Houston Texans 7-Round Mock Draft: Life after the DeAndre Hopkins trade

The Houston Texans now have two second-round draft choices, which changes their entire 2020 NFL Draft compared to a week ago.

When the deal becomes finalized for the Houston Texans to trade All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson, a second-round pick and an exchange of fourth-round picks, the Texans’ draft style has to officially change as well.

There is probably no way the Texans will be selecting a running back in the second round as they’ll have David Johnson and Duke Johnson both being the top options at the position, which could be exciting for the offense.

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What won’t be exciting is knowing that Hopkins won’t be the main option to pass the football for Deshaun Watson, meaning the 2020 NFL Draft will be a place where the Texans will really need to look for a top-tier wide receiver if possible in the second round.

The Texans could always look into a trade scenario, but that is still an unknown, so don’t be surprised if the Texans select a wide receiver to take the spot of Hopkins in the second round.

Houston as always will also be working on their offensive line, with a need to add depth to the guard and tackle positions, as they just decided this week to not tender an offer to Roderick Johnson.

This will be a very important part of the draft for Houston. Remember, last year two of their first three picks (one first round, two second round) went to the offensive line when they selected Tytus Howard at tackle in the first round, followed by a second-round pick of Max Scharping.

Both of those players are tentatively scheduled to play a big role for the offensive line of the Texans this upcoming season, so be on the lookout for not only their improvement from year one to year two, but also whom the Texans select to keep building to the offensive line.

With some of the decisions made by Bill O’Brien and his inner circle of football decision makers, the 2020 NFL Draft is of utmost importance for the Texans. With no first-round pick for this year  — and next year too — they can’t afford to swing and miss with this draft at all.

Houston still has a good opportunity to have a solid draft with eight total picks at the moment, so expect the Texans to make some solid choices, but also realize just like they did last year, the Texans will make some calculated risks with their selections as well.

Next is a mock draft for all eight selections the Texans will be making in late April.

The Houston Texans need a hard-hitting, no-nonsense kind player on their defense, and that player could be Xavier McKinney, a safety from the University of Alabama.

The Texans currently have Tashaun Gipson at strong safety and Justin Reid at free safety as the two starters, but behind them on the depth chart there needs — and must be an improvement — with the other strong safeties being A.J. Moore and Shalom Luani, and at free safety there is Jonathan Owens.

McKinney is that player who will add to the Texans defense with some hard-hitting power and still be able to learn on the go with the aforementioned Gipson and Reid on the defense as well. The Texans would also have a player in McKinney who at 6-0, 201 pounds ran a 4.63 40-yard dash, had 19 reps at the bench press and had a vertical jump of 36 inches at the NFL Combine. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com listed McKinney’s strengths as the following:

"“Known for high football IQ and field toughness … Has instant burst to close and strikes with intent … Versatility to match up with every personnel grouping.”"

Those are just three of the many strengths listed by the NFL Draft analyst Zierlein, and to be honest, if McKinney would fall to the 40th overall pick, it would be a steal to add to the Texans’ secondary and a decision that needed to be made to improve the overall depth and strength of the secondary.

Next, in the second round at 57th overall, the Texans need to start thinking about improving at wide receiver to somehow begin life without DeAndre Hopkins on their side for the first time since the 2012 season, which was the season before the Texans drafted Hopkins out of Clemson.

With Hopkins joining the Arizona Cardinals following the blockbuster trade, the Texans need to look at a wide receiver in the second round, and that player can be Jalen Reagor of TCU.

Reagor in three seasons at TCU played in no fewer than 12 games in each of those three seasons and as a junior in 2019 totaled 43 receptions for 611 yards, averaging 14.2 yards per reception, plus caught five touchdowns. He also had 14 rushes for 89 yards.

The best season by Reagor was in 2018 as a sophomore when in 13 games he totaled 72 receptions for 1,061 yards with 14.7 yards per reception, plus a career-high nine touchdowns to go with the career-high in receiving yards and receptions that season.

Adding Reagor to the depth chart of the newly signed Randall Cobb, Will Fuller, DeAndre Carter and Kenny Stills would make the Texans a better overall unit than they are currently.

This will be where the 90th overall pick takes place, and this is also a good spot for the Houston Texans to add to the interior of their offensive line. Here is where the Texans can add Damien Lewis of LSU, one of the players who blocked for the Heisman Trophy winner and most likely No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow.

