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Texans Offensive Line

TheRealJoker V2 said:
That sounds great but Harbaugh’s spear got ripped in half and shoved up his QB’s rear in the playoffs. Only playoff caliber weapon they had was Mcconkey and Herbert was put in the pressure cooker.

There’s a balance. You need good OL play. To win in the playoffs, you also need playmaker(s) who can create with suboptimal blocking. Because more than likely you’re gonna need to beat a defense that is gonna get their wins even against the best OL. Like the mighty Houston Texans defense!
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While that's true, you're only looking at the first year of Harbaugh's plan (and counting on a rookie--who had a dominant year as rookies go--RT to show out in his first year.) Building a team from the inside out will pay off.
 
cland said:
I'm saying what the overall draft odds are saying (for the 100th time). %50 of 1st rounders ever become NFL starters, %33 of second rounders, and %16 of third rounders. If you dedicate every 2nd and 3rd rounder in the draft to the offensive line you'll net 1 starter every two years.
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Sure and odds are simply throwing dice. That's why it depends on the player fitting the scheme and his coachability as well as his skill sets. The question is can our draft selectors find those specific players after round 1 and then our team coach up?
 
badboy said:
Look who's not in round one:
www.cbssports.com

2025 NFL mock draft: Russell Wilson signing doesn't prevent Giants from trading back into Round 1 for QB

New York makes a move to get its quarterback of the future, while the Eagles stop a receiver's draft-day slide
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
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Booker? Banks? I don't see either, both are consensus first-rounders. I like Egbuka, but I'd take Banks in this scenario that all three are available. I'd give Booker a strong look, as I like the leadership/demeanor, but probably Banks because he can start inside and possibly move out to T as he matures. I know some see him more as a longterm G. But I like the flexibility he adds.

Man if we took Banks, and Booker fell to the 2nd, I'd be all over that, and quite possibly move up to make it happen. There are your two beast guards, and now CJ can work inside way better. This line would be so much better than last year, and both Banks and Booker can run block.

* This is the first mock I've seen with Higgins this high. I have him as more in the late 2nd to early 3rd area. Kind of a poor man's Drake London to me. Certainly a good receiver, but as a mid-first guy? What do y'all think of Higgins? Is he THAT good?
 
Porky said:
* This is the first mock I've seen with Higgins this high. I have him as more in the late 2nd to early 3rd area.
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I do believe the Packers are looking to go with a bigger WR, and Higgins would fit that profile. Most feel that this draft drops off somewhere in the teens, and that the talent difference between15-50 is minimal. In this case, fit becomes important. So, I could see the Packers leaning toward Higgins (6'4" 215 lbs) over smaller WRs like Golden or Burden.
Porky said:
Booker? Banks? I don't see either, both are consensus first-rounders.
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No way Banks gets out of 1st without some medical flag. I've seen Booker in the 2nd in some extended mocks. He tested poorly and is not a ZBS fit. And he has no position flexibility, an OG only. So that's going to limit Booker's landing spots.
 
Something that I think hasn’t been discussed (or at least recently as I’ve caught up here from thread to thread) is that Slowick was known within league circles to lean into deep crossers and long developing routes. CJ also leaned into the shot plays over the steady and consistent yards (something he did much better managing season 1 vs season 2.)

IMO, I think Caley will go back to a faster paced passing attack with shots sprinkled in, as opposed to hunting for shots with every call and a check down sprinkled in for safety.

I am not sold on the offensive line in its current form and I want to see two lineman drafted in the first 4 rounds - but the signings made has led me to believe we will only see one offensive lineman drafted early.

With that said, a change in offensive philosophy from a coach that seems much more in tune with the offensive line and tightend packaging and protection embedded in calls may make our offensive line look - well a little less offensive. Thats my hope anyway.
 
