Houston Texans Mock Draft: Defense needs to be the focus

Round 5: Tyre Phillips, Guard, Mississippi State

(171st overall pick)

Tyre Phillips of Mississippi State would be an excellent choice in the fifth round for the Texans draft to continue to build depth on an offensive line that still allows a few too many pressures to the quarterback.

Viewed as a “good backup who can become a starter” by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Phillips could fit in perfectly with the Texans offensive line as he could learn from a reserve role early, force a training camp battle and see how much he’s improved along the way.

Being that he’s 6’5” and 331 pounds, the offensive guard showed athletic ability at the NFL Combine earlier this year with 22 reps on the 225-pound bench press, and for a lineman, he ran a 5.37 40-yard dash. Zierlein’s draft report on Phillips compares him to D.J. Fluker in his NFL comparison, saying the following about him:

"“Interior protection duties should come naturally and he has early starting potential with an above-average ceiling for a power-driven offense.”"

That brings us to the Texans draft and their offensive line needs. Though O’Brien said the Texans aren’t drafting solely on team need in the 2020 NFL Draft, Phillips could really help with the aforementioned interior protection, as there seems to be a feeling that the Texans might focus on their running backs more this season compared to others.

An offense is only as good as their offensive line, and in certain areas in the interior line, help could be what is needed with this potential Texans draft selection.