Defense is the overwhelming favorite for the mock drafters when they're predicting Houston's choice at 42nd overall.
We're barely over three weeks away from the start of the NFL Draft. The first round begins the night of Thursday, April 25 in Detroit, but the Texans don't have a pick.
Instead, they're choosing first at 42nd overall, which is the next night, in the second round. Houston dealt the 23rd overall pick and a seventh-rounder to Minnesotafor the 42nd overall pick (a 2nd-rounder), a second-rounder next year, and the 188th overall selection this year.
Most mock drafts are only for the first round, but some have an entire second round mocked. Of all the mocks on the web, HoustonTexans.com pulled from the more notable ones, and there are 20 right now with second-round projections. Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa was the most-mocked player to Houston, as four different experts predicted he'll be a Texan.
Defensive tackle was the next most-popular choice, as Florida State's Braden Fiske was headed to Houston in three mocks. Michigan's Kris Jenkins and Ohio State's Mike Hall, Jr. were both mocked to the Texans by two times apiece.
In all, 18 of 20 mock drafts (90%) predicted the Texans would take a defensive player, with 10 prognosticating a defensive tackle and eight saying Houston would go with a corner.
In all, the Texans have these eight picks in this year's Draft.
| MOCK DRAFT | TEXANS SELECTION |
|---|---|
| HOUSTONTEXANS.COM/FOOTBALL TAKEOVER (JOHN HARRIS) | CB T.J. TAMPA, IOWA STATE |
| SPORTING NEWS (VINNIE IYER) | CB T.J. TAMPA, IOWA STATE |
| PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (TREVOR SIKKEMA) | CB T.J. TAMPA, IOWA STATE |
| PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (TREVOR SIKKEMA) | CB T.J. TAMPA, IOWA STATE |
| SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (LUKE EASTERLING) | DT BRADEN FISKE, FLORIDA STATE |
| SHARP FOOTBALL ANALYSIS (RYAN MCCRYSTAL) | DT BRADEN FISKE, FLORIDA STATE |
| THE DRAFT NETWORK (RYAN FOWLER) | DT BRADEN FISKE, FLORIDA STATE |
| DRAFT COUNTDOWN (SHANE HALLAM) | DT MIKE HALL, JR., OHIO STATE |
| WALTER FOOTBALL (WALTER CHEREPINSKY) | DT MIKE HALL, JR., OHIO STATE |
| FOX SPORTS (ROB RANG) | DT KRIS JENKINS, MICHIGAN |
| USA TODAY (DOUG FARRAR) | DT KRIS JENKINS, MICHIGAN |
| THE DRAFT SCOUT (MELLO) | WR KEON COLEMAN, FLORIDA STATE |
| HOUSTON CHRONICLE (JONATHAN ALEXANDER) | CB KAMARI LASSITER, GEORGIA |
| NFL.COM (CHAD REUTER) | CB KOOL-AID MCKINSTRY, ALABAMA |
| CBS SPORTS (CHRIS TRAPASSO) | CB MAX MELTON, RUTGERS |
| THE DRAFT NETWORK (KEITH SANCHEZ) | DT BYRON MURPHY, II, TEXAS |
| PRO FOOTBALL NETWORK (IAN CUMMINGS) | DT JOHNNY NEWTON, ILLINOIS |
| CBS SPORTS (JOSH EDWARDS) | CB ENNIS RAKESTRAW, MISSOURI |
| WALTER FOOTBALL (CHARLIE CAMPBELL) | DT T’VONDRE SWEAT, TEXAS |
| ROTOWORLD (CONNOR RODGERS) | WR ROMAN WILSON, MICHIGAN |