The 6-2, 327-pound Lewis has a bench press of 27 reps at the NFL Combine showing what his strength is and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com in his draft profile not only compared Lewis to Gabe Jackson, but spoke highly of his run-blocking abilities:

"“The run-blocking tape shows a forklift dressed as a right guard with the power and leverage to move some of the best interior defenders in the conference.”"

That said, Zierlein also stated that the pass-blocking abilities of Lewis needs some work, but with the Texans trading for David Johnson, maybe they are going to focus on the run a little more than usual this season.

All players in the 2020 NFL Draft need work and fine-tuning, and if Lewis can get his pass-blocking abilities up to par with his run-blocking skills, he could be come a very dangerous lineman in the NFL, and the Texans could be quietly building a stronger offensive line right in front of our eyes through trades and the draft the past couple seasons.

On Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans can “go West,” so to speak, and with the 111th overall pick they can select linebacker Logan Wilson from Wyoming, a player whom some consider “a sleeper” in this draft.

Wilson was the only player from Wyoming to get an invite to the NFL Combine earlier this year, and the 6-2, 241-pound linebacker tested well in the 40-yard dash at 4.63 and also had 21 reps on the bench press. Some positives about Wilson are the fact he is a player that can play all three downs and that he seems to have “good instincts,” according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.

The Texans need more at linebacker, and though he’s not going to be a star or starter overnight, he’s a player who can contribute to the Texans’ special teams, which in all honesty needs some help when looking back at previous seasons.

What there is to like about Wilson is he can tackle, and think back to the divisional round playoff game. The Texans didn’t tackle, and that cost them a lot of momentum and the game itself. Wilson could find a spot somewhere on the Texans’ defense, work at his craft, gradually gain more playing time and become a solid asset to the defense.

The 171st pick of the 2020 NFL Draft could be Alton Robinson of the Syracuse Orange because the Houston Texans need depth on their defensive line, and a player like the defensive end would help because he is able to rush the passer, but still needs some work to his game as well.

Lindy’s Pro Football Draft Magazine states Robinson is a “long, lean edge rusher with an athletic, tampered frame.” The Texans need to add to the edge rush of their defense, and though that could be an option earlier in the draft, Robinson has untapped potential as he is still learning on the go, and he’s a player who can cause havoc on the opposing quarterback.

Being a fifth-round pick, the Texans aren’t taking a ton of risk here, but the reward is very high if he could become a solid role player, and a player whom the Texans could develop into someone special if he reaches more of his potential at the NFL level.

Robinson is a player who should be watched closely during this draft, and one who could make an impact for the Texans in 2020 if he were to join the roster.

The 240th pick here is a good spot for the Houston Texans to select a player to add to the pass rush competition and that player is Trevis Gipson from Tulsa.

Sure, Gipson is a player who is “raw,” according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, but the draft analyst also says Gipson could be a “diamond in the rough,” and in the seventh round, that is what teams are looking for at this point.

Gipson is strong as he had 25 reps at the NFL Combine on the bench press, and this past season at Tulsa he collected 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 12 games. The previous season in ’18 as a junior Gipson had nine tackles for loss and four sacks, so he nearly doubled two important numbers on the stat sheet.

The 248th pick is also another good spot for the Texans to take a chance on an edge rusher, and who better than Trevon Hill of “The U.”

The University of Miami standout is a player whom the Texans could work with and see what they have through training camp, and maybe keep him in the franchise either as a special teams player or on the practice squad. Hill ran a 4.89 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 28 but will need more than that to be successful at the NFL level.

A positive pointed out by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com is Hill has played “up and down on the edge,” and he’s “able to rush from both the left and right side.” If the Texans want to take a chance this late in the draft on a player, Hill is the guy to do so with.

Houston’s final pick is the 250th overall selection, and why not see what C.J. O’Grady from Arkansas can provide? O’Grady caught 12 touchdown while at Arkansas, and his final season only included seven games where he caught 33 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns.

He averaged 11.3 yards per reception his senior season, but it was cut short as he was suspended during the season and then he left the team.

Maybe O’Grady has learned from his suspension, and if so, being the final pick by the Texans would give him a chance to prove himself to a team and show what he’s able to contribute.