Heading into Day three of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Texans will have one pick in the fourth round (127th overall - 27 in the 4th round), no fifth round selections, two sixth rounders (188th overall, 189th overall - 12th and 13th in the sixth round) and two seventh selections (238th overall - 18th in the seventh round, 247th overall - 27th in the seventh round)
So, they'll have five overall selections on Day Three. Here are my best overall on the board by position - let's GO!!
Quarterback
I don't think the Texans will draft a QB, but nothing surprises me in this league so who knows?
#70 - Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
From my scouting report on Rattler…I've always said, of all the QBs in this draft class, or whatever draft class Rattler was going to be in, he was going to be THE ONE that could make EVERY NFL throw a next level QB is asked to make. That's true in this class. Dude can absolutely SPIN IT! Problem was, and still is, that he makes that one throw (or more) that leaves you scratching your head all too often.
- Not an NFL throw he can't make
- Classic throwing motion
- Has zip on his fastball and confidence for days
- Got the hell beat out of him last year and never complained, whined
- Showed a ton of maturitym improvement from freshman year to senior year
Running back
The Texans probably need to add a running back to the group, whether a rookie or a free agent. There's a solid group left on the board, starting with these two that were in my Harris 100.
#83 - Jaylen Wright, Tennessee
From my scouting report on Wright…Wright has two assets that stand out to me immediately and one feeds the other, which makes him a dynamic prospect at the next level. He has insane contact balance and he has LEGIT home run hitting speed.
- Legit 4.3 home run hitting, TRACK FAST speed
- Contact balance
- Underrated power runner
- Explosive twitch
#84 - Will Shipley, Clemson
From my scouting report on Shipley…He runs like he's proving a point on every single run. He has long speed and power, running like a bull in a china shop most times. It's frenetic and herky-jerky, but he's going to run 100 mph on every single run. But, he does have a little wiggle between the tackles. His acceleration is better than I first expected. Sometimes that's what he needed to get interior yards and not just break long runs. I like his vision and he seems to make his blockers right. He's more sudden than many want to believe and he runs his a-- off, leaving an impression on tacklers all over the field. He's patient, with burst, and excels with gap scheme concepts.
- Maniacal effort
- Pass/run threat
- Better 2021/2022 than 2023
- Feisty and competitive
Wide Receiver
Even after the trade for Stefon Diggs, the Texans could still add a WR in one of the best classes of WR in a long time.
#45 - Troy Franklin, Oregon
From my scouting report on Franklin…Although he has a bit of a slight build, Franklin understands the nuances in how to play receiver. He runs his routes with varied tempos. He doesn't waste time getting on the toes of defensive backs. He has glue sticks for hands and tremendous ball skills with the ball in the air.
- Acceleration into separation
- Fantastic hands
- Deep ball tracking skills
- Tougher than expected with such a lithe body
- A huge problem after the catch with his speed and explosiveness AWAY from DBs
#73 - Tez Walker, North Carolina
From my scouting report on Walker…Walker was arguably the most explosive and fastest receiver in Mobile, but he's struggling to complete plays with drops at the most inopportune times. He's making tough catches look easy, but dropping well thrown passes. Now, he did run one of the SWEETEST double moves for a TD, making the easy catch too. But, it's got to be more consistent.
- Long and wiry build
- Track speed (did register 23.1 mph on GPS), dude can FLY - legit 4.4 play speed
- Significant deep threat on the day he walks into an NFL building
- Strong hands to snatch passes, but has concentration drops that are concerning
#83 - Johnny Wilson, Florida State
From my scouting report on Wilson…At the Senior Bowl, he was a REALLY tough cover. He showed how strong his hands are and was difficult to cover in all areas of the field. Trying to figure out where to put him in my Harris 100 is a bit confusing because he's not twitchy but he's fast enough when he can build up his speed. But, in Mobile, he was efficient in and out of his breaks, snatched the ball away from his body and got separation throughout the week.
- Height, weight, speed - huge target
- Snatches the ball out of the air
- Concentration drops at times throughout his career.
- Build-up speed
- Tremendous red zone threat on fades, back of the end zone routes
Tight End
The one position that most people ask me MOST about is tight end. Even after re-signing Dalton Schultz, there could be a couple of options on Day Three that make some sense for this offense.
