There are varying opinions as to the direction the Houston Texans draft will take them when the 2020 NFL Draft occurs in late April.
The Houston Texans draft status includes them not having a first-round pick, and their first pick doesn’t arrive until the second round and the 40th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. That is a long time to wait, but it is closer than what it was before they the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins, as Houston also has the 57th overall pick, which is also in the second round.
Houston does have some team needs that will need to be addressed early in the Houston Texans’ draft, including another pass rusher, a wide receiver, cornerback, and who can forget adding to the offensive line?
Drafting to fill the needs of the team is one thing, but also the Texans can’t leave a solid player on the board either if one were to be available that might not be the biggest team need, but that’s all a guessing game until the draft actually occurs.
That brings us to mock drafts and how the Texans are faring in those this offseason from varying media outlets and websites, as the Texans draft will be very interesting without the first-round pick at their disposal this season.
Mock drafts also bring a lot of different opinions in how the Texans should attack the second round with their first two picks, because the team could trade them to move up, could draft for team need or may even draft the best player available and let the players fall where they will.
All in all with the Houston Texans draft, where everything is said and done the franchise needs to make the right decisions and not “swing-and-miss” when it comes to these very important selections they will be making in late April.
Next are some of the players being mocked to the Texans in recent mock drafts this offseason — with the media outlet who made these mock draft picks — as all of us wait to see how the Texans draft will go.
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
(Houston Chronicle – John McClain)
It is no secret the Texans are in the market for a wide receiver after trading DeAndre Hopkins last month. That means with one of the second-round picks, the Houston Texans draft pick could be a new receiver, and that player just might be Denzel Mims of Baylor.
Mims is described as a player who can be a starter within his first two seasons in the NFL, and the Dangerfield, Texas native stands at 6’3, 207 pounds, meaning he provides a good target for his quarterback. Mims is also fast with a 4.38 40-yard dash and has a vertical jump of 38.5 inches.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein also compares Mims to Tre’Quan Smith as Mims is described by the analyst as having an “above-average combination of size and speed.”
Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma
(Houston Chronicle – John McClain)
With the Texans draft including two selections in the second round, another player John McClain of the Houston Chronicle sees the Texans selecting in the 2020 NFL Draft with the 57th overall selection is Neville Gallimore, a defensive tackle from Oklahoma.
The Texans are in the market for a defensive tackle after losing D.J. Reader to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency, so replacing the overall abilities of Reader won’t be easy, no matter what the rotation of tackles the Texans might use this season.
With Gallimore, the draft profile he received from Zierlein and NFL.com is he is a “developmental prospect.” Zierlein wrote the following on the defensive tackle on NFL.com:
"“his NFL potential may be limited by a lack of leverage and contact balance …”"
These are two interesting choices for sure for the Houston Texans draft to start out with if it were to happen, but unless there is a sure bet at defensive tackle in the second round, the Texans should wait until later in the draft to look into that direction of their defense.
Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
(Houston Chronicle – Aaron Wilson)
This take on the second round of the Houston Texans draft sees Houston leaning toward a defensive player with the 40th overall pick and the Texans drafting from the Big Ten with Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette.
The Texans really do need to bring in and draft a cornerback with one of their two second-round choices, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle believes that is what the Texans draft will look like at 40th overall.
What there is to like about this Texans draft choice in this mock draft is the fact Arnette wouldn’t need to be “the guy” so to speak this upcoming season for the Texans, and he would have a chance to have progression within the secondary of Houston.
Arnette in his final season at Ohio State totaled 35 tackles, one interception and one touchdown, along with having eight passes defensed and one forced fumble. In four seasons with OSU, Arnette collected 22 passes defensed, five interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
(Houston Chronicle – Aaron Wilson)
Here is another Texans draft that believes they will pursue a wide receiver in the second round, possibly with the 57th overall pick in the draft. Again, the Texans will have to look at a wide receiver at some point in the second round, right?
If so, Brandon Aiyuk of Arizona State enters the conversation with two seasons under his belt at Arizona State, where he collected 98 receptions for 1,666 yards and 11 touchdowns combined for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2019 as a senior, Aiyuk — who is 6’1, 206 pounds — finished with 65 receptions for 1,192 yards and eight touchdowns.
