Houston Texans: 2018 Free Agency and Off-Season Primer

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 27: Deshaun Watson of Clemson reacts after being picked /

Last year’s draft was a successful one. The team netted their franchise quarterback and few solid contributing players.

Due to getting rid of Brock Osweiler’s absurd contract and trading up to get Watson, the team is without a first and second round draft pick. However, thanks to compensation picks, the Texans still have 8 draft choices.

3rd Round (68th overall)
3rd Round (80th overall, from Seattle in the Duane Brown trade)
3rd Round (98th overall, compensatory)
4th Round (103rd overall)
6th Round (177th overall)
6th Round (211th overall, compensatory)
6th Round (214th overall, compensatory)
7th Round (222nd overall)

That is still a lot of draft capital, Gaine still has his work cut out for him though.

Tackle Prospects

Desmond Harrison and Chukwuma Okorafor are decent tackle prospects as it stands. However, both are extremely athletic and could develop into solid players down the road. Harrison has some character concerns after getting kicked out of the University of Texas and then being out of football for two years. Okorafor moved to the US from Botswana in 2010, so he doesn’t have quite as much football experience as other guys. He does possess tremendous size though. Out of the two, Okorafor is the better prospect, but he has a small chance of falling to the Texans.

Alex Cappa is another guy to look out for. He is a small school prospect with a huge mean streak. The kid is a mauler and could be the next guy to come from a small school to develop into a solid offensive lineman. He may require a switch to guard, which wouldn’t be the worst for this team anyways.

Tight End Prospects

Dalton Schultz and Tyler Conklin are early round and late round prospects, respectively, to look at.

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Schultz hails from Stanford, a school which is quickly becoming TE-U. He could come in a be a solid pass catcher and get the job done blocking as well. Conklin won’t “wow” as a pass catcher, but he’ll be solid enough. He also will be an good run blocker in the NFL.

Cornerback Prospects

Kevin Toliver and Isaiah Oliver are names to watch at corner. Toliver was a five star recruit when he was headed to LSU and played immediately as a freshman. However, Toliver never seemed to live up to expectations and remained more hype than stud. He did improve each year though. Toliver is big and athletic as all get out. Coming into a good situation were he can learn and get coached up is best for him, Texans fit that bill. Some have Oliver as a potential round one guy, but I think he could end up falling on draft day. He tested solid but not spectacular at the combine, and he needed a great combine to sneak into round 1. He might need a year to season, but the sky seems to be the limit for Oliver.

Safety Prospects

Quin Blanding and Kyzir White are the prospects to look out for at safety. Blanding is a former five star prospect out of high school and four year starter at Virginia Tech. He is an incredible tackler and an enforcer in the middle. He would be a great running mate for Hal. White has a great NFL body and is also an incredible tackler. The West Virginia product could be a stud in a year or two.

Next: Why the Texans should target Josh Kline in free agency

All in all, this off-season is bound to be an exciting one, if based off nothing more than the trades that have already happened. The Texans are a few pieces away from becoming true Super Bowl contenders. Hopefully, some of these guys mentioned will come in and help the franchise take the next step!

Go Texans!

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