Mel Kiper Mock Draft 3.0: Houston Texans Walk The Line
The Houston Texans could upgrade several different areas of their team once next week’s free agency market opens. That fact makes predicting what the Texans will do in the upcoming draft difficult.
Yet, ESPN Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has chosen this time to release his third mock draft of the offseason. And in Kiper’s latest mock draft, he believes Houston will choose to address recent voids in their offensive line.
With the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select…
Jan 1, 2014; Tampa, Fl, USA; LSU Tigers offensive tackle La’el Collins (70) blocks against theIowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
La’El Collins, Offensive Tackle, LSU
Here’s Kiper’s explanation of the selection:
"“The departure of Andre Johnson isn’t going to make make the Texans depart from the blueprint of a team that can win the physical battle at the line of scrimmage. Depending on what happens in free agency the Texans could be looking for immediate help at right tackle and potentially guard depending on how they decide to move people around. Collins is a player many have pegged as a dominant NFL guard (not a bad thing to have), but I think he can stay at tackle and play well. At a minimum he’s going to be fantastic in the run game, as he can simply take people where they don’t want to go.”"
The Texans released their long-time center, Chris Myers, last week. And starting right tackle Derek Newton is currently a free agent.
If the Texans decide to move starting left guard Ben Jones to center and/or Houston decides not to re-sign Newton, Collins makes perfect sense at the 16th overall selection.
At 6-4, 305 pounds Collins is big and powerful prospect with positional versatility, as he’s able to play both tackle and guard. He’ll be an asset in the run game, which means good things for Texans’ running back Arian Foster.