Lucky said:
Good post. I would look for a WR in the draft that can win early then produce YAC. Like a Puka Nacua. Nacua averages only 7 yards at the catch point, but over 6 yards after catch. A model WR for that type of offense.
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Without derailing too much - I like Tai Felton and Jalen Royals A LOT in this vein. I still take Simmons round 1 regardless of his injury history. And I know @CloakNNNdagger will puncture holes in this and I fully expect him to. But if healthy he’s by far the best offensive lineman prospect in this draft and Houston wouldn’t have a chance to draft a player of his caliber without a total collapse.

Reposting this for examination in conjunction with this post and my post above.

My Draft Picks

1.25 Josh Simmons
OT Ohio State

2.58 T.J. Sanders
DT South Carolina

3.79 Tai Felton( Or Jalen Royals)
WR Maryland (WR Utah State)

4.89 Emery Jones
OT LSU

5.166 Raheim Sanders
RB South Carolina

6.236 Jailin Walker
LB Indiana

7.241 Jordan Oladokun
CB Bowling Green
 
Lucky said:
Good post. I would look for a WR in the draft that can win early then produce YAC. Like a Puka Nacua. Nacua averages only 7 yards at the catch point, but over 6 yards after catch. A model WR for that type of offense.
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Shouldn’t this be talked about on the Texans draft page?
 
Texansballer74 said:
Shouldn’t this be talked about on the Texans draft page?
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In some ways yes - but a YAC WR and quick passing game discussion ties hand in hand with offensive line play and the quick pivot was warranted because I discussed the new offensive philosophy and how it would influence the greater offensive line play.
 
JWLCASPER said:
In some ways yes - but a YAC WR and quick passing game discussion ties hand in hand with offensive line play and the quick pivot was warranted because I discussed the new offensive philosophy and how it would influence the greater offensive line play.
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I just got charged up for posting Diggs who is now an ex Texans player in the transition thread. So therefore, wide receiver draft picks technically shouldn’t be discussed in the offensive line thread.
 
Texansballer74 said:
I just got charged up for posting Diggs who is now an ex Texans player in the transition thread. So therefore, wide receiver draft picks technically shouldn’t be discussed in the offensive line thread.
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OK, are you done? No need to post this in every thread.
 
JWLCASPER said:
Without derailing too much - I like Tai Felton and Jalen Royals A LOT in this vein. I still take Simmons round 1 regardless of his injury history. And I know @CloakNNNdagger will puncture holes in this and I fully expect him to. But if healthy he’s by far the best offensive lineman prospect in this draft and Houston wouldn’t have a chance to draft a player of his caliber without a total collapse.

Reposting this for examination in conjunction with this post and my post above.

My Draft Picks

1.25 Josh Simmons
OT Ohio State

2.58 T.J. Sanders
DT South Carolina

3.79 Tai Felton( Or Jalen Royals)
WR Maryland (WR Utah State)

4.89 Emery Jones
OT LSU

5.166 Raheim Sanders
RB South Carolina

6.236 Jailin Walker
LB Indiana

7.241 Jordan Oladokun
CB Bowling Green
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From my post in the Trent Brown thread:

********************

CloakNNNdagger said:
The return rate for patellar rupture is 55.4% (not 58%) [keep in mind that return to play was defined as returning to play in only at least 1 regular season game after injury.] And QT (quadriceps tendon) injuries resulted in a greater rate of return to prior performance level and a quicker return to performance compared with PT (patellar tendon) injuries.

In the actual raw data of the study (not posted in the abstract), it reveals that only 1 Olineman returned to play as many games in a season as pre-injury, and only 2 returned to close to preinjury performance level after 2 years post injury (only 1 after 1 year post injury).
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JWLCASPER said:
Slowick was known within league circles to lean into deep crossers and long developing routes. CJ also leaned into the shot plays over the steady and consistent yards
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I don’t know how anyone could separate one from the other. No one has seen Slowik call plays without CJ & no one’s seen Cj with out Slowik calling plays.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Having followed Minnesota OT Aireontae Ersery, he is my favorite replacement in the Draft for Tunsil at LT.
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I like the LT monster from Rutgers as well. Hollin Pierce (Rutgers) looks far better on tape than the write-ups he’s getting by evaluators. At a svelte (guy is not an ugly fat body) 6-8 and 341 lbs, he’s a good mover that looks dominant in the run game. Those 36” arms won’t hurt his chances at success either.
 
