason from the Dolphins, is looking for a new deal in the range of $19-20 million. Also franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson will be looking for a new deal in the coming months. Both the Watson and Tunsil deals will eat up a big chunk of cap space when they are done.
So at the moment, the Texans have needs at quite a few places but the bigger needs in order are
Cornerback
Running back
Interior defensive line
Offensive guard
Wide receiver
So here is my first Texans' mock draft of the offseason. This is prior to free agency, so things could definitely change.
Round 2 - AJ Terrell, CB, Clemson
AJ Terrell has played in very big games throughout his college career at Clemson. He would be a welcomed addition to the Texans' secondary with his size (6'1" 195 pounds). He's a terrific athlete that showed well at the NFL Combine running the 40 in 4.42 seconds to go with a 129 inch broad jump. He would come in and compete right away for one of the outside starting spots. Even if the Texans are able to bring back Bradley Roby who is a free agent, they would still like to bring in guys to compete with Gareon Conley (acquired in a traded with the Raiders) and Lonnie Johnson Jr. (2nd round pick in 2019).
Round 3 - Zack Moss, RB, Utah
Zack Moss is the type of back that would compliment Duke Johnson very nicely. He is a bruising back at 5'9" 223 pounds. Even if the Texans are to bring back Carlos Hyde, it would most likely be a deal that they could get out of rather quickly. Moss is someone that would do wonders for the power running game and at the goal line. He consistently ran through arm tackles and is a solid pass catcher. During his four years at Utah, he was the primary back for three of them. He amassed over 4,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was able to haul in 66 catches for 665 yards and 3 touchdowns. If the Texans don't bring back Carlos Hyde, they'd most likely bring in a veteran to compete for the starting job and I wouldn't be surprised to see Moss win the job to start the season.
Round 4 (from MIA) - Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame
You may think that the Texans are fine at wide receiver, but they need to jump into this deep draft class at the position. Will Fuller has only played 28 games in the last three seasons combined. While the numbers have been pretty good and the offense is clearly better when he's on the field, Fuller will play this season on his 5th year option at $10.1 million and then be a free agent in 2021. Claypool would give the Texans a massive WR on the outside. Claypool measured in at 6'5" 238 pounds and ran the 40 in 4.42 seconds with a 40.5 vertical jump. He still has something to work on in terms of becoming a legitimate WR, but he has all the ability and athleticism to become a very good number two option opposite DeAndre Hopkins. Some teams even thought Claypool could add more weight and be a TE in the NFL. Again some good WR will fall to day 3 due to this being one of the better classes we've seen in a long time.
Round 4 - Leki Fotu, DT, Utah
Well the Texans may be losing DJ Reader to free agency here in a couple weeks and if that happens, they need to replace the massive hole that Reader will leave. Well insert the 6'5" 335 pound Fotu into that spot. Yes the Texans go back to the University of Utah for another player. Fotu is a monster of a man and could help fill the 0 technique in the newly named Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver's defense. Reader will be very tough to replace in terms of the pass rush he was also able to give the Texans and Fotu won't be able to help to much with that, but he can be a run stuffing machine that Reader also was. Fotu could be an early down two gap nose tackle that could help free up guys like JJ Watt and Charles Omenihu. I would also expect the Texans to go out in free agency and get another interior defensive lineman that has a little more pass rush prowess.
Round 5 - Michael Onwenu, OG, Michigan
The Texans go out and get another behemoth of a man, but this time it's for the offensive line and more specifically, for left guard. Onwenu was a 3rd team All Big Ten at Michigan. He measured in at the combine at 6'3" 344 pounds. The Texans have Zach Fulton locked in at right guard for 2020, but may need the $7 million in cap space after this season that he could save them. Giving Onwenu a full year to get acclimated to the NFL would be a good thing for him and he could step in as the 2021 right guard and give them another power run guard to go with Max Scharping.
Round 7 - Carter Coughlin, EDGE, Minnesota
Coughlin is a guy that can play on the edge and get after the quarterback. But his main role early on in his time with the Texans would be as a special teamer who can play on all phases. Showed good speed at the combine running a 4.57 in the 40 at 6'3" 236 pounds. These are the type of players that every team is looking for in the later rounds that contribute on special teams at a high level.
So overall in this first initial mock draft for the Texans, get some more offensive weapons is paramount for Watson. I also didn't go tight end because I think Darren Fells can be brought back on a pretty inexpensive contract as well as Jordan Akins, Kahale Warring and Jordan Thomas give the Texans some depth. But the Texans will still have work to do in free agency to fill all the holes they need to heading into the season.