Houston Texans Rumors: Seven round mock draft one month out

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Houston Texans draft target Ben Banogu (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

At this point, the Houston Texans have done a pretty good job addressing need and pairing it with value. There isn’t much left to do in regards to need but there is one spot that could always use some depth and that is edge rushers.

Whitney Mercilus is in the final year of his contract and Jadeveon Clowney is set to play the 2019 season on the franchise tag. Behind them, the team really on have last year’s fifth rounder in Duke Ejiofor. Of course, having J.J. Watt definitely helps but the Texans also need guys on the edge to get after the passer.

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So, adding depth never hurts and the late rounds are all about taking gambles. That’s why the Houston Texans should target Ben Banogu in the seventh and final round of the 2019 NFL draft. Banogu was fairly productive in his two years at TCU, 8.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons, and he has some traits the team should be able to work with.

Banogu started off at the University of Louisiana-Monroe but transferred to TCU after his sophomore year to be closer to home. After sitting out a season due to the NCAA transfer rules, he earned two first team All-Conference selections as well as New Comer of the Year in 2017.

But, his productions and accolades come with a slight asterisk due to the fact that he played defense in the Big 12, a conference not known for its defense chops. His production wasn’t enough to take away that asterisk but there is still plenty to work with here.

He doesn’t wow athletically but he is a pretty good athlete, especially at this point in the draft. He has enough pass rushing moves to go with good strength and awareness to be a very solid depth piece on the edge. His ceiling isn’t high, that’s why he’s in the seventh round but guys like Banogu have a way of sticking around in the NFL for a very long time.

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What are your thoughts? Do you like the strategy or would you like to see the Houston Texans go elsewhere in the draft? Drop your thoughts below.

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