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OptimisticTexan said:
I like the LT monster from Rutgers as well. Hollin Pierce (Rutgers) looks far better on tape than the write-ups he’s getting by evaluators. At a svelte (guy is not an ugly fat body) 6-8 and 341 lbs, he’s a good mover that looks dominant in the run game. Those 36” won’t hurt his chances at success either.
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Pierce has significant potential, but as opposed to Ersery, he is definitely a project. He is certainly "svelte" compared to the 400+ lbs he carried coming to Rutgers! :)
 
mussop said:
It needs to be handled the same way the Dline was handled last offseason. Gut it. Replace all interior you can with solid veterans who ply hard. Replace the OTs with a high draft pick and a top tier FA. This OL needs change of culture. The current alpha on this line plays like he is wearing bong gas mask before the games. And while we’re at it the OL coach needs to go as well. He’s responsible for this bad culture.
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Well, got what I wanted.
 
Porky said:
Williams looks like a pretty good prospect—probably more of a third —or fourth-rounder. I doubt he lasts to 5, but who knows?

The finer points separate players in the draft. Maybe Williams is the better pro, but Golden will likely be better as it stands now.

While it's true I haven't seen much of Williams, the general consensus is that Golden is much more polished as a route runner, a bit faster, and has better hands.

The general consensus is that Williams is a good WR#2 and Golden is a high-end WR#2 with a higher floor than Williams.

But because I've seen very little (if any) of Williams, I'll defer more to those who have watched enough of him to judge better, including you.
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Golden is faster that's the biggest difference. Although Williams is plenty fast enough. Both players have high floors because of their Dell like ability to get clean releases off of the LOS.
 
Porky said:
Booker? Banks? I don't see either, both are consensus first-rounders. I like Egbuka, but I'd take Banks in this scenario that all three are available. I'd give Booker a strong look, as I like the leadership/demeanor, but probably Banks because he can start inside and possibly move out to T as he matures. I know some see him more as a longterm G. But I like the flexibility he adds.

Man if we took Banks, and Booker fell to the 2nd, I'd be all over that, and quite possibly move up to make it happen. There are your two beast guards, and now CJ can work inside way better. This line would be so much better than last year, and both Banks and Booker can run block.

* This is the first mock I've seen with Higgins this high. I have him as more in the late 2nd to early 3rd area. Kind of a poor man's Drake London to me. Certainly a good receiver, but as a mid-first guy? What do y'all think of Higgins? Is he THAT good?
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Banks at 1-25 everyday, no questions asked.

Then I would try to trade a 2025 1st for Taylor to pick him at the top of the 2nd and then pick Kyle Williams at 2-58.

Caserio would still have two 2nd's to work with in the 2026 draft. a 3rd and two 4th's to work with in 2026.
 
steelbtexan said:
Banks at 1-25 everyday, no questions asked.

Then I would try to trade a 2025 1st for Taylor to pick him at the top of the 2nd and then pick Kyle Williams at 2-58.

Caserio would still have two 2nd's to work with in the 2026 draft. a 3rd and two 4th's to work with in 2026.
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I don’t think Taylor is special enough to trade up for. I would however, trade up for Booker. He’s got swarm written all over him. Don’t care much about the numbers he put up in shorts. In the second round…I’d be all over Booker.
 
amazing80 said:
I like Grey Zabel. He can play anywhere on the line, in a pinch, but has all the tools for LT. I love what I see in him as a prospect.
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Not if arm length is considered a tool, his 32" arms are among the shortest in this class. That's why Zabel is considered an interior lineman in the NFL. But he could very well become a very good interior lineman. Not a plug and play guy, but someone that could shine by year 2.
 
