Houston Texans: Why the team needs to get into the second round

The Houston Texans have had a pretty solid off season, thus far. They’ve acquired some standout talent in the secondary. The team also acquired helped in other key areas. However, there is one spot the Texans need to address, and they need to get into the second round to do it.

The Houston Texans have added super star Tyrann Mathieu, guard Zach Fulton, and corner Aaron Colvin. There have been several key depth pieces added as well. Unfortunately, there is one GLARING hole the organization needs to fill. They need to fill it quick, especially for franchise quarterback, Deshaun Watson‘s sake.

The Houston Texans swung and missed in the Nate Solder sweepstakes. Solder wound up signing with the Giants. He’ll enter into the season at age 30, so it may not be the worst miss. However, without a first round or second round pick the team doesn’t appear to have too many options left.

Bill O’Brien has stated that Julie’n Davenport, a 2017 4th round pick, will get the first crack at left tackle. Davenport is a large athletic tackle that has the physical tools to excel, but he’ll have to improve in year two. He flashed at some points during the 2017, but not enough to warrant the starting left tackle job.

As of now, the only other person that could conceivably start at the left tackle is Jeff Allen. Allen has spent the majority of this career at guard, but played left tackle down the stretch last year. This is not a great option either, Allen is more of a mauler and likely isn’t athletic enough to thrive at LT.

The Houston Texans need to not be afraid to go get their guy.

Due to the salary dump of Brock Osweiler and the trade up to get Watson, the Texans are left without 1st and 2nd round picks. The team does have 8 picks total, including three third round picks. While these picks may not be enough to climb back into the first round, it should be enough to get into the second. Packaging two third rounders and potentially a late round pick should be reasonable enough to go get their guy.

As made clear by their off season moves so far, the Texans need an influx of talent along the offensive line. There are two offensive tackles projected to go in the second round and one of them needs to become a member of the Houston Texans.

Jamarco Jones, OT, Ohio State

Jones lacks the height traditionally desired by left tackles. He stands at 6’4″ and weighs 299 lbs. However, what he lacks in height he makes up for with length with 35 1/8″ inch arms. Jones does not have any wow factors about him, but he is a grinder that’ll get the job done. Jones has good lateral quickness to capably handle the blind side.

He is a solid pass blocker with quick, efficient hands. Jones isn’t without his holes, the most obvious being his height. He does lack some hip flexibility and his pad level is a higher than optimal. However, the latter two holes can be worked on and improved with full time dedication as a pro. However, Jones is not my favorite prospect for the Houston Texans.

Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA

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Miller, in a lot of ways, is what Jones is not. Miller is crazy tall, standing at 6’9″. He weighs 309 lbs and has massive 10 3/4″ hands. His arms are a little short for his height, however, measuring in at 34 1/8″ inches.

Miller ranked towards the top in athletic categories at the combine. He ran a 4.95 40 yard dash, 31.5 inch vertical jump, 4.49 20 yard shuttle, and lastly had a 121 inch broad jump. Miller is just flat out explosive and huge. With those numbers, I know you’re think he has to have holes or otherwise he’d be in the first round.

Due to his height, Miller struggles with his hip flexibility and pad level. However, as stated with Jones, these are things that can be worked on in the pros. Miller plays with a chip on his shoulder and has a desire to win every battle in the trenches. Miller’s awareness on the field is also extremely high, which will be extremely useful playing in front of a mobile QB like Watson.

Next: Texans Should Draft OT Alex Cappa

The team has done a solid job trying to fix the offensive front. The free agents added should help out, but the team needs to protect Watson’s blindside. Adding Jones or Miller, preferably Miller, could be the last piece to this offensive puzzle. The team needs to not be afraid to package picks and go get their guy to protect their franchise quarterback.

Happy Easter and Go TEXANS!

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