The NFL combine kicks off Wednesday in Indianapolis, and there will be a greater sense of where prospects are slated to go. Nonetheless, here is a Houston Texans pre-combine mock draft, the second for Texans Wire this offseason, to take a look at before the Underwear Olympics begin.
round 1 — S Deionte Thompson, alabama
Pairing Thompson and last year’s phenom Justin Reid makes a deadly duo for the Texans for many years. Potentially losing Tyrann Mathieu in free agency made this a no brainer.
Thompson had 47 solo tackles in his last year at Alabama and added two interceptions. The Texans could really use a duo like this for the 2019 season when they have to face tougher quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Patrick Mahomes.
round 2 (54th overall) — OT Yodny Cajuste, West Virginia
Houston needs an offensive lineman, and in round two, Cajuste could be the perfect one available. This is one of two picks for the Texans to be able to fill some needs.
Cajuste is a big mauler from West Virginia who could really be a force on the Texans offensive line. At 6-5 and 321 pounds the big tackle can play opposite of Texans left tackle Julién Davenport. Texans will need all the help they can get to protect their franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Round 2 (55th overall) — rb damien harris, alabama
The Texans need to think about a running back or two with Lamar Miller on the last year of his contract. Harris put up 3,070 rushing yards with 407 receiving yards along with 24 combined touchdowns. The former Alabama running back could be a huge steal in round two and possibly fit nicely next to D’onta Foreman as a potential duo for Houston.
round 3 — cb kris boyd, texas
With the Texans possibly letting Kareem Jackson test free agency and cutting former 2015 first-rounder Kevin Johnson, Houston needs depth at that position. Boyd had 39 solo tackles in 2018 paired with 15 assisted tackles. At 6-0 and 195 pounds the former Longhorn could find a home in the same state he played his college ball in.
round 5 — wr hunter renfrow, clemson
Renfrow is a solid possession wide receiver that is great for depth. With DeAndre Hopkins, often injured Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, adding Renfrow to this group makes the Texans receiving corps solid; they shouldn’t to rely on DeAndre Carter and Joe Webb to save the day again. Renfrow had 2,133 receiving yards with 15 touchdowns in his four seasons as a Clemson Tiger.
round 6 — ol garrett brumfield, texas
Brumfield played college ball at LSU and stands 6-4 and 303 pounds and is another big mauler type offensive lineman that the Texans needs if they want to keep Watson protected. Adding Cajuste and Brumfield are just two examples of ways general manager Brian Gaine will try and remake the atrocious offensive line.
round 7 — rb bryce love, stanford
Love rushed for 2,113 in 2017 and scored 19 touchdowns for the Stanford Cardinal. That is a very remarkable season for the former Stanford running back who came in second in the Heisman voting in 2017. Love would be a dynamic running back and could actually help Houston’s offense fire on all cylinders. The Texans’ potential depth at running back could be Foreman, Harris, and Love, if this mock draft becomes reality. That is a young and dynamic group with plenty of solid depth for Houston.