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Lucky said:
Not if arm length is considered a tool, his 32" arms are among the shortest in this class. That's why Zabel is considered an interior lineman in the NFL. But he could very well become a very good interior lineman. Not a plug and play guy, but someone that could shine by year 2.
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I may be the only one, but at 25 I want a plug and play guy regardless of the position. Back up guys that could start in 2026 should not be first rounders in my opinion
 
Last season, C.J. Stroud was the second most sacked quarterback in the league—a staggering stat that becomes even more troubling when you consider that over the past two years, he's been brought down 90 times. That’s just one less than Bryce Young, who holds the dubious distinction of being the most sacked QB in that span. Despite his contract and my own frustration with his performance at times, the Texans made a baffling move by parting ways with their best pass protector, Laremy Tunsil.

This kind of instability up front is stunting Stroud’s development and, if it continues, could derail his career entirely. Offensive line problems of this magnitude don’t get solved overnight—or even in one draft cycle. The talent deficit in that locker room is real, and it’s not something you can gloss over. The truth is, you can often get away with less-than-elite receivers if your quarterback has time to operate. But if you can’t keep him upright, it doesn’t matter who you put out wide—everything falls apart from the pocket out.
 
banned1976 said:
Last season, C.J. Stroud was the second most sacked quarterback in the league—a staggering stat that becomes even more troubling when you consider that over the past two years, he's been brought down 90 times. That’s just one less than Bryce Young, who holds the dubious distinction of being the most sacked QB in that span. Despite his contract and my own frustration with his performance at times, the Texans made a baffling move by parting ways with their best pass protector, Laremy Tunsil.

This kind of instability up front is stunting Stroud’s development and, if it continues, could derail his career entirely. Offensive line problems of this magnitude don’t get solved overnight—or even in one draft cycle. The talent deficit in that locker room is real, and it’s not something you can gloss over. The truth is, you can often get away with less-than-elite receivers if your quarterback has time to operate. But if you can’t keep him upright, it doesn’t matter who you put out wide—everything falls apart from the pocket out.
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Joe Burrow begs to differ
 
banned1976 said:
Last season, C.J. Stroud was the second most sacked quarterback in the league—a staggering stat that becomes even more troubling when you consider that over the past two years, he's been brought down 90 times. That’s just one less than Bryce Young, who holds the dubious distinction of being the most sacked QB in that span. Despite his contract and my own frustration with his performance at times, the Texans made a baffling move by parting ways with their best pass protector, Laremy Tunsil.

This kind of instability up front is stunting Stroud’s development and, if it continues, could derail his career entirely. Offensive line problems of this magnitude don’t get solved overnight—or even in one draft cycle. The talent deficit in that locker room is real, and it’s not something you can gloss over. The truth is, you can often get away with less-than-elite receivers if your quarterback has time to operate. But if you can’t keep him upright, it doesn’t matter who you put out wide—everything falls apart from the pocket out.
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I disagree with this, the OL can be fixed in one offseason. It's a matter of how much does Caserio want to invest to fix the issues. Does he want to trade 1-25 and a 2026 1st to draft Banks? If he thinks Banks is the LT of the future then that's a very fair price. Is he willing to invest in a TE that can both block and get down the seams/ catch the ball? We will find out soon enough.

Right now it seems as though Caerio/Caley are looking for skilled playmkers that can stretch the field. About time IMHO.
 
JB said:
Why would you think that? Day has never worked in the NFL. But we know that Zac Taylor is a far better play caller than Bobby Slowik
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Is he?

He blew at least 3 games last year because of poor play calling.

