This is a great spot for the Texans to keep adding to their defense, especially at safety as Nick Cross should be on the board by the time the 68th pick arrives. Cross would be a great addition to safety for the Texans, especially after Justin Reid left via free agency to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tony Pauline of The Draft Network had the following analysis of Cross and what he can bring to an NFL team:
“Cross is a nice-sized safety and a good athlete who comes with a large upside. He needs to fine-tune his game, but he has the tools to develop into a starter at the next level.”
In ’21 with Maryland, Cross finished with three interceptions, three sacks, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles and 44 solo tackles.
He might not be the best safety in this draft, but Cross is a player who is aggressive in the secondary and will keep getting better as he works with NFL coaching, and with the coaching of Lovie Smith in the Tampa 2 scheme, Cross would be in an excellent environment his rookie season.
It is time for the Texans to add a linebacker, and with their second pick in the third round this could be the spot to do so. Wisconsin linebacker Leo Chenal could be a player who could be a nice starter to have on the roster, but is still capable of getting his job done in a positive manner.
The UW linebacker in ’21 totaled eight sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss, along with 62 tackles for loss in 11 games (he missed two games with COVID-19).
The Texans could use another linebacker in a depth role in ’21 with Christian Kirksey and Kamu Grugier-Hill as the current starting linebackers in the middle, so the addition of Chenal is something to think about as they Texans need to add some long-term players to the roster, so they can develop into future starters.