Houston Texans Complete 2015 Draft Preview

Aug 31, 2013; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (15) attempts to catch a pass as Murray State Racers cornerback Darrian Skinner (23) attempts the tackle during the first half of the game at Faurot Field. Missouri won 58-14. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Players To Watch for Draft:

The purpose of this section is to look at the draft from a broader view. Nobody knows exactly what each team is truly doing on draft day but that is what makes it so exciting! Every team has held player visits and some rumors have appeared throughout the tiring draft process. This is a quick recap of every teams options and the players to keep an eye out for all 32 teams… well 31, sorry Bills fans!

I have bolded the teams who have a shot of either trading up or trading down in the draft. The Titans have a good chance of trading away the ability to draft Marcus Mariota to either the Rams, Browns, Saints, and Chargers. Despite the Philip Rivers rumors, it is too late for a deal like that to happen because Philip would need to visit the Titans, pass a physical, negotiate a new contract, and figure out which picks are involved within the next two days. The Washington Redskins reportedly want to have ten picks in the draft and the only way to get that many picks is by trading down. The Jets, Giants, Vikings, Saints, Texans, and any team in the last five picks are considering trading down as well.

1. Tampa Bay – Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota

2. Tennessee – Trade Back, Marcus Mariota, Dante Fowler Jr. , Leonard Williams, Amari Cooper

3. Jacksonville – Dante Fowler Jr. , Leonard Williams, Vic Beasley, Bud Dupree, Amari Cooper

4. Oakland – Leonard Williams, Amari Cooper, Kevin White, Dante Fowler Jr. , DeVante Parker

5. Washington – Trade Back, Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler Jr. , Brandon Scherff, Andrus Peat

6. New York Jets – Vic Beasley, Bud Dupree, Amari Cooper, Kevin White, Todd Gurley, Trade Down

7. Chicago – Kevin White, Amari Cooper, Danny Shelton, Andrus Peat, Todd Gurley

8. Atlanta – Vic Beasley, Bud Dupree, Trade Up, Andrus Peat, Brandon Scherff

9. New York Giants – Andrus Peat, Brandon Scherff, Trade Back, Vic Beasley, Bud Dupree

10. St. Louis – Kevin White, Andrus Peat, DeVante Parker, Ereck Flowers, La’el Collins

11. Minnesota – Trae Waynes, Kevin Johnson, DeVante Parker, Trade Back, Landon Collins

12. Cleveland – Danny Shelton, Trade Up, DeVante Parker, Bud Dupree, Todd Gurley

13. New Orleans –  Bud Dupree, Vic Beasley, Trade Either Way, DeVante Parker, Landon Collins

14. Miami – DeVante Parker, Todd Gurley, Kevin Johnson, Trae Waynes, Landon Collins

15. San Francisco – Arik Armstead, Kevin Johnson, Trae Waynes, Danny Shelton, Randy Gregory

16. Houston – DeVante Parker, Trade Either Way, Todd Gurley, Dorial Green-Beckham, Randy Gregory

17. San Diego – Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Kevin Johnson, Randy Gregory, Landon Collins

18. Kansas City – La’el Collins, Ereck Flowers, Kevin Johnson, Landon Collins, Breshad Perriman

19. Cleveland – Trade Up, Breshad Perriman, Malcom Brown, La’el Collins, Ereck Flowers

20. Philadelphia – Kevin Johnson, Arik Armstead, Trade Up, Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman

21. Cincinnati – Landon Collins, Randy Gregory, Malcom Brown, Arik Armstead, Nelson Agholor

22. Pittsburgh – Randy Gregory, Kevin Johnson, Trae Waynes, Marcus Peters, Eric Kendricks

23. Detroit – Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Arik Armstead, Malcom Brown, Eddie Goldman

24. Arizona – Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Arik Armstead, Malcom Brown, Eddie Goldman

25. Carolina – Ereck Flowers, La’el Collins, Cameron Irving, Eric Kendricks, Breshad Perriman

26. Baltimore – Breshad Perriman, Nelson Agholor, Devin Smith, Marcus Peters, Jaelen Strong

27. Dallas – Malcom Brown, Byron Jones, Marcus Peters, Eric Kendricks, Eddie Goldman

28. Denver – Cameron Irving, Landon Collins, T.J. Clemmings, Odighizuwa, Shane Ray, Cedric Ogbuehi

29. Indianapolis – Landon Collins, T.J. Clemmings, Cameron Irving, Shane Ray, Odighizuwa

30. Green Bay – Eddie Goldman, Denzel Perryman, Benardrick McKinney, Shane Ray, Paul Dawson

31. New Orleans – Dorial Green-Beckham, Jaelen Strong, Marcus Peters, Shane Ray, T.J. Clemmings

32. New England – Byron Jones, Marcus Peters, Trade Back, Shane Ray, Paul Dawson

The Texans have kept their cards hidden throughout the draft process. In fact, only a handful of players have visited the Texans, which is interesting given the endless amount of options they have in the middle of the first round. DeVante Parker, Kevin White, or Amari Cooper are the best fits but that would require trading up multiple picks. Other wide receivers are on the table (Perriman, Agholor, Dorsett, Smith, Strong, Green-Beckham, etc.) but would all be reaches. Instead, the Texans can trade back to the very end of the round to get better value with their selection and add another middle round pick.

If the Texans are not set on picking a wide receiver, a linebacker may be the next option. Randy Gregory’s stock as fallen with his tweets, marijuana test, and with concerns with his motor. Owner Bob McNair usually stays away from players with off the field issues, but Bill O’Brien has taken over an entire program that dealt with much bigger off the field issues. Randy Gregory, if he proves his doubters wrong, could have great value at 16th overall. A safer choice and a great scheme fit would be selecting inside line backer Eric Kendricks. His pass coverage skills are the best in the class and is a sure tackler, but he is widely considered as an early second round pick.

Next: Full First Round Mock Draft