Day is known as the best QB coach in college football. So much so that CJ would only listen to what Day had to say and not to the OC Wilson
 
AcresHomesTexan said:

Mike Tice rankings with a little OL philosophy
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LOL. He lost me in the intro talking to his dad, Mike Tice. Nate: "We're in the same town right now, opposite sides of Vegas. You're in the south side I'm in the southwest area." Come on man, that's not who opposite works! ;p
 
AcresHomesTexan said:

Mike Tice rankings with a little OL philosophy
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Much appreciation for posting! Much better info than I expected. I want to start my comments by mentioning what he said about our new left Tackle Cam Robinson. Tice said that one of the things he looks for in his offensive line is the player staying square to his opponent ; not allowing the defense to beat him inside or outside. He referred to Cam Robinson. I like that. Next, he agreed with me that Josh Simmons is a great left tackle if he is 100% healthy. Unfortunately, he probably will not be according to statistics given by our resident surgeon. Even better was finding Tice agreed with me about Josh Conerly. The kid is just good.
 
A much needed positive from Josh Conerly's draft profile: "Quick processor who identifies and smoothly passes off stunts and twists, maintaining proper weight distribution throughout the exchange"

The main drawback is "play strength," but that is a negative that is very fixable in the pros.
 
cland said:
A much needed positive from Josh Conerly's draft profile: "Quick processor who identifies and smoothly passes off stunts and twists, maintaining proper weight distribution throughout the exchange"

The main drawback is "play strength," but that is a negative that is very fixable in the pros.
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Strength is mention for almost every offensive lineman. I think he will be just fine and the more I evaluate and research, I think he could start this year at guard and move to left tackle when we need it. Also, it is good that he is projected available at 25.
 
badboy said:
Strength is mention for almost every offensive lineman. I think he will be just fine and the more I evaluate and research, I think he could start this year at guard and move to left tackle when we need it. Also, it is good that he is projected available at 25.
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I have him projected as early 2nd to mid 2nd. Would have to trade up, maybe, but would allow the Texans to make a play for Golden in the 1st.
 
Number19 said:
I have him projected as early 2nd to mid 2nd. Would have to trade up, maybe, but would allow the Texans to make a play for Golden in the 1st.
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I and others have Golden and Conerly close around 25. Tankathon.com has Simmons at 25; Conerly 26 and Golden 33.

Edit:
Interestingly; 58 79 and 89 gets a end of round one ~ 29.
 
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cland said:
A much needed positive from Josh Conerly's draft profile: "Quick processor who identifies and smoothly passes off stunts and twists, maintaining proper weight distribution throughout the exchange"

The main drawback is "play strength," but that is a negative that is very fixable in the pros.
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Could be Daivd Bakhtiari, could be Andre Dillard.

I trust Caserio and the John Carroll gang if they believe in Conerly more than I do.
 
Number19 said:
I have him projected as early 2nd to mid 2nd. Would have to trade up, maybe, but would allow the Texans to make a play for Golden in the 1st.
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I dont think he gets s by the Chiefs.

Daft Golden or one of the TE's.

They need to draft a LG somewhere.

If it wy my choice I would trade up to 1-10 giving up a 2026 1st to draft Banks then hope Taylor falls to 2-58. My contingency plans would include drafting Fidone nd his balky knee at 3-89. Guys got the talent, is a good blocker and and can catch the ball.
 
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cland said:
LOL. He lost me in the intro talking to his dad, Mike Tice. Nate: "We're in the same town right now, opposite sides of Vegas. You're in the south side I'm in the southwest area." Come on man, that's not who opposite works! ;p
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Okay I stay in Houston. The people who live in Near Northwest Houston aren't exactly around the corner from those in North Houston.

Anyway, I hear people smarter than Nate Tice make grammar, fact, logic and wording mistakes when talking for an hour plus. I expect it to happen at some point.
 
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steelbtexan said:
I dont think he gets s by the Chiefs.

Daft Golden or one of the TE's.

They need to draft a LG somewhere.

If it wy my choice I would trade up to 1-10 giving up a 2026 1st to draft Banks then hope Taylor falls to 3-79. My contingency plans would include drafting Fidone nd his balky knee at 3-89. Guys got the talent, is a good blocker and and can catch the ball.
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I haven't heard you mention Donovan Jackson, Ohio State...............he played a strong LG and did remarkably well at LT when Josh Simmons went down. And he's a Bellaire, Tx. boy!
 
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