Mel Kiper says Houston Texans will draft Jadeveon Clowney

September 22, 2012; Columbia, SC, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback James Franklin (1) is pressured by South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

In his fourth mock draft of the offseason, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper says the Houston Texans will select Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 overall selection on May 8.

Clowney, a defensive end from South Carolina, stands at 266 pounds and would be a percent match to play on the opposite side of All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt.

In his reasoning, Kiper states on his pick of Clowney:

"“But I believe that while more than one “safe” pick exists in this draft, it’s hard to play it safer in terms of upside than selecting a generational physical talent, a guy who has exceptional physical skills and the ability to bring immediate impact and create consistent matchup problems up front as teams deal with the reality of how to block both Clowney and J.J. Watt.”"

As I’ve said before, I believe the Texans do need a QB, but they can wait in this draft, and still get a very quality QB in the second or possibly third round of this draft.

As Kiper mentioned, the possibility of a Watt and Clowney duo is just to much for me to overlook. Look at how the Seattle Seahawks won their Super Bowl, and built their team with a VERY tough defense that creates matchup problems.

I like the pick by Kiper, and if the Texans do decide to focus on defense in the first round, with the first pick, they won’t be making a mistake. They will be making their team better for next year and for years to come.

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