Its no secret that the Houston Texans have had trouble at the Wire Receiver position for some time now. It has been covered up by Andre Johnson as he is a matchup nightmare week in and out. Johnson is an elite wide out, but at the age of 31, the body of work players begins to take a toll. Outside of Johnson, the best receiver on the team is Tight End Owen Daniels, who was the leading receiver last year as Johnson missed time due to injury; as well as the second on the list this year.
The Texans current roster sports Andre Johnson as the only consistently productive receiver at the age of 31. Also at 31 but much less productive is Kevin Walter who will become a free agent in 2015. Also on the depth chart and lower on the stat sheet are Lester Jean, Keshawn Martin and DeVeir Posey who have had minimal contributions and may have to fight for roster spots in the coming year.
While the Texans are currently sitting pretty at the top of the AFC at 11-1 with a wildcard secured, its always a good idea to look forward and plan how you team will evolve and grow for next season. By securing the wildcard they will have a pick at 21 or higher, but most mock drafts have them projected as the Superbowl favorite at pick 32.
That is why in this years 2013 draft, Wide Receiver Tavon Austin should be taken by the Texans. Austin provides a versatile talent who played running back at high school and receiver at West Virginia. While Austin is a smaller player at 5’9”, 172lbs, other players such as Wes Welker, Desean Jackson and Percy Harvin were all deemed undersized; and each has experienced success. Putting on weight will be recommend for him as the NFL’s linebackers are much heavier than their college counterparts. With Austin on the squad he should give the team a fresh talent at a position thats been lacking play for many years.
Check out the Mock Draft here.
– Antonio Furgiuele