bah007
Hall of Fame
1.25 Dion Dawkins – OT, Temple
- I love this guy. Dawkins is an immediate starter at RT and when Brown is done, he is our LT of the future. Some people have dinged him for measuring 6’4” but he has one of the longer wingspans in this draft. I will take long arms over a long torso for an OT. Great feet, great athleticism, and a great blocker. That’s everything I need here. Marcus Williams was a close second at this spot.
2.57 Josh Jones – S, North Carolina St
- I think Jones is a borderline first round talent in most drafts. Luckily, he falls here because this DB class is so loaded at the top. He needs to be more disciplined in coverage but that can improve with experience. Ideally, Jones is a versatile SS that can do everything. That is the long-term plan. But on this roster, he is the closest thing we have to a FS. We’ll put him deep where he can use his speed and playmaking ability to disrupt the middle of the field. He has more range than Hal, plus Hal is probably better suited for coverage work underneath. I thought hard about Nathan Peterman here, but I think I can get a QB I like at the next spot.
3.89 Brad Kaaya – QB, Miami
- This won’t be everybody’s favorite decision at this position, but I think this is where we get the best bang for our buck. I would take Trubisky in the first but I do not see him being available. Watson isn’t a sure thing but I would consider him. I think he’ll be off the board anyway. After that, I don’t trust Mahomes and Kizer. I get what people see but I do not share in the love affair. I think both have too many flaws to overcome. I am targeting either Peterman or Kaaya. Kaaya’s mechanics and footwork are clean and efficient. His accuracy has improved each year in college. He has experience reading defenses on his own, going through progressions, and throwing into real windows. Really, the only issue I see is that he has a tendency to freeze under pressure. His internal clock actually runs a little fast and he needs to slow down. That is the opposite problem that Savage has. He is the rare QB prospect who I think has actually been over-coached. He takes very good care of the ball, almost to the point of being overly conservative. I would like to see him get out of his own head a little bit and let it rip more often. The real coaching he needs is for someone to help him trust his instincts instead of overanalyzing. Kaaya will need to adapt to the speed of the game, but I think he is pretty close to pro ready and has potential as a future starter.
4.130 Jeremy McNichols – RB, Boise St
- I don’t think RB is an absolute need in this draft but the class is loaded and a stud is likely to fall due to the depth. McNichols is that stud to me. Much like former teammate Jay Ajayi, McNichols doesn’t get the credit he deserves because he is so well rounded. He doesn’t have a skill or trait that just jumps off the page. But he does everything. He does it all well too. I think he is a top five back in this class but most people think he’ll be available at this point. I pull the trigger without hesitation. He immediately steps in as the top backup behind Miller. I don’t think he will ever carry an entire offense, but he has the ability to be the top back in an effective two-man rotation.
4.142 Chase Roullier – OL, Wyoming
- I have a chance to double dip on the OL here and I’m going to take it. Roullier is a guy that I’ve been watching closely for over a year. He just jumped off the screen to me when I was scouting Brian Hill last year. He is an absolute beast in the run game. He does not lose blocks on running plays. Period. He is mean as hell and loves to push people around. He may be limited in how well he can move and he isn’t polished as a pass protector but I love him as a C or RG. This pick gives us options with our OL for next year. I actually like Nick Martin more as a LG than a C. I would go Brown/Martin/Roullier/XSF/Dawkins on the OL. Su’a-Filo and Allen battle for that starting spot. The loser plays from the bench this year and is gone next year. Or you could go Brown/XSF/Martin/Roullier/Dawkins. Doesn’t matter. Either way the OL is much improved this season and in the future.
5.169 Jordan Evans – LB, Oklahoma
- We’ve changed up the OL. Now it’s time to change up the LBs. My plan at LB is to move Cushing to SAM. He can set the edge and blitz from that position. He can still play inside situationally, but I think McKinney is ready to handle the load in the middle. What Cushing can’t do well anymore is move around in space on a consistent basis. So I want a guy at WILL that can cover extra ground. Evans is that guy. He is a sideline-to-sideline playmaker with great instincts. He reacts fast and he plays fast. He needs to toughen up a little bit and play with more physicality but I think he is capable of that. He starts as a nickel backer and eventually transitions his skill set into the full time WILB position in our 3-4.
7.243 Jacob Hollister – TE, Wyoming
- The deep TE class in this draft pays off for us here and we get a steal. Hollister is a weapon up the seam. He is a former QB that understands defenses and how to find the soft spots in zone. He runs good routes and has natural hands. He will probably never be a solid blocker at the pro level but with time he can be good enough to fit as a move TE, chipping or helping with double teams on the edge. He starts as a jumbo slot WR much like Jimmy Graham was when he entered the league. The long-term plan is to improve his blocking enough that we can move him around and attack defenses with his versatility. He has high upside as a #2 TE.
- I do not normally project UDFAs because that is an even more useless exercise than a mock draft is. However, here are a few guys that I would like the Texans to target if they do indeed slip through the cracks. I won’t project any of these guys onto the roster but I think they are all capable of beating someone out and making the squad should we sign them.
Austin Carr – WR, Northwestern (lack of athleticism limits him to slot but he finds ways to get open)
Trent Taylor – WR, Louisiana Tech (undersized slot guy in the Cole Beasley mold)
DeAngelo Brown – NT, Louisville (two-gap run plugger that could spell Reader situationally)
Tanner Vallejo – MIKE, Boise St (athletic middle man with special teams versatility, coming off injury)
Keion Adams – SAM, Western Michigan (versatile defensive weapon that projects well to our scheme)
William Likely – CB, Maryland (dynamic athlete that will be limited to slot duties because of size)
Sojourn Shelton – CB, Wisconsin (sticky cover man that could fall through the draft due to size)
- I love this guy. Dawkins is an immediate starter at RT and when Brown is done, he is our LT of the future. Some people have dinged him for measuring 6’4” but he has one of the longer wingspans in this draft. I will take long arms over a long torso for an OT. Great feet, great athleticism, and a great blocker. That’s everything I need here. Marcus Williams was a close second at this spot.
