Rounding out the live Texans mock daft with four rounds of fun
Part II from my live seven-round mock draft through former Battle Red Blog writer Brett Kollmann’s Discord server. This multi-day draft culminated with a full round of draft grades, which this draft received a solid B+ from the other teams. If you want to read the first three picks in-depth breakdown, here’s a link to the article for Rounds 1 – 3. To summarize, here are the picks and trade:
- Round 1, Pick 25: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT – Texas
- Round 2, Pick 49: Josh Conerly Jr., OT – Oregon (Traded up with 5th and 7th round picks)
- Round 3, Pick 79: T.J. Sanders, DL – South Carolina
The Texans Send:
– Pick 2.58
– Pick 5.166
– Pick 7.241
The Bengals Send:
– Pick 2.49
As the above trade was being finalized, I quickly acknowledged not having a pick between picks 89 and 236 wasn’t logical in a less-stratified class such as this. So, I paired up with the Jags who had 11+ picks to spread the wealth across the rest of the class. Funnily enough, I somehow ended up with a pick in each round.
TRADE
The Jaguars Send:
– Pick 4.126
– Pick 5.148
– Pick 6.182
The Texans Send:
– Pick 3.89
With that, let’s kick off this draft Day Three picks!
Round 4, Pick 126: Tory Horton, WR – Colorado State
Whether in the third or fourth round, this pick was designated as the ‘best weapon available’. That title goes to Tory Horton from Colorado State.
“But Kenneth, Nick Caserio never selects small school prospects?” Well, thank you for that question, gentle reader! While Horton played in the Mountain West Conference, his performance against Colorado showcased next-level quickness and nuance. His skill and elusiveness will win regardless if it is in the Mountain West, Big 10, or NFL.
Horton is falling in the draft due to a mid-season ACL injury, but he appears to be well on the mend. He ran a blazing 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which is one of the faster times for this class.
Horton’s ability to play in the slot or out wide makes him a natural foil to Nico Collins and an ideal pairing with Tank Dell, whose return will only enhance the versatility of the receiver room.
Horton may need a few weeks to regain full health and adjust to NFL-level strength, but he has the potential to be one of the most dynamic playmakers available on day three of the draft.
Round 5, Pick 148: Damien Martinez, RB – Miami
Lewisville, Texas’ Damien Martinez returns to the state of Texas to deliver the boom for the Houston Texans. The bruising back led college football in short-yardage success rate on third and fourth down.
He played two years at Oregon State under a completely different system. Oregon State ran a wide zone offense. Miami ran two-thirds of its running plays with gap schemes. This scheme versatility is ideal for a Texans offense undergoing a new offensive coordinator.
Jump cuts are his calling card in gap scheme runs; he has surprising balance, vision, and explosion for a running back with a stouter build. His upright running style is a bit perplexing, but shouldn’t distract from his physical presence and ability to churn through contact.
Martinez split the workload last season with Mark Fletcher Jr., a name to watch for next year’s class, which means he is not worn out before reaching the NFL.
Martinez slots in as the third running back and places immense pressure on Damien Pierce. He will have to fend off incumbent Dare Ogunbowale, whose clear role as the third-down back has been impenetrable for other rookies to supplant.
Round 6, Pick 182: Melo Dotson, CB – Kansas
The Texans find a serviceable backup cornerback in the sixth round who will make the roster and add energy to the locker room. Dotson brings the exact talent and skillset DeMeco Ryans prefers in his cornerbacks: physical, turnover-seeking, and instinctive.
His lack of speed in the Texans’ system is covered where free safety Calen Bullock ball hawks and the cornerbacks jump on anything underneath. The Texans sat in Cover-3 coverage 33% of all snaps in 2024, which is perfect for a zone corner like Dotson. Best yet, Dotson totaled 11 interceptions in four seasons and had more picks each year at Kansas.
The Texans find a culture and scheme fit with Dotson in the sixth round with an inside track to make the roster.
Round 7, Pick 236: Jordan Watkins, WR – Ole Miss
This pick was selected by Brett Kollmann himself for putting on such a fun mock draft. My plan was to go with a defensive end, but this is an intriguing player. Here is my write up:
At first glance, Jordan Watkins doesn’t jump off the film and that’s by design. Ole Miss schemed him into space, kept his assignments clean, and made his job look easy. His nine TDs and 900 yards last year are a bit deceiving; he went for 250 yards and FIVE touchdowns against Arkansas. But when you dig deeper, you start to see the subtleties: he’s rarely in contested catch situations because he consistently finds soft spots in coverage. He works back to the quarterback with timing and awareness, making him a trusted outlet on broken plays. His rapport with Jaxson Dart was built on that reliability over the middle, in tight window. Watkins made the tough catches knowing contact was coming, and Dart knew he’d be there.
Let’s get technical: Watkins and Ole Miss utilized switch releases and slot alignments, which kept him from facing much press-man coverage. His ability to win outside of these alignments will be a grey area for scouts finalizing his profile. Watkins is not a superior athlete but is a very good zone-busting wide receiver who can find the slits in between coverage and get open for first downs. Watkins is not a route technician, but he pairs together routes which helps. His stutter-go route and slant route are his best tape.
He projects to be a WR3/4 in the NFL His 4.37 40-yard dash time doesn’t translate into game speed, but that feels contradictory as he continually finds ways to get open. He honestly reminds me of fellow prospect Matthew Golden in that respect. If drafted by the Texans, Watkins will have to fight for a roster spot in a veteran, crowded room.
There you have it. Two lineman, two wide receivers, two defensive players, and one seconds string running back. Hopefully these players can turn the Texans into a first-rate playoff contender.