The Houston Texans have completely changed their offensive line this offseason. Following a historically bad campaign, general manager Nick Caserio overhauled the unit. That included saying goodbye to guards Shaq Mason and Kenyon Green — two expected moves.
A surprise move was the decision to trade starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders.
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That move signified a complete shift, while also leaving a gaping hole at left tackle. There's a feeling that Tytus Howard could move to the left side, with Blake Fisher taking his spot, but another option has been floated as of late. A mock draft from USA Today's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz had the Texans selecting Ohio State's Josh Simmons at No. 25. Now, Mel Kiper from ESPN has them taking the same player in his mock.
Kiper says this is an easy one for him after they gave up their best lineman.
"Even after giving up 54 sacks in 2024 (tied for third-most), Houston traded away its best offensive lineman in left tackle Laremy Tunsil. That's why this pick is easy for me. Simmons has smooth movement traits, and he allowed one sack over 19 starts since shifting to left tackle before the 2023 season."
Simmons has the talent to go much higher than this, but a knee injury suffered in 2024 could hurt his stock. That's the feeling Kiper gets as well, saying the fact that he hasn't worked out since his October injury culd scare some teams.
"The only reason I don't have him coming off the board earlier is his knee injury. He went down in October and missed the rest of the season, and he hasn't yet worked out. But once he's healthy, he could step into that LT void and try to turn around the pass protection in Houston."
Simmons (6-foot-5, 317 pounds) excels as a pass protector, which was Houston's primary concern in 2024. However, their run blocking wasn't much better. Simmons might not be ready by Week 1 but that could play into Houston's hands.
They would be able to get a premier left tackle without having to move up in the draft. That would be worth waiting for him to get healthy.