#88 - Theo Johnson, Penn State
From my scouting report on Johnson…Johnson's testing profile jumps off the page. As a 6-6 ⅛, 259 lb tight end, he produced F-TE like testing numbers. I'm not sold on him as an in-line blocker because he wasn't used in that way at Penn State. He was typically used in the fullback role or as an H-back, in motion on split zone. He has physicality in his heart and athleticism oozing out of him. He just has to tap in against the best big athletes in the world. That'll be tough, but doable.
- Large target down the seam
- Insane pound for pound athleticism
- Versatile, can play any spot (Y, U, F, H) in the TE universe
- Football family DNA
#93 - Jared Wiley, TCU
From my scouting report on Wiley…When he's isolated one-on-one on a safety is a definite win. He ran over, around and through LB at the Senior Bowl as well. I thought he was even better at the Senior Bowl than he was at TCU. He got separation in his routes against nickels and safeties. He ran well after the catch as well. He showed soft hands, but seeing him in person, though, I was impressed with his sheer size. I've been around some seriously impressive dudes in an NFL locker room, but Wiley made me look twice.
- Impressive size and build
- HIGH athletic score - 4.62 40-yard dash, 37-inch vertical at just over 6-6
- Soft hands
- Not a great in-line blocker but not afraid to mix it up physically
Offensive tackles
None in Harris 100
Interior offensive linemen
None in Harris 100
Edge
#75 - Austin Booker, Kansas
From my scouting report on Booker…At the Senior Bowl, Booker unleashed a can of whoop a-- on edge protectors every single day. Given that he hadn't played much in his first two years at Minnesota, he was not on my radar screen at all. But, I'll be damned, he was a serious problem, my goodness. Twitch. Length. Relentlessness. He knows how to use his length and showed that when he used that stab move during one-on-ones to get the QB easily. He did that again in team drills to get another sack. He's lithe and long, so he needs to add a bit more weight but I'm willing to see where it goes given his pass rush acumen.
- All day length
- Bouncy, twitchy off the snap.
- Relentless in pursuit of the QB
- Quick, explosive hands
- Proper hands placement on his pass rushes
- Ultra quick, lethal spin move
Interior DL
#49 - Brandon Dorlus, Oregon
From my scouting report on Dorlus…He can knife into the backfield with a quick get off, beat blockers with stout powerful hands, maintain balance in the wreckage and tackle the ballcarrier for a two yard TFL. Then, do it two other times during the game and when it's over, he's filled the stat sheet with numbers and left OL shaking their heads.
- Can play anywhere on the defensive line
- Agile and twitchy
- Skilled with his hands and that shows in his pass rushes
- I've seen him win with numerous pass rush techniques
- Thought he could've come out two years ago and been a top 40 pick
- Such a unique defensive lineman skill set
#85 - Leonard Taylor III, Miami, FL
From my scouting report on Taylor III…He's POW-ER-FUL, quick and nasty. Taylor has the holy trinity of interior defender traits. I know there's going to be some team in the NFL that'll just bet on those three traits and it'll pay off. The three assets all elite interior defensive MUST have are sitting right there and Taylor has those in spades. My goodness, I've seen him win up front featuring all three assets individually and in the aggregate.
-Technique flaws that need correcting in taking on blocks
- Athletic big man that are hard to find
- Best football is ahead of him as he get into natural position for NFL team
- Built extremely well
- Ran 5.12 at the Combine in the 40-yard dash, posted 30-inch vertical
Linebacker
#76 - Ced Gray, North Carolina
From my scouting report on Gray…Watching him in man coverage, wow. He can absolutely jet. Against NC State in 2022, they tried to run him off on a pick route on a wheel route. He hesitated for a split second, but got back in phase to force an incompletion. That dude can fly. He's so fluid in coverage on backs and in zone coverage. He just makes it look easy and I've seen so many college linebackers that screw that part of the game up in a quick second.
- Coverage linebacker skills
- Plays all out on every play
- Explosive to the football
- High football IQ
#86 - Jeremiah Trotter Jr, Clemson
From my scouting report on Trotter Jr…I don't think Trotter Jr had a better 2023 season than he did in 2022. He just seemed to miss more tackles and be a bit more robotic, I guess, for lack of a better way of saying it. But, there's still a ton to like about his game, including how he can impact the passing game with his blitz ability. Case in point, his pick six against Notre Dame in 2023; it was perfect, PERFECT pass coverage technique. He dropped into his zone, read Sam Hartman's eyes and broke on the pass, taking it to the house for a touchdown. Brilliant, just brilliant work.
