Houston Texans NFL Draft 2017: Go After Taylor Moton?

I’m antsy, you should be antsy and the Houston Texans should be as well.

Yes, the NFL Draft is right around the corner with a little over a month to go and there’s a lot of holes that need to be filled.

Quarterback? Offensive line? Secondary?

Where should they start?

It honestly doesn’t matter as long as these holes are eventually filled over time.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and so will this team as they try to continue to be competitive so ultimately they can win that coveted chip that us fans seek.

This draft is stacked this season full of offensive linemen and they won’t necessarily have to draft talent all that high to get the guys they need.

I’ve long advocated for the Houston Texans to facilitate a overhaul of our offensive line which was reasonably productive through the season but far from elite.

Would Brock Osweiler have been more successful had the unit been a bit more protective?

Likely because he had the benefit of a good line when he was with the Denver Broncos.

But that shouldn’t be an excuse for Osweiler’s inadequacy at the position.

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The greats find a way to be productive — did Tom Brady and Drew Brees always have a great line in front?

No, they rose to the occasion and still were successful at the craft in spite of.

And that, my friends, is definitely why Brock isn’t with the Houston Texans any longer.

But back to our current needs on the offensive line.

The Texans seriously need to give guard/tackle Taylor Moton out of Western Michigan a look.

What immediately impressed me was his innate ability to pass-protect and dominate any of the linebackers that come his way.

His run-blocking could use some work but that’s something that can be coached up by Mike Devlin.

The 6’5,” 319-pound behemoth of a ballplayer was a part of a 13-1 nationally-ranked Western Michigan team that not only won the Mid-American championship but fell short against Wisconsin 24-16 in the Cotton Bowl.

Looking at the film from that game, T.J. Watt did get past him once but he did well against a talented football team.

Moton vs. Wisconsin at the 2016 Cotton Bowl (at right tackle):

Moton vs. Georgia Southern (at right guard in 2015):

But you don’t have to take my word for it, here’s what the experts had to say:

SportsTalk 790 and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:

"“Big off the bus. Massive frame with good arm thickness and proportional build in his legs. Plus arm length with big hands. Starting experience at right guard and tackle. Comes off the ball with pad level. Makes concerted effort to drop hips and roll under his target at contact. Has dominant drive-blocking potential. His down blocks turn into steam-rollings. Coordinates hips and hands for maximum pop through point of contact as run blocker … bull rushers won’t bully him very often.”"

Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com:

"“Moton was a solid offensive lineman for the Broncos the past few seasons and turned in a quality senior year at right tackle. Western Michigan has had a superb offense with a dynamic aerial attack for a few years, and Moton’s pass protection contributed to that. Moton played right tackle as a sophomore before moving to right guard as a junior. Moton played well at the Senior Bowl. He is tough at the point of attack with strength in the ground game. For the NFL, Moton has versatile size and could be a player who is a valuable competitor at guard or tackle early in his NFL career. Right guard or right tackle could be his best position in the long term.”"

What are his weaknesses?

Zierlein points out that his footwork is his biggest detriment and I certainly noticed that with the different opponents that he faced.

I agree — he has to get that in order so that he gets that first step over any NFL defensive linemen coming his way, trying to the QB.

The consensus is that Moton is expected to be taken by the 4th round and I certainly think that Moton deserves worthy consideration of one of those picks.

Next: Texans Are Interested In Villanova Tackle Brad Seaton

But who knows where he’ll end up as far as draft position?

The Texans are also interested in Villanova tackle Brad Seaton so we’ll see which things go.

With the uncertainty of Derek Newton‘s health moving forward, I think Moton would be a great addition to the unit and I believe he could spot-start when needed until he learns the position at the pro level.

We’ll have to see how all this pans out, hopefully the franchise has have given him a look.

Go Texans.

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