The Houston Texans do not have a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft as it was part of the trade package that acquired left tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins.
Houston’s first pick of the draft is early in the second round at 40th overall, hovering just outside the first round. If the Texans see a player they must have, they could package a deal to enter the late first round. After all, one of the advantages of taking a pick in the first round as opposed to waiting for him in the second is the fifth year option.
If the Texans decide to move up into the late first round, here are seven players that would be worth the move.
1. TCU DT Ross Blacklock
The former TCU Horned Frog plays similarly to free agent defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. Blacklock has versatility along the defensive line. He should be able to fill the void left behind by D.J. Reader, and even surpass Reader throughout the course of his tenure with Houston.
2. Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson
The former Bulldog is a mountain of a man at 6-9, 340 pounds. The Texans would have some versatility by bringing in Wilson. They could kick Wilson inside to replace right guard Zach Fulton, or they could put Wilson at right tackle and then slide Tytus Howard over to right guard and replace Fulton. The Texans would also have a player that could play guard and tackle, as the unit philosophy of offensive line coach Mike Devlin is to find the five best linemen in combination, not necessarily the five who are the best at their position.
3. TCU CB Jeff Gladney
The former Horned Frog is arguably the most physical cornerback in the draft. Gladney would be the final move to help the Texans get younger and more talented at cornerback, even with their stocked cupboard. Baylor wideout Denzel Mims said at the NFL Scouting Combine that Gladney was the toughest player he went against.
4. Notre Dame OLB Julian Okwara
The Texans still need to fix their pas rush, and adding Okwara would be a big step towards getting younger at the position. Houston’s top two defenders for sacks were outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus with 7.5 and defensive end J.J. Watt with 4.0. Mercilus will be 30 and Watt 31 by the time Week 1 arrives. Adding Okwara would help provide a smoother transition from Mercilus and Watt to a younger crop of edge rushers.
5. LSU C Lloyd Cushenberry
What Cushenberry could do for the Texans is similar to what Georgia’s Isaiah Wilson could do: provide versatility and get younger at right guard. Cushenberry could provide position flex at center and guard, and the club would be able to move on from either Senio Kelemente or Zach Fulton in year one. If anything happened to center Nick Martin, it might be more feasible to slide Cushenberry over rather than plug in Greg Mancz.
6. LSU S Grant Delpit
If Houston wants to get better at safety and add a younger complement to Justin Reid, they could do no better than Delpit. The Texans would still have the veteran depth at the position with Eric Murray, Jaylen Watkins, Tashaun Gipson, and A.J. Moore. However, they would have a playmaking, young safety in the wings who could take his time adjusting to the NFL game and give the Texans a formidable safety tandem starting in 2021.
7. Penn State DE/OLB Yetur Gross-Matos
Gross-Matos was a defensive end with the Nittany Lions and had his hand in the dirt, but his vital statistics of 6-5, 264 pounds are an inch taller and six pounds heavier than Whitney Mercilus. In comparison to Jadeveon Clowney, Gross-Matos is the same height but 10 pounds heavier. In other words, he can be an effective edge rusher for the Texans, who need to fix their pass rush after just 31 sacks in 2019, tied for the sixth-fewest in the NFL.
