If the majority of mock drafters are right, the Texans will take an Alabama offensive lineman or a Notre Dame safety with the third overall pick in this year's NFL Draft.
Over 50 percent of 23 prominent mock drafts have Houston selecting Evan Neal from the Crimson Tide or Kyle Hamilton of the Fighting Irish. Neal (6-7, 350 pounds) was a consensus All-American this season at left tackle, after logging double-digit starts at right tackle in 2020 and double-digit starts at left guard the season before that. He was projected to the Texans by seven different mock drafts.
Hamilton (6-4, 220 pounds), meanwhile, was mocked to Houston by six different media outlets. He's able to play a variety of spots at the back end of the defense and is a ferocious hitter.
LSU CB Derek Stingley was mocked four times to Houston, while the trio of Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson, Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux and NC State OL Ikem Ekwonu were each mocked to Houston by two publications.
The NFL Draft begins Thursday evening, April 28, in Las Vegas. Houston owns the third overall pick and four picks total in the first 80 selections. In total, they currently have nine selections spread across the Draft's seven rounds.
| MEDIA OUTLET | PLAYER | LAST UPDATED |
|---|---|---|
| THE SPORTING NEWS (VINNIE IYER) | OL EVAN NEAL, ALABAMA | 1/26/2022 |
| NEWSDAY (NICK KLOPSIS) | OL EVAN NEAL, ALABAMA | 1/24/2020 |
| DRAFT COUNTDOWN (SHANE HALLAM) | OL EVAN NEAL, ALABAMA | 1/24/2022 |
| ESPN (MEL KIPER, JR.) | OL EVAN NEAL, ALABAMA | 1/19/2022 |
| PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (AUSTIN GAYLE) | OL EVAN NEAL, ALABAMA | 1/17/2022 |
| CBS SPORTS (KYLE STACKPOLE) | OL EVAN NEAL, ALABAMA | 1/14/2022 |
| PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (MICHAEL RENNER) | OL EVAN NEAL, ALABAMA | 1/10/2022 |
| CBS SPORTS (CHRIS TRAPASSO) | S KYLE HAMILTON, NOTRE DAME | 1/26/2022 |
| PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (TREVOR SIKKEMA) | S KYLE HAMILTON, NOTRE DAME | 1/24/2022 |
| THE DRAFT NETWORK (BRYAN PEREZ) | S KYLE HAMILTON, NOTRE DAME | 1/24/2022 |
| NFL MEDIA (DANIEL JEREMIAH) | S KYLE HAMILTON, NOTRE DAME | 1/21/2022 |
| USA TODAY (LUKE EASTERLING) | S KYLE HAMILTON, NOTRE DAME | 1/13/2022 |
| THE DRAFT NETWORK (JOE MARINO) | S KYLE HAMILTON, NOTRE DAME | 1/9/2022 |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS (PETE FIUTAK) | CB DEREK STINGLEY, JR. LSU | 1/23/2022 |
| CBS SPORTS (JOSH EDWARDS | CB DEREK STINGLEY, JR. LSU | 1/20/2022 |
| THE DRAFT NETWORK (KYLE CRABBS) | CB DEREK STINGLEY, JR. LSU | 1/17/2022 |
| THE DRAFT SCOUT (MATT MILLER) | CB DEREK STINGLEY, JR. LSU | 1/11/2022 |
| NFL MEDIA (BUCKY BROOKS) | DE KAYVON THIBODEAUX, OREGON | 1/25/2022 |
| THE ATHLETIC (DANE BRUGLER) | DE KAYVON THIBODEAUX, OREGON | 1/19/2022 |
| CBS SPORTS (RYAN WILSON) | OL IKEM EKWONU, NC STATE | 1/25/2022 |
| ATHLON SPORTS (BRYAN FISCHER) | OL IKEM EKWONU, NC STATE | 1/13/2022 |
| SI.COM (ZACH PATRAW) | DE AIDAN HUTCHINSON, MICHIGAN | 1/24/2022 |
| BLEACHER REPORT (SCOUTING DEPT.) | DE AIDAN HUTCHINSON, MICHIGAN | 1/10/2022 |
| FOX SPORTS (JASON MCINTYRE) | QB MATT CORRAL, OLE MISS | 1/12/2022 |
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