Houston Texans Draft: Final mock draft brings future success

Round 4 (109 overall)
Tyler Shelvin, DL, LSU

The Houston Texans would be smart to work on their defense in the fourth round, and with the 109th pick, this is where they should work on the interior defensive line for Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 defense, which has four defensive linemen, compared to the 3-4 the Texans have used in recent memory.

Here Tyler Shelvin should be available, and if the LSU product is still on the board, it would be good for the Texans to add to their roster on the defensive side of the ball. Shelvin didn’t play in 2020, but in ’19 with LSU he totaled 13 solo tackles and had two passes defensed. In ’20, Melvin chose to opt out to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. With a grade of third-to-fourth round by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see Shelvin land with the Texans in the early stages of the fourth round.

Round 4 (147th overall)
D.J. Daniel, CB, Georgia

Another defensive addition which the Houston Texans could add to their roster is cornerback D.J. Daniel, who could be a safety in the NFL, which isn’t such a bad thing for the Texans defense going into 2021.

The safeties on the Houston roster don’t have long-term deals, so round four of this draft is a great opportunity for the Texans to work on the future of their secondary, and D.J. Daniel is that player.

Though some have Daniel as a fifth-round projection, he had some intriguing strengths, as Lance Zierlein of NFL.com says Daniel “finds and attacks receivers’ hands for late pass breakups,” and to be honest, any type of physicality added to the Houston Texans defense in 2021 would be a blessing.

Though the Texans could go a whole different direction with this second fourth-round pick, the belief here is the defense of the Texans needs work toward the future success of this franchise, and having Daniel in the same secondary as Justin Reid could be very exciting to watch.