It is no secret the Texans draft must include some sort of replacement for DeAndre Hopkins, and though Aiyuk wouldn’t be Hopkins, he still could be a solid player in this draft.
K.J. Hamler, WR, Penn State
Another player whom fans should get to know better in this Texans draft process is K.J. Hamler of Penn State as he is another player the Texans could add to their wide receiver depth chart, though he’s more of a slot wide receiver rather than an outside wide receiver.
Speaking of slot wide receivers, the Texans currently have the recently signed Randall Cobb and Keke Coutee on the roster.
Last season in 13 games, Hamler totaled 56 receptions for 904 yards and eight touchdowns, while also averaging 16.1 yards per reception. Hamler is only 5’9 and 178 pounds, but he’s being compared to Tavon Austin and is more of a slot receiver.
This might not be the direction the Houston Texans draft goes if they select a wide receiver in the second round, but he’s a talented player and the Texans wouldn’t be disappointed if he were to be added on the roster.
Lucas Niang, OT, TCU
(FanSided – Logan Jakubajtys)
The pick at 57th overall could be offensive tackle Lucas Niang of TCU, and any time the Texans draft players to their offensive line, that is something to be excited about.
The Texans currently have Laremy Tunsil as the starting left tackle and Tytus Howard as the starting right tackle, but offensive linemen can be switched and Howard could be moved inside or possibly Niang could as well.
At 6’6, 315 pounds, NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compares Niang to Howard, whom the Texans drafted last year, and it is no secret if the Texans draft an offensive lineman, that wouldn’t be a bad move whatsoever to improve the offensive line.
Josh Uche, EDGE, Michigan
If the Texans are looking for a player to make their defense more ferocious, and add a player who will blitz the quarterback, then Josh Uche of the University of Michigan is a player the Texans draft could include in the second round.
Uche is 6’1, 245 pounds, and Joe Marino of The Draft Network wrote highly of Uche in his draft profile of the pass rusher by saying the following about Uche:
"“His blend of burst, length and flexibility are strong traits to develop as a pass rusher.”"
This is a player whom fans could be excited to watch as a pass rusher either at linebacker or as a defensive end, and moving forward the Texans could really use another strong pass rusher to improve the defense, which is something that has to occur.
Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado
(Pro Football Network – Neil Driscoll)
Here is another wide receiver for Texans fans to get more accustomed for the Houstn Texans draft process, and his name is Laviska Shenault Jr.
Shenault’s final collegiate season saw him play in 11 games, where he made 56 receptions for 764 yards and four touchdowns. Also in ’19, Shenault rushed for 161 yards on 23 rushes with two touchdowns.
His best season came in 2018, when in nine games Shenault totaled 86 receptions for 1,011 yards with six touchdowns, while also rushing 17 times for 115 yards and five touchdowns. Like mentioned earlier, the Texans draft must include drafting a wide receiver, and Shenault has the ability to shine in the NFL as he’s drawn comparisons to Sammy Watkins by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
This is a selection that would really make the Texans draft a success in selecting a need by adding to their cornerback position with Jeff Gladney of TCU.
There is no doubt Gladney will be a starter in the league, and the Texans really do need to make sure they have the right players in their secondary. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com says: “Gladney combines instincts and urgency in coverage,” so that would be nice to see in the secondary of the Texans.
Lloyd Cushenberry III, OL, LSU
(USA Today – Luke Easterling)
Again, adding an offensive lineman to the interior offensive line is something that would help the rushing game of the Texans, and Lloyd Cushenberry III is the type of player that makes them a better overall o-line moving forward, especially with his pass protection.
Alton Robinson, EDGE, Syracuse
Here is another pass rusher that the Texans draft could include because when looking back at the biggest game of the season from the second quarter on, the Texans pass rush didn’t do much of anything. This is where Alton Robinson of Syracuse comes into the conversation for Houston.
In 12 games as a senior, Robinson totaled 46 tackles, and even more importantly, he had four sacks. In ’18 as a junior Robinson had 39 total tackles and 17 tackles for loss. That same season, Robinson also had 10 sacks, and that is what makes him stand out on the stat sheet.
This entire Houston Texans draft process is exciting to break down, and any of the aforementioned players could end up on the roster, or even crazier than that, none of the players mentioned could end up on the team, which is why the mock draft process is so great.