Houston Texans Rumors: Seven round mock draft 5.0 with trades
By T.A. Mock
The Houston Texans have addressed their secondary through free agency this offseason. The fact that three guys were added shows that Gaine and his staff recognized that changes needed to be made. The team wanted to keep Mathieu but Kansas City just coughed up more money than Houston was willing to.
Gipson and Justin Reid have the makings of a very good safety tandem for a long time. Roby and Boddy-Calhoun, however, were both one year, prove it deals so the Texans will likely look to address the cornerback position early in the draft.
Before the Roby and Boddy-Calhoun additions, Johnathan Joseph and Aaron Colvin remained the top corners on the roster. Joseph and Roby seem to be the main guys on the outside while Boddy-Calhoun has potential in the slot and Colvin can do both. However, with Roby on a one year deal and Joseph in the last year of his contract and is on the decline, the Texans should target Justin Layne.
Layne has been rising up draft boards across the nation, even getting some first round buzz but that may be a little overzealous. Layne probably will settle in the late second to early third round range. He needs some development but has tremendous size and length to go with good athleticism.
The former receiver has excellent ball skills and is fluid in following receivers in their routes. His long speed isn’t terrific but it is more than adequate to track any receiver across the field. The additions will allow him to be integrated slowly to ensure he finishes developing properly.