Houston Texans Mock Draft 2020: Before the NFL Combine

Round 2: Julian Okwara

EDGE, Notre Dame

The Houston Texans will have a late second-round pick, so they can play it by ear, though most likely they will have to trade up into the Top 10 of the second round to select a player with the ability and potential of Julian Okwara from Notre Dame.

At 6-4 and 248 pounds, he has build-up speed up around the edge and carries an impressive closing burst to seal the deal, but he’s in desperate need of a rush counter to keep tackles guessing. Okwara is the 40th overall ranked player in the CBS Sports Draft Player Rankings and the seventh-best edge prospect available in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Texans need to strengthen their defensive line and their overall pass rush, and if Bill O’Brien wants to get a little risky and make a trade in the second round, adding a player like Okwara — who most likely won’t be available when the 57th pick comes up for the Texans — wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

CBS Sports NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein wrote the following about Okwara in his draft profile of the edge player:

"“He has build-up speed up around the edge and carries an impressive closing burst to seal the deal, but he’s in desperate need of a rush counter to keep tackles guessing.”"

That said, working with the Texans’ defensive coaches and veteran players on the roster, Okwara can learn to become a better player, and if he works at it —while  playing on a defense that has some quality players on it already — Okwara will work his way into the lineup as a rookie and do well.

Whomever this pick will be, the Texans need to get this second-round choice correct as they currently don’t have any first-round picks available.