Texans go all-in on the offense.
The NFL Combine has ended and players are entering final chances to improve their draft grades. For the Texans’ draft view, there were three key movements through the NFL Draft Landscape:
- Interior offensive lineman are being de-valued and deprioritized
- There are starting-caliber defensive tackles available in the fourth round
- Wide Receivers talent and depth is the worst since 2017 (Corey Davis, Mike Williams, John Ross, Zay Jones)
The fourth edition of the Battle Red Blog NFL Mock Draft series features one more no-trade draft. Next edition in two weeks will be the first of this season to feature a trade… maybe two!
Previous BRB Houston Texans Mock Draft Database:
Round 1, Pick 25: Matthew Golden, WR – Texas
Head Coach DeMeco Ryans spoke at the NFL Combine and communicated the following:
“It hurt us down the stretch not having Steph, not having Tank [Dell]. We need those playmakers, especially at the wide receiver position. … So that is an area of emphasis for us, looking at the wide receiver position.
I rarely put the same player twice in a row for a mock draft… but I have even more conviction now than a week ago that the Texans will go WR first round. Given Ryan’s above comment at the NFL Combine, Houston’s lack of depth at WR, low-quality depth in the draft, and de-prioritization of interior lineman in this class, going wide receiver early simply is a value-based necessity.
Golden is also one of the rarer scheme fits for the Texans. This class is filled with taller, sideline catchers in the Nico Collins-eqsue. Golden can run the full route tree and has the toughness to catch over the middle of the field.
Golden sparkled at the NFL Combine setting a WR-position best 4.29 forty yard dash. That was the only workout he did by the way. Question is now if Golden’s stock has risen too far up boards.
Round 2, Pick 58: Jonah Savaiinaea, OL – Arizona
Savaiinaea was featured last week in my weekly column of draft prospects, and he fits in here nicely as one of the better remaining interior lineman available. The other option was Marcus Mbow, but his footwork, play strength, and stance need considerable attention.
What Savaiinaea brings is immense size and versatility. At 6’5, the three-year starter has played right guard, right tackle, and left tackle. He fits best as a downhill right guard who can swing out to tackle. Here’s my breakdown from last week:
His pass protection needs legitimate ironing out… mainly due to constantly switching positions throughout college. Watch his film above; his footwork is position agnostic rather than refined and nuanced. It’s like solving the problem “fitting a square peg into a round hole” by simply finding a small enough square peg to work in any round hole.
Texans would draft Savaiinaea and have him sit behind Shaq Mason to begin the season, but eventually elevate him once the footwork is solidified.
Round 3, Pick 89: Quinshon Judkins, RB – Ohio State
This is the definition of a luxury pick. This would be the first time GM Nick Caserio has started a draft with three offensive players. Plus, there’s zero consensus on who is RB3 – RB12 in this class so knowing where each RB will go is a fool’s errand.
Judkins is an aggressive between-the-tackle running back with the size to deliver hits through the second level. His familiarity with zone and power scheme allows him to utilize his size and speed in space. He has pro-level contract balance and shiftiness makes him an ideal rotational back. He also is familiar with catching the ball though was never asked to do much in either Ole Miss or Ohio State’s system.
Round 4, Pick 127: C.J. West, DT – Indiana
West is the best fit for the Texans defensive line in the fourth round and beyond. I guantee you West is higher on team’s boards than scout’s boards. That’s because West spent four seasons at Kent State before transferring to Indiana, and he immediately became the leader on a College Football Playoff-bound Hoosiers team.
Standing at 6’1, 315 pounds, West isn’t the most towering tackle to grace the NFL Draft, but he’s as quick of a 315 pounder as you’ll find. He had the fifth best 10-split and the NFL Combine, which is one of the premier tests of a DT’s athleticism. He possesses an arm-over move and swim move that work wonders when he has a plan, but there’s a lot of blasé film without any nuance to the pass rush.
West is on an upward trajectory. He is a single-gap true defensive tackle, but the Hoosiers would split him out over the tackle for a more beefed up defensive line. He will be able to immediately enter the Texans’ defensive rotation and provide first down run defense.
Round 5, Pick 167: O’Donnel Fortune, CB – South Carolina
Seven interceptions over three seasons and a 90.2 Coverage Grade from PFF gives Fortune the high-end ceiling teams covet this late in the draft. However, his body size and weight are a conundrum for teams. At 6’1, 185 pounds he has 81-percentile height but 20-percentile weight; O’Donnel Fortune is a corner you’d love to feature for 7-on-7. Much like Texans’ standout rookie safety Calen Bullock, he is extremely scheme-specific and has to be put in a position to succeed.
Fortune is not a willing tackler and must stay on the outside of the formation. Fortune’s frail stature doesn’t bode well for safety either, making him less versatile. Adding this defensive back is a long-term investment for a position player with high upside in the coverage game.
Fortune needs a year or two to fill out his frame and learn the NFL game. Houston provides a good landing spot for him to be a backup with zero responsibility. A pure upside draft pick that can develop into a situational CB2 given the right opportunity.
Round 7, Pick 243: Teddye Buchanan, LB – Cal
To round out this draft, Texans go more defense to add a high-energy, sure-tackler with special teams certainty. The Texans are losing several linebackers and Buchanan has the size and speed to play in the Texans’ system. He’s remind me of Henry To’oTo’o coming out of college; more of a wrestler than a jarring tackler, both prefer to sift through offensive lineman than shed a blocker.
A Bay Area kid through-and-through, Buchanan is familiar dropping back in coverage along with possessing a heat-seeking missile mentality. However, his film against Miami shows that larger and talented lineman can make him pensive to attack.
Final Thoughts: three offensive picks in a row will certainly spark excitement, but it’s the number of immediate contributors that should excite. Fourth round pick C.J. West fills a need and among the most unique fits to the roster. The Texans would have a new lease on life on offense, but still add depth on defense.