2022 NFL Mock Draft: The Houston Texans Select...

The 2022 NFL Combine is here this week, in primetime, so the everyman can watch the NFL’s next great players run and jump. Along with it comes everyone’s favorite thing in the world, mock drafts. The widow’s peak himself, Mel Kiper Jr., came up with his newest mock as the league enters the Combine. He has the Texans selecting:

3. Houston Texans

Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

This is an extremely tough pick to project before free agency, because the Texans have a barren roster with needs at most every position. And can you believe they have had only one first-round choice in the four drafts before this one? They have a long way to go to compete again in the AFC South.

If Houston really is tearing down its roster even further, that could mean trading a few key veterans, such as tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and trying to add more picks. That opens a hole on the left side for Neal, a physical blocker with great feet. I don’t think the Texans could go wrong with high-upside pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, either, but they have to hit on the top guy on their board here.

With Ikem Ekwonu and Aidan Hutchinson off the board in Kiper’s mock here, the Texans go tackle. After Laremy Tunsil is traded, the Texans would continue to sink resources into the tackle position; in this case, they’d select who many think as the best player in this draft, Evan Neal.

Another tackle? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below.