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There’s one game left in the 2020 NFL season. Soon the doors of free agency will open and NFL Draft threads will take shape to continue the football calendar until May’s dead end, and then summer brings in season previews before fall brings back actual football again.
Mel Kiper released his first mock draft, and he has the Houston Texans selecting...
Oh, that’s right, the Texans don’t have a first round pick. Houston traded their first and second round pick to the Dolphins for Laremy Tunsil, which was lauded as a great trade at the time because there’s no way Houston would ever be a bad team and their picks would be in the mid to late 20s. Plus, the NFL Draft is a crapshoot.
The Tunsil trade was bad. Bill O’Brien suckered all of you and warped your brains into a contorted Battle Red mash. That means the Miami Dolphins have the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Kiper has the Dolphins selecting:
3. Miami Dolphins (from HOU)
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
Tua Tagovailoa was just OK in nine starts as a rookie, but he needs some help. I like DeVante Parker, but he’s not a No. 1 wide receiver. Chase can be. Because Chase opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I think some people are forgetting how good he was in 2019, when he averaged 21.2 yards per catch and had 20 touchdowns for the national champs. Just watch Chase’s athleticism and concentration on this catch. Tagovailoa won’t average just 6.3 yards per attempt with the 2019 Biletnikoff Award winner on the field.
For a team without a true WR1, having a player like Chase would be an incredible addition. A cheap, true WR1 who can carry a passing offense and actually replace DeAndre Hopkins would be perfect for the Texans. Instead, they’ll be sitting on their hands come draft night, all so they could have a left tackle that still was part of a unit that led to Deshaun Watson being sacked the third most times in the NFL. Tunsil was also part of a run blocking unit that had the worst run offense by DVOA.
Once again, Bill O’Brien was wrong about everything. He and Jack Easterby should be the focal point of the disaster the Texans now find themselves in.