Who the web thinks Houston will draft in round one
By Josh McSwain
Everybody has an opinion on who the Houston Texans should draft with the 22nd overall pick. Here’s a roundup:
Fansided- Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
The Texans two most pressing needs are in the offensive backfield. Brian Hoyer was up and down throughout his first year in Houston and alternatives should be sought. With the top three quarterbacks off the board, Michigan State’s Connor Cook could be tempting here. But I think they should look at the other position back there and fill it with another Big Ten stud in Elliot.
The guy is a game breaker which is what the Texans need out of the backfield. With Alfred Blue they have a good pass catcher out of the backfield, but not a guy who can run between the tackles and break the long gains. Elliot accomplishes both. This past season he was fifth in the nation with 1821 rushing yards and ran for 23 touchdowns. His 6.3 yards per carry was more than Heisman winner Derrick Henry and runner-up Christian McCaffery.
With Elliot in the backfield, it will alleviate the burden the quarterback will face, whomever it is. I think the Texans could go after a different Big Ten quarterback in the second round in Christian Hackenberg, whom Bill O’Brien knows from his time at Penn State. A back like Elliot won’t be available when the Texans pick next.
Full mock: https://nflmocks.com/2016/02/18/2016-nfl-mock-draft-fansided-experts-speak-for-their-teams/
Walter Football- Elliott
The Texans were going to take Todd Gurley if he fell to them at No. 16 because the concerns about Arian Foster‘s soft-tissue injuries are real. Foster has never been the same since foolishly changing his eating habits, and he’s never going to be a reliable player as a result. Houston will be looking for a new running back this offseason.
Full mock: http://walterfootball.com/draft2016.php
SB Nation- Elliott
Elliott being available for the Texans is an ideal situation. He’s by far the draft’s best running back, and could step right into the starting role for Houston. Elliott can be a workhorse back, and showed as much at Ohio State the last two seasons when he had 562 carries for more than 3,600 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Bleacher Report- Robert Nkemdiche, DL, Ole Miss