- Instinctive, smart in both run game/pass coverage
- Impact blitzer
- Didn't finish plays in 2023 as I'd like
- Was protected very well by Clemson DL, but still found football quickly
#97 Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington
From my scouting report on Ulofoshio…there's a TON to like about the Huskies best interior player, even after the ACL tear. He's still a bit raw, but he's got instincts and athleticism that help fill any gaps in his game. He won't false step and he won't get caught chasing ghosts. He plays with excellent eye discipline. Like many college backers, he's got to be more effective shedding big fellas inside, but he does play with the requisite violence to make him a big time player on the inside. He's agile and moves laterally extremely well and I love his feet. He rarely gets caught in concrete.
- Built with no body fat, rocked up for sure
- Smart, football IQ for days
- Was finally fully healthy in 2023 and it showed.
- Was known for making tackles, but missed more in 2023 than in other years.
Safety
#42 - Jaden Hicks, Washington State
From my scouting report on Hicks…Smooth and fluid, he changes direction extremely well. He seems to glide explosively to the ball. He has an easy acceleration but he's closing in a hurry. He possesses more than adequate closing speed on ball carriers. He has to come under control sooner so he doesn't overrun tackles as I've seen him do that a few times in the 2023 season. I don't love him playing down near the box as he doesn't seem to have innate linebacker instincts. He does have lazy and undisciplined eyes too often and that must improve. But, when he's honed in on his target, my goodness, he's a heat seeking missile and fearlessness in his heart.
- Prototype size
- Closing speed
- Will drop the physical hammer for sure
- Needs to have better linebacker understanding when he's in the box
- As athletic as any safety in this, and any other, draft class
#94 - Evan Williams, Oregon
From my scouting report on Williams…Williams plays a lot like his hero - Tyrann Mathieu. He plays with that same spark and juice as Tyrann. I have an even more apt comparison, which I'll discuss later. Williams transferred to Oregon from Fresno State and jumped into the Oregon lineup for his brother, who graduated in 2022. Evan was fantastic all season long, earning 2nd Team All-Pac-12 honors, leading the Ducks in tackles (82). He gives me a Jessie Bates-vibe and he's going to be higher in the Harris 100 than on other people's/teams' boards as I love how Williams impacts games from the safety position.
- Fluid change of direction
- Cerebral AND athletic
- Man coverage skills are a plus
- Used in blitz packages effectively
#98 - Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech
From my scouting report on Taylor-Demerson…He does need to stay disciplined. There have been a few misses over the years, some of the "WHEW, got away with one" variety because he's gotten his eyes locked on one receiver and let that receiver take him away from his main responsibility in coverage. But, in man coverage in the slot, his speed makes him a legit threat in coverage because he can explosively click and close on the football. That transitional quickness is evident on film.
- Smart, instinctive player with minor lapses in eye discipline
- Transitionally quick and explosive
- Serious range as a middle third zone player
- Athletic range/score is top notch in safety draft class.
Cornerback
#44 - T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
From my scouting report on Tampa…Tampa is the prototype height, weight, speed guy, well, I think "speed", even though he didn't test at the Combine. Excellent hips and fluid which makes it difficult to escape from him in press man coverage. Smooth feet, light and fluid. All day fast. His transitional quickness out of his backpedal, wow! There is no panic in press man coverage. Absolutely zero. He has excellent vision and understanding of route concepts when in zone coverage.
- Prototype height, weight, speed
- Press man baller
- Love his transitional quickness out of a backpedal - teaching tape stuff
- Innate understanding of route combinations in zone, doesn't lose discipline
#68 - Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi State
From my scouting report on Richardson…Take your pick. Length? Size? Speed? For Richardson, he has all three. His closing speed is legit. He can stay on top of go routes as well as anyone in this draft class, my goodness. He'll match speed with outstanding speed. He can flip his hips from shuffle or backpedal to a turn and run instantly.
- Impressive length - over 32-inch arms
- 4.34 - FLYING 40-yard dash at the Combine, outstanding athletic profile
- That speed shows up on the field
- Smart, zone intelligence and eyes
