Oquin: Houston Texans Seven Round Mock Draft
By Travis Oquin
Jan 17, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; West defensive lineman Kyle Emanuel (53), of North Dakota State, rushes during the second half at the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. The East beat the West 19-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Round 5
Pick #152 – Kyle Emanuel
6’3″, 255 – Outside Linebacker – North Dakota State
In the 5th round, since we didn’t get an outside linebacker early, we come back with small school player Kyle Emanuel. But we love Emanuel’s makeup, motor and potential to turn into that player that the Texans will be looking for to replace Brooks Reed.
Hoping for those kinds of results in the 5th round may sound crazy, but again, an organization has to hit in these rounds to sustain quality depth. We love Emanuel’s motor and we love the drive to prove themselves that often times small school players have.
Other options: Darren Waller is a big 6’6” wide receiver out of Georgia Tech that could be a bit of a project but has huge upside. Senquez Golson may be gone at this point but in some simulations we ran he was still available, and as we said in our sleepers article, he would be a steal in the 5th round.
Alternate 1 – WR Darren Waller Alternate 2 – CB Senquez Golson
Pick #175 – Craig Mager
5’11”, 201 – Cornerback/Safety – Texas State
Feb 23, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas State defensive back Craig Mager catches a pass in a work out drill during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
With their 2nd pick in the 5th round the Texans go back to the secondary with a player the Texans have looked at multiple times. Mager is a late bloomer that ended up at Texas State but really stood out. He appears to be able to play any position in the secondary.
Mager is not at all afraid to come up and hit and should also be a good special teams player while the Texans figure out if he fits at corner or safety.
Other considerations here if the Texans haven’t taken a center yet are short but powerful Shaq Mason from Georgia Tech or a potential backup right tackle from Alabama Austin Shepherd who isn’t tremendously athletic but is a grinder.
Alternate 1 – C Shaq Mason Alternate 2 – OT Austin Shepherd
Next: Round 6 Selections