Houston Texans 7-round mock draft: Rebuilding to be a contender in ’22

The 2022 NFL Draft has many areas of improvement needed by the Houston Texans.

The Houston Texans must take a long look at rebuilding many areas of their roster during the 2022 NFL Draft, and this mock draft shows how they can achieve that feat, plus make the rebuild go a little quicker than planned.

The Texans have picks in nearly every round of the 2022 NFL Draft at this point in early February so there is a lot to look forward to in the draft, including the Texans having a first-round pick. The Texans currently aren’t drafting in the fifth round as that pick has previously been traded.

This version of a mock draft for the Texans is about the Texans adding a strong presence to their pass rush with the third overall pick, and from there making the offense stronger at some of the “skill positions.”

The defense wasn’t forgotten in the mid-rounds either, but there is slightly more focus on offense, but the defense is sprinkled in as well.

Houston has nine picks so far in the 2022 NFL Draft, including two third-round picks and three sixth-round picks, so there is a big chance at adding depth to a roster that needs depth in the worst way.

Here is a new look at how the Houston Texans could draft in the 2022 NFL Draft.

This is a realistic possibility if the Jacksonville Jaguars would select offensive tackle Evan Neal of Alabama to protect their No. 1 overall pick from ’21 (Trevor Lawrence), and the Detroit Lions at No. 2 could go the route of pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson of the Michigan Wolverines. That leaves Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux prime for the taking to improve the defense instantly with the third pick of the draft.

In three seasons at Oregon, Thibodeaux collected 19 sacks with season totals of nine, three, and seven. Also in his collegiate career, Thibodeaux collected 35.5 tackles for loss, with 14, 9.5 and 12 TFL seasons.

The Houston Texans really need to have a much better and improved pass rush, and it could be a huge start of adding to the defense in ’22, especially at a spot that could change games. The more of an improved pass rush by the Texans on defense, the better the team can be as a whole moving forward.