Houston Texans Roundup: Mock Draft predicts No. 23 overall pick

Who are the Houston Texans going to be drafting when the No. 23 overall pick arrives during the 2019 NFL Draft?

The 2019 NFL Draft is around 55 days away, and the Houston Texans will have the 23rd overall selection on that Thursday night in Nashville, Tenn. Until that pick is announced, the mystery of who the Texans will select will be just that … a mystery.

In a very recent mock draft, Peter Schrager of NFL.com has the Texans drafting a huge need with their first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, and that player is offensive tackle Andre Dillard of Washington State. Schrager wrote the following of Dillard and why the Texans could draft the Washington State offensive tackle:

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"“Houston’s offensive line really struggled at times in the 2018 season. Dillard is a good pass blocker and should be an immediate starter at the next level.”"

I like the fact the Texans are being projected an offensive tackle at No. 23 overall, but the Texans need to make sure this is the right choice. The above description really doesn’t explain in detail about Dillard, as that could be said to describe many of the offensive tackles in this draft.

In a closer look at Dillard, the Washington State tackle is 6-5, weighs 306 pounds, but according to Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network, Dillard will need a little time before he’s ready to play in the NFL:

"“Andre Dillard has some attractive qualities as a Tackle prospect, but his transition to the pros will be best if he’s not pressured into early play … Dillard should be regarded as a developmental starter prospect who, if everything clicks, could be an effective ZBS left tackle.”"

Dillard seems to be an interesting prospect to say the least, as there are varying opinions on him as to when he should play in the NFL, but both do agree he’ll be a starter in the NFL. That should be good news for the Texans, as help at offensive tackle is key for this draft and even in free agency.

More Texans Headlines:

• Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle quoted Texans General Manager Brian Gaine about the potential of quarterback Deshaun Watson:

"“There’s a ton of upside with Deshaun Watson, great kid, great skillset,” Gaine said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine. “We’re optimistic that the ceiling is really high with him. We’re excited about his offseason …”"

Gaine is right in saying the “ceiling is high” for Watson and with next year being the start of Year 3 in the NFL, and remember Watson has still only played in 24 NFL games (including the playoffs) as he missed half of his rookie season with the torn ACL.

The only part about the high ceiling comment Gaines needs to fix is he and the front office of the Texans really need to work on improving the offensive line. Watson himself had some issues in the pocket he needs to fix, but that will come with just more game action. Watson is the real deal, and as I’ve said before, watching him progress season-to-season is going to be really exciting.

• Mark Lane of the TexansWire of USA Today had comments from Gaine as well about the Texans in free agency:

"“I think we’ll be selectively aggressive where we can, based on what’s going to be available to us at various positions,” said Gaine. “Obviously with our own players potentially hitting the free agent market, we’re continuously planning all the time.”"

That basically says from Gaine “we aren’t telling anyone what we are thinking.” That is OK, but if nothing else it will be very interesting to see whether the Texans decide to fix their offensive tackle and o-line issue through just free agency, through just the draft or a mixture of both.

Besides fixing the offensive line, the Texans need to find a way and figure out how to keep Jadeveon Clowney on their roster for the foreseeable future because he only helps make others better on their defense, plus it would be a shame to invest all that time and money on him only to not see what the finished outcome will be.

• Tweet of the Day

I hope that statement is true because D’Onta Foreman might just be the player I want to see the most of this upcoming season, as he is finally healed up from his injuries and the belief is Foreman can bring a lot of positive to the Texans offense.

Foreman only played in one game during the regular season last year but during his short NFL career has shown some positive attributes to his game as in 2017 he rushed the football 78 times for 327 yards and two touchdowns, and in ’18 he caught one touchdown pass in Week 17.