Houston Texans: 2018 complete 7-round mock draft

68th: Chukwuma Okorafor, OT Western Michigan

This is a projection pick with HUGE upside. Chukwuma Okorafor (chuck-WOO-muh oh-KOR-uh-for) immigrated from Botswana in 2010. He hasn’t been around football long, but out of high school, he was being recruited by big powers. Ultimately, he ended up signing with PJ Fleck and Western Michigan.

Okorafor has tremendous size, standing 6’6″ and weighing in at 330 pounds. Overall, he has an NFL body with arms longer than 34″ and hands bigger than 10″. Chuks is a phenomenal athlete that looks natural in a pass drop and as well as running down the field getting to the next level.

He graded out at 98.1 in terms of pass blocking efficiency, however, he only graded as 90.2% in his run blocking. Okorafor will surely take work to develop into a top-flight offensive tackle. He won’t come in and be a world beater right away. However, he is a prospect that seems, with the right amount of work, able to become a starter as a left tackle.

The team seems ready to hand over the reigns of left tackle to Julie’n Davenport this year. Seantrel Henderson seems to be the guy at right tackle. So both spots are settled and Okorafor will have a shot at developing behind them and stepping in when needed. There are also a few other guys mentioned in previous articles that are worth looking in to.

80th: Josh Sweat, EDGE FSU

Sweat was a freak on Jadeveon Clowney levels coming out of high school. However, that is when these two players paths diverged. Sweat suffered a bad knee injury during his freshman year and it severely hampered his development. 2017 was a return of his athleticism though. He began to look like the five star he was coming out of high school.

Sweat’s athleticism jumps off of the page. He ran a 4.53 forty and 4.28 20 yard shuttle. He also showed off his explosiveness with a 124-inch broad jump and a 39.5 inch vertical. Sweat has the potential to be a stand out EDGE defender in the NFL. The two things holding him back from being a first-round pick. His injury history is one of them but he appears to be finishing the climb in that area. The other is his lack of technique and refinement.

However, under the tutelage of Romeo Crennel, JJ Watt, Whitney Mercilus, and Clowney he has a chance to become something special. The Texans’ organization would be remiss to pass up on this opportunity and Sweat should be dying to come to Houston. This one almost makes too much sense.

98th: Parry Nickerson, CB Tulane

Nickerson has flown under the radar throughout this entire process. He was blazing during the combine, running a 4.32 in the 40. He has a wiry frame standing a 6’0″, but only 180 pounds. But man, does this guy fight. He is one of the better press corners in the draft.

Nickerson has a knack for the ball as well. Across three years he had 10 interceptions and made 28% of his targets over the past two years. He can be effective in press coverage or off the ball. Nickerson also played on an island a lot of the time.

Even after resigning Johnathan Joseph and bringing in Aaron Colvin, it would behoove the team to add another corner. The futures of Kareem Jackson and Kevin Johnson up in the air, as well as Joseph’s after this year, you need a solid addition. Nickerson is a guy that can come in and help out as a number four. After a full year as a pro and in an NFL weight room, he’ll be ready to step up as a number two for Romeo Crennel.