The Houston Texans aren’t scheduled to make a pick in the 2021 NFL Draft until the 67th overall selection, which is the early stages of the third round. Though the situation isn’t ideal, that is the card the Texans have dealt to themselves with past trades and decisions.
After the 67th overall selection, the Houston Texans will be picking players at 109th overall and 147th overall, as those are scheduled to be their second and third selections of the draft.
With the Texans rebuilding and turning over much of their roster from last season’s 4-12 team, the first three picks made by the Texans this year are of greater importance than most, plus these picks need to have a laser focus because general manager Nick Caserio and those making the final decisions at the 2021 NFL Draft can’t afford to make wrong decisions.
Some of the team needs for the Houston Texans include interior defensive line, EDGE, quarterback, wide receiver and depth at linebacker and the secondary. Obviously all of those positions can’t be added with their first three picks of this upcoming draft, but the Houston Texans draft can start moving forward with selections that will help the team not only in 2021, but for years to come.
Houston Texans Draft: EDGE is of great importance in 2021 Draft
The first pick the Texans will be making is the 67th overall pick, and there the Texans draft should focus adding to the EDGE. If Washington’s Joe Tryon is available, he should be taken off the board and added to the roster of the Houston Texans.
Houston needs to keep adding to the defense, and they have to fill the spot vacated by J.J. Watt, whom the Texans released this offseason.
Tryon didn’t play in the 2020 season for the Washington Huskies, but in ’19 he collected 27 solo tackles, with eight sacks and one pass defensed. He also has 12.5 tackles for loss. Also in ’19, he was named to the All-Pac 12 second team.
At 6’5” and 259 pounds, Tryon is a big player and well-rested as he opted out of the ’20 season, but he did recently have a Pro Day where he ran a 4.65 40-yard dash, but he also had 22 reps in the bench press.
If Tryon can fall to the early third round, he would be a player excellent for the rebuilding Houston Texans because he can improve on his game and get better as the rest of the Texans roster improves as well.
In his 2021 NFL Draft Guide “The Beast,” Dane Brugler says Tryon projects as a future NFL starter, but needs to work on “eluding blockers,” and has paid as a “off-ball linebacker or hand-in-the-dirt- lineman” during his collegiate career.
This could be a very exciting selection for the Texans if Tryon is available at 67th overall, and it would be fun to see if he could improve as the defense of the Texans works to improve as well.
Houston Texans Draft: Look to Ohio State for a potential fourth-round pick
It is no secret the Houston Texans had one of the very worst rush defenses in all of the NFL in 2021.
In 2020, the Houston Texans defense was the third-worst overall in yards allowed per game in ’20 with only the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions below them. The 416.8 ypg allowed by the Texans defense last season included a total of 4,104 total yards allowed, where 2,564 of those yards were from the rushing game of their opponents, which made the Texans last place in the NFL in that category.
This season that needs to change, and though there have been changes on the defensive line, it would do the Houston Texans some good to use their 10th overall pick to add to the interior defensive line and add a player who can stop that rush. That player could be Ohio State defensive lineman Tommy Togiai.
Though he’s not the greatest pass rusher (yet), he is already solid against the rush, and he’s shown he’s very strong as his bench press at his pro day included 40 reps of 225 pounds. Being 6’1” and 296 pounds, Togiai is coming off a season with the Buckeyes where he collected 49 total tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss. He even had three sacks and forced a fumble, plus had three passes defensed. Togiai also ended the season as a second-team All-Big Ten selection.
When the fourth round arrives, and if Togiai is still on the board, the Houston Texans should be very interested in adding a player as talented as Togiai to their roster, as Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked Togiai as a third-to-fourth-round grade in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Houston Texans Draft: A receiver in Round 5 isn’t such a bad idea
Cornell Powell of Clemson could be on the board when the Houston Texans select in the fifth round with the 147th overall pick. This could be a very interesting spot for the Texans because it wouldn’t hurt to the a chance on a wide receiver with this selection, and if Powell is still available, he should be selected here to help add to the wide receiver chart that isn’t overall that impressive after you get past Brandin Cooks.
The depth at wide receiver for the Texans isn’t great, and they have to know that. Sure, Randall Cobb is a solid player, but he’s not the saving grace of the unit either. There is a lot of unknown with the Houston wide receivers, and this is where a player like Powell cold step in and make his mark.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic says Powell compares to Mohamed Sanu in the NFL, and if that is the case, then the Texans should sign right up for Powell in the early stages of the fifth round. Selecting wide receivers this late in the draft isn’t easy, and it should be noted that it will take some time for any rookie to get accustomed to the NFL, but especially with the Texans, as they are basically starting over compared to last season.
In his final season with the Clemson Tigers, Powell caught 53 passes for 822 yards with seven touchdowns, and for his career he caught 93 total passes for 1,2211 yards with 10 touchdowns. In ’20, Powell averaged 16.6 yards per reception as his quarterback was potential no. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence.
Powell was also a third-team selection to the All-ACC team in ’20. The 6’0 Powell had a 40-yard dash time of 4.52 at his Pro Day, and he had a bench press of 16 reps of 225 pounds. His vertical jump is 36.5’, and going back to the comparison of Sanu … if the Texans can get a player that compares to him in the fifth round, then drafting a wide receiver here is an easy decision.
The Houston Texans need to make some important decisions within the foreseeable future, and none are more important than their first three picks of the 2021 NFL Draft. If they can just find players who can contribute and be solid pros for the next four to five years, then it can be a job well done for Caserio and Company. If not, it could be an even worse season than the one we all witnessed in ’20.