Houston Texans: Greedy Williams should be NFL Draft target
The Houston Texans need to regroup at cornerback this offseason. It is time to take a look at Greedy Williams for the 2019 NFL Draft.
It is very simple for the Houston Texans this offseason: they really need to be very involved in adding to their secondary, especially at cornerback. The Texans — who were the AFC South champions — will most likely have to replace players who are now free agents. The fact is pretty upfront, and that is an upgrade at the position can be added through the 2019 NFL Draft.
One way for the Texans to get younger (and better) at the position is to do their due diligence and select one, maybe two cornerbacks through the NFL Draft. Will they use their 23rd overall pick to take the cornerback they need, or will they wait until the second round where they hold two later selections in the round?
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If the Texans really want to make a splash in the 2019 NFL Draft, they could trade up in the early stages of the first round and select the top-ranked cornerback in Andraez “Greedy” Williams from LSU. That would be an instant upgrade at the position.
The issue for the Texans is this … Williams is being mock drafted as a Top 5 draft choice, as Mel Kiper of ESPN.com has Williams being drafted fourth overall to the Oakland Raiders. Kiper wrote the following on Williams in January:
"“Williams is a big, 6-foot-3 corner with long arms and lockdown potential. The comp I’ve made for him is Aqib Talib.”"
Williams ‚— who was a sophomore — finished the 2018 season with 28 total tackles, two interceptions and nine passes defensed in his final year at LSU.
The free agents for the Texans at cornerback are Kareem Jackson, Shareece Wright and Kayvon Webster. Last season, Jackson totaled 17 passes defensed and two interceptions. Webster finished with no passes defensed and no interceptions, and Wright had five passes defensed and no interceptions.
The Texans really could use a player like Williams as he could be a game changer for the defense, and for the secondary, imagine building a young core of defensive backs that can make life terrible for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton.
With the Texans playing that duo twice a season, drafting the top-ranked defensive back like Williams could instantly take away the passing game advantage Luck had against the Texans in the three games played against the Texans this past season.
Just though the air with their passing game, the Colts used Luck and Co. to go 2-1 against the Texans in 2018, eventually with a late-season win over Houston that cost them a potential first-round bye. Then in the wild card round of the playoffs, the Texans lost to the Colts to have their 11-win season end quickly.
Luck in his three games against Houston combined for 1,085 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Hilton in his three games vs. the Texans totaled no touchdowns, but he did dominate the Texans in the three meetings with games of four receptions for 115 yards, nine receptions for 199 yards and five receptions for 85 yards. To make it simple, the cornerbacks and secondary didn’t get the job done against Hilton last season.
That is where drafting Williams comes to the forefront. Though the Texans really need help on the offensive line to protect quarterback Deshaun Watson, taking a look at Williams in the draft and thinking about moving up is worth the time and potential payoff for the defense too.
CBSSports.com has Williams as the top-ranked cornerback in the draft, and for good reason. In his combined two years at LSU, Williams totaled 20 passes defensed, and in a game against Alabama this season he had one pass defensed. Williams’ best game in 2018 was where he had three passes defensed against the Arkansas Razorbacks. In 2017, Williams against Alabama had two passes defensed.
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Though it is a long shot, the Texans might want to think about the possibility of adding Williams to their roster. Though it is costly trading up in the NFL Draft, it is just one of many possibilities that could help make this team better when comes to teams that have had their number in recent memory.