The Houston Texans need to take a look at the loaded wide receiver class of the 2020 NFL Draft to replace DeAndre Hopkins.
Houston Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien decided it was the best for the team to move on without DeAndre Hopkins, and as hard as it may be, it’s time for the rest of us to do the same.
In what has to be the biggest shock of the offseason — even more than Tom Brady in Tampa — Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson and two draft picks. Despite the hole Hopkins leaves at wide receiver, this upcoming draft is deep at the position.
The Texans have already added veteran Randall Cobb to help strengthen the position, but this is not a long-term solution, and Cobb will do more short and over middle of the field. This is great because that part of the field has not been exploited in the offense recently, but the team doesn’t have the big physical receiver that Hopkins was.
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Will Fuller and Kenny Stills may be the fastest combo of receivers outside of Kansas City, but Stills struggled to stay on the field last year, and Fuller has had problems with injuries since being drafted by the Texans. So, if the intent going forward would be to rely on them more heavily, that could be tough considering how often they’ve been on the shelf in the past.
There are several receivers in this draft that may not only be long-term solutions for Deshaun Watson and the offense, but immediate impact players. Aside from another surprising trade to move further up in the draft, the Texans won’t have an opportunity to take players like CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy. That said, there are still good players who could be available later.
Predicting the draft and where players may fall can be tough. Some experts seem to have made a career out being wrong every year, but here are some players that the Texans could have an opportunity to take with their first pick in the second round at 40th overall, or even later in the draft with the 57th overall pick.
Laviska Shenault Jr.
Laviska Shenault is likely a first-round pick according to mock drafts, so this is likely a long shot to see him drop to 40th overall. A dip in production in his junior year and recent injury concerns could see the Colorado product slide down the board, if Houston is lucky, but again, it would take a lot to do so.
After a slow freshman season, Shenault broke out in his sophomore season at Colorado. Despite only playing in nine games, he caught 86 passes for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns. His reception total led the Pac-12 that season.
His junior year would not be an impressive follow-up. Despite playing in two more games, Shenault was unable to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving. He was able to increase his yards per touch, showing to be more explosive, including a huge outing against Southern Cal, bringing in nine catches for 172 yards and a touchdown.
Shenault showed to be dynamic with the ball in his hands as more than just a receiver. He was used in running situations during his last two seasons and carried the ball 40 times, scoring seven times. In a small sample, two total returns, he averaged over 50 yards per return including a 55-yard touchdown.
Chances are that the Texans don’t get the opportunity to take Shenault in the second round, but his tough running style and big play ability would be a great addition to the speed of the current receiving group.
Tee Higgins
Yet again, this another player that the Houston Texans will have to hope falls to them. Tee Higgins played in two straight National Championships with Clemson and was a touchdown machine in his time there. Higgins led the ACC in receiving touchdowns in 2018 and 2019.
Higgins caught 26 touchdowns in his last two seasons at Clemson and did so in high-pressure situations. When Clemson won the championship on 2018, Higgins caught a touchdown in each of the two playoff games, and in the 2019 ACC Championship game, he caught a career-high 182 yards and three touchdowns against Virginia.
At 6’4, Higgins would be a big framed target that the Texans don’t have at the moment, but, like the rest of the speedy Texan receivers, Higgins is also a big-play threat. Higgins averaged just under 20 yards per reception last season at 19.8.
The Texans have had good history with Clemson players in recent history. The hope would be that Higgins slides a bit in the draft and they can secure a big time touchdown machine. It’s probably not likely that he slips past the first round, but crazier things have happened.
Justin Jefferson
LSU went on to win the National Championship behind their historic offense and Joe Burrow, but Justin Jefferson contributed in a big way. Jefferson led the nation with 111 catches and finished third with 1,540 receiving yards.
Along with the big numbers already stated, Jefferson finished just behind teammate Ja’Marr Chase with 18 receiving touchdowns. Like the aforementioned Tee Higgins, Jefferson had a nose for the end zone this past year.
Jefferson played in an offense that was very spread out and allowed LSU to take advantage of isolated defenders. Jefferson was able to co-exist with other big play receivers just fine. The Texans could stretch the field with the speed of Will Fuller and Kenny Stills and let Jefferson try to beat one-on-one matchups underneath.
There could be some concern that Jefferson was the beneficiary of a system that exploited defenses, but with football becoming more of a spread game as a whole, the transition from college to the NFL shouldn’t be as big a worry as in the past.
Like the previous two receivers mentioned, the hope is that Jefferson falls into the laps of the Texans, but the draft isn’t a perfect science, so we’ll see how it all shakes out.
Michael Pittman Jr.
Probably the most likely of the wide receivers discussed so far to fall to Houston in the second round is Michael Pittman Jr. out of USC. Pittman is the son of former NFL running back Michael Pittman.
Not the same big play threat as the last few receivers mentioned, Pittman however is a big body that can make tough catches. This past season, Pittman caught 101 passes and got into the end zone 11 times. He also surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his college career, tallying 1,275 yards.
Pittman has a big frame at 6’4 and 223 pounds, but also possesses NFL speed. At the combine in Indianapolis, Pittman ran a 4.52 40-yard dash. While he is not the speedster that Will Fuller is, Pittman will have no problem stretching the field and winning jump balls down the field with his 36.5 inch vertical.
What the Texans don’t have in their current receivers, they could get in Pittman. This may be an obvious recurring theme, but Pittman is a big receiver that can provide a target for tough catches and jump balls in the red zone. Fuller, Kenny Stills and Randall Cobb can help move the ball downfield, but Pittman possesses size that you can’t teach.
Some mock drafts actually have Pittman falling into the second round, and while there is no guarantee he will be the receiver that DeAndre Hopkins is, he certainly looks like he can turn into a good NFL player.
Chase Claypool and Devin Duvernay
These two receivers are almost complete opposites of each other, but both bring skills that could help the Houston Texans.
Chase Claypool out of Notre Dame is another big-framed receiver that would give the Texans the big receiver they currently lack. Claypool spent four seasons at Notre Dame and his senior season proved to be his best yet.
Claypool brought in 13 touchdowns on 66 catches for 1,037 yards. 15.7 yards per catch is a good number, and it lines up with time he recorded in the 40-yard dash at the combine. Claypool ran a 4.42 40-yard dash and recorded a 40.5 inch vertical jump. Incredible test numbers posted for a 6’4, 238-pound receiver.
Claypool would probably not cost the Texans either one of their second-round picks, allowing them to address other needs.
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Devin Duvernay out of Texas is the smallest receiver on the list at 5’10, 200 pounds, but despite his small size, Duvernay runs like a running back with the ball in his hands.
In his final season in Austin, Duvernay exploded with 106 catches, 1,386 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He also showed some versatility carrying the ball out of the backfield a few times and returning kicks.
While he isn’t the big body that Claypool is, Duvernay can really stretch the field with his 4.39 speed. A receiver he may be similar to is Carolina Panther great Steve Smith. Smith was a smaller receiver but played an aggressive style and went on to have an incredible career.
If Duvernay can play with the same aggression and use his strength to his advantage, he could probably carve out a nice NFL career.