2.57 Josh Jones – S, North Carolina St
- I think Jones is a borderline first round talent in most drafts. Luckily, he falls here because this DB class is so loaded at the top. He needs to be more disciplined in coverage but that can improve with experience. Ideally, Jones is a versatile SS that can do everything. That is the long-term plan. But on this roster, he is the closest thing we have to a FS. We’ll put him deep where he can use his speed and playmaking ability to disrupt the middle of the field. He has more range than Hal, plus Hal is probably better suited for coverage work underneath. I thought hard about Nathan Peterman here, but I think I can get a QB I like at the next spot.
3.89 Brad Kaaya – QB, Miami
- This won’t be everybody’s favorite decision at this position, but I think this is where we get the best bang for our buck. I would take Trubisky in the first but I do not see him being available. Watson isn’t a sure thing but I would consider him. I think he’ll be off the board anyway. After that, I don’t trust Mahomes and Kizer. I get what people see but I do not share in the love affair. I think both have too many flaws to overcome. I am targeting either Peterman or Kaaya. Kaaya’s mechanics and footwork are clean and efficient. His accuracy has improved each year in college. He has experience reading defenses on his own, going through progressions, and throwing into real windows. Really, the only issue I see is that he has a tendency to freeze under pressure. His internal clock actually runs a little fast and he needs to slow down. That is the opposite problem that Savage has. He is the rare QB prospect who I think has actually been over-coached. He takes very good care of the ball, almost to the point of being overly conservative. I would like to see him get out of his own head a little bit and let it rip more often. The real coaching he needs is for someone to help him trust his instincts instead of overanalyzing. Kaaya will need to adapt to the speed of the game, but I think he is pretty close to pro ready and has potential as a future starter.
4.130 Jeremy McNichols – RB, Boise St
- I don’t think RB is an absolute need in this draft but the class is loaded and a stud is likely to fall due to the depth. McNichols is that stud to me. Much like former teammate Jay Ajayi, McNichols doesn’t get the credit he deserves because he is so well rounded. He doesn’t have a skill or trait that just jumps off the page. But he does everything. He does it all well too. I think he is a top five back in this class but most people think he’ll be available at this point. I pull the trigger without hesitation. He immediately steps in as the top backup behind Miller. I don’t think he will ever carry an entire offense, but he has the ability to be the top back in an effective two-man rotation.
4.142 Chase Roullier – OL, Wyoming
- I have a chance to double dip on the OL here and I’m going to take it. Roullier is a guy that I’ve been watching closely for over a year. He just jumped off the screen to me when I was scouting Brian Hill last year. He is an absolute beast in the run game. He does not lose blocks on running plays. Period. He is mean as hell and loves to push people around. He may be limited in how well he can move and he isn’t polished as a pass protector but I love him as a C or RG. This pick gives us options with our OL for next year. I actually like Nick Martin more as a LG than a C. I would go Brown/Martin/Roullier/XSF/Dawkins on the OL. Su’a-Filo and Allen battle for that starting spot. The loser plays from the bench this year and is gone next year. Or you could go Brown/XSF/Martin/Roullier/Dawkins. Doesn’t matter. Either way the OL is much improved this season and in the future.
5.169 Jordan Evans – LB, Oklahoma
- We’ve changed up the OL. Now it’s time to change up the LBs. My plan at LB is to move Cushing to SAM. He can set the edge and blitz from that position. He can still play inside situationally, but I think McKinney is ready to handle the load in the middle. What Cushing can’t do well anymore is move around in space on a consistent basis. So I want a guy at WILL that can cover extra ground. Evans is that guy. He is a sideline-to-sideline playmaker with great instincts. He reacts fast and he plays fast. He needs to toughen up a little bit and play with more physicality but I think he is capable of that. He starts as a nickel backer and eventually transitions his skill set into the full time WILB position in our 3-4.
7.243 Jacob Hollister – TE, Wyoming
- The deep TE class in this draft pays off for us here and we get a steal. Hollister is a weapon up the seam. He is a former QB that understands defenses and how to find the soft spots in zone. He runs good routes and has natural hands. He will probably never be a solid blocker at the pro level but with time he can be good enough to fit as a move TE, chipping or helping with double teams on the edge. He starts as a jumbo slot WR much like Jimmy Graham was when he entered the league. The long-term plan is to improve his blocking enough that we can move him around and attack defenses with his versatility. He has high upside as a #2 TE.
- I do not normally project UDFAs because that is an even more useless exercise than a mock draft is. However, here are a few guys that I would like the Texans to target if they do indeed slip through the cracks. I won’t project any of these guys onto the roster but I think they are all capable of beating someone out and making the squad should we sign them.
Austin Carr – WR, Northwestern (lack of athleticism limits him to slot but he finds ways to get open)
Trent Taylor – WR, Louisiana Tech (undersized slot guy in the Cole Beasley mold)
DeAngelo Brown – NT, Louisville (two-gap run plugger that could spell Reader situationally)
Tanner Vallejo – MIKE, Boise St (athletic middle man with special teams versatility, coming off injury)
Keion Adams – SAM, Western Michigan (versatile defensive weapon that projects well to our scheme)
William Likely – CB, Maryland (dynamic athlete that will be limited to slot duties because of size)
Sojourn Shelton – CB, Wisconsin (sticky cover man that could fall through the draft due to size)
