If you believe the mock drafts, the Texans are taking Offensive Lineman Ikem Ekwonu of North Carolina State at third overall.
Houston owns 10 selections in the 2022 NFL Draft, which begins tonight in Las Vegas. Starting in January, HoustonTexans.com periodically gauged the more prominent mock drafts from around the internet. Of the 61 analyzed for this final Mock Draft Tracker, Ekwonu was the most-mocked player to Houston. 19 different experts tabbed him to the Texans.
But in the previous Mock Draft Tracker, LSU cornerback was projected to Houston by less than three experts. Now, he's the second-most mocked player to the Texans, as 17 different prognosticators predicted he'll be Houston's first pick tonight.
Ekwonu and Stingley were the only players mocked to Houston by more than 10 experts apiece. Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner was a Texans selection on nine mock drafts, while Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal was a Texans pick by seven different mock drafts.
Texans General Manager Nick Caserio has said the Texans are willing to move up and down in the Draft via trade. Earlier this week, the Texans and Patriots swapped late-round picks.
Ikwonu was a unanimous All-America selection in 2021, and has a twin brother (Osita) who plays linebacker at Notre Dame. The 19 mock drafts below projected Ekwonu to the Texans at third overall.
| MEDIA OUTLET |
|---|
| 1. ESPN (MEL KIPER, JR.) |
| 2. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (ALBERT BREER) |
| 3. NFL MEDIA (CHARLES DAVIS) |
| 4. NFL MEDIA (DANIEL JEREMIAH) |
| 5. NBC SPORTS (PETER KING) |
| 6. WASHINGTON POST (MARK MASKE) |
| 7. NEWSDAY (BOB GLAUBER) |
| 8. THE ATHLETIC (BRUCE FELDMAN) |
| 9. HOUSTONTEXANS.COM (JOHN HARRIS) |
| 10. PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (DOUG KYED) |
| 11. CBS SPORTS (CHRIS TRAPASSO) |
| 12. NFL MEDIA (PETER SCHRAGER) |
| 13. FOX SPORTS (JASON MCINTYRE) |
| 14. THE RINGER (DANNY KELLY) |
| 15. SHARP FOOTBALL ANALYSIS (RYAN MCCRYSTAL) |
| 16. HOUSTON CHRONICLE (BROOKS KUBENA) |
| 17. CBS SPORTS (JOSH EDWARDS) |
| 18. USA TODAY (NATE DAVIS) |
| 19. SHARP FOOTBALL ANALYSIS (BRENDAN DONOHUE) |
As a freshman on the 2019 National Champs, Stingley was a leader of the Tigers defense. In a late-March Mock Draft Tracker, just one expert tabbed him to the Texans. Now, he's the second-most-mocked player to Houston, with the 17 experts below choosing Stingley.
| MEDIA OUTLET |
|---|
| 1. NFL.COM (LANCE ZIERLEIN) |
| 2. ESPN (MATT MILLER) |
| 3. ESPN (TODD MCSHAY) |
| 4. NEW YORK POST (STEVE SERBY) |
| 5. USA TODAY (LUKE EASTERLING) |
| 6. WALTER FOOTBALL (CHARLIE CAMPBELL) |
| 7. CBS SPORTS (RYAN WILSON) |
| 8. CBS SPORTS (WILL BRINSON) |
| 9. THE DRAFT NETWORK (JOE MARINO) |
| 10. YAHOO! SPORTS (ERIC EDHOLM) |
| 11. THE ATHLETIC (DANE BRUGLER) |
| 12. THE DRAFT NETWORK (KYLE CRABBS) |
| 13. PRO FOOTBALL NETWORK (TONY PAULINE) |
| 14. THE DRAFT NETWORK (BRENTLEY WEISSMAN) |
| 15. PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (MICHAEL RENNER) |
| 16. BLEACHER REPORT (SCOUTING DEPARTMENT) |
| 17. UNDERDOG NETWORK (JOSH NORRIS) |
A first-team All-American in 2021, Gardner didn't allow a touchdown reception in three years with the Bearcats. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at the Combine this year. The nine experts below had him going to the Texans at third overall.
| MEDIA OUTLET |
|---|
| 1. NFL MEDIA (BUCKY BROOKS) |
| 2. NFL MEDIA (CHAD REUTER) |
| 3. DRAFT COUNTDOWN (SHANE HALLAM) |
| 4. PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (TREVOR SIKKEMA) |
| 5. PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (AUSTIN GAYLE) |
| 6. SB NATION (JAMES DATOR) |
| 7. PRO FOOTBALL NETWORK (IAN CUMMINGS) |
| 8. SI.COM (ZACK PATRAW) |
| 9. PEWTER REPORT (JON LEDYARD) |
Neal started 13 games at left guard in 2019 before transitioning to right tackle in 2020. He spent 2021 at left tackle and in that three-year span started a combined 40 games up front. The seven experts below believe the Texans will take him with the third overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
| MEDIA OUTLET |
|---|
| 1. PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (CRIS COLLINSWORTH) |
| 2. PRO FOOTBALL TALK (MIKE FLORIO) |
| 3. FOX SPORTS (ROB RANG) |
| 4. SPORTING NEWS (VINNIE IYER) |
| 5. CBS SPORTS (TOM FORNELLI) |
| 6. WALTER FOOTBALL (WALTER CHEREPINSKY) |
| 7. FTN FANTASY (MATTHEW FREEDMAN) |
Thibodeaux was a unanimous All-America selection in 2021, and in three years with Oregon racked up a combined 19 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss. He was mocked to Houston by these five experts.
| MEDIA OUTLET |
|---|
| 1. NFL.COM (MAURICE JONES-DREW) |
| 2. PRO FOOTBALL NETWORK (CAM MELLOR) |
| 3. COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS (PETE FIUTAK) |
| 4. THE DRAFT NETWORK (KEITH SANCHEZ) |
| 5. PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (BRAD SPIELBERGER) |
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