Houston Texans: NFL.com Forecasts WR/CB In First Round
General manager Rick Smith and the Houston Texans may actually have more pressure in this years’ first round of the NFL draft than they had last year at no. 1 overall. The Texans tend to draft the top overall talent while on the clock, rather than choose a role player to fill a gap on their roster. This draft, however, may force them to select someone who lines up wide.
Two of the top needs the Texans have are at wide receiver and cornerback. As badly as Houston depends on a stealthy secondary, they will need a big target for whoever wins the quarterback battle this offseason between Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer. So far, DeAndre Hopkins is listed as the Texans’ no. 1 receiver, however his job could be in contention, should the Houston front office select a wideout in the first round.
According to NFL.com analysts, it will come down to either Jaelen Strong or Dorial Green-Beckham, if Rick Smith decides to pull the trigger on adding another dominant receiver.
Stacking the secondary with another cornerback makes sense as well though. Especially if that cornerback is young, promising and relatively cheap, compared to the highly paid Jonathan Joseph.
Joseph turns 31 years old in just a few days and has one year remaining on a five year, $48 million contract. The pro bowler was also the third highest paid cornerback in the league last season. Drafting either defensive back Marcus Peters or Jalen Collins could prove to be a smart investment, if they produced and stayed on the team to eventually replace Joseph.
The draft is stout with receivers this year, so the Texans may be patient in the first round and address their offensive shortlist in the second or third rounds.
We’ve heard it a thousand times, it’s a passing league.
This year could be pivotal for the Texans under Rick Smith’s tenure. Navigating through the end of round one will depict a clear picture of where the general manager wants to lead his team in the 2015 campaign looming ahead.
Next: Wide Receiver, Outside Linebackers Only Option For Texans In Round One?