We only have a few days left before the draft so I felt it was important to get my latest selection ideas to Nick Caserio. For some reason he says my calls keep dropping. Anyway, here it is – for entertainment purposes (but who are we kidding? These would be awesome picks, according to me), my final Texans mock draft of 2021.
Round 3 – Quincy Roche DE Miami
Ok, He looks a little more like a 3-4 OLB than you might like for a 4-3, but he's going to put on a little weight and be a situational player to start out. He was a double digit sack guy at Temple and not quite there in his one year at Miami but he still logged 14.5 TFLs in 2020. Some players have a knack for getting into the backfield. He's one of them. Plus we need to replenish the supply of Canes around here (I need to put this in my contract).
Round 4 - Marco Wilson CB Florida
He didn't have the blockbuster career that would get him drafted early but he got ready for his pro day the way Rocky got ready to fight Drago. He ran a sub 4.4 and put up a vertical as tall as Yao Ming's desk. He'll work hard and rise to the occasion of playing well in the NFL.
Round 5 - Caden Sterns S Texas
No, I'm not picking a Longhorn to get clicks (but, at my attorney's request, I refuse to take a polygraph on that question). He's got the size, speed and tackling skills to play at this level. His freshman year was spectacular before injuries slowed him down later on. He's committed to be great as a pro and if he's available in this round teams will jump at the chance to employ him.
Round 5 - Josh Palmer WR Tennessee
Before you eye-roll me about the 4.5 40 time, allow me to respond with the age-old come back of pointing out that Jerry Rice and Anquan Boldin ran a 4.7. He played at Tennessee which hasn't been noted for quarterback stability since Seinfeld was on the air. Plus, his dad, Keith, played in the CFL and probably noted at the dinner table "In my league, we only had three downs to work with."
Round 6 - Chuba Hubbard RB Oklahoma State
Let's go right back to Canada and get a running back who had over 2,000 yards in 2019. He won the John Cornish Award that year for the best collegiate player from Canada (admit it, you had never heard of that until this moment. Wait, either had I!). He's about 6 feet and 210 pounds, can get yards on the edge or up the middle and will certainly get an opportunity to play on Sundays. And as a play-by-play guy, I would like a player named Chuba.
Round 6 - Dave Moore G Grambling State
OK, he hasn't played a ton of football and Grambling's fall season was postponed, but hear me out. At 6-2, 330, he blocks out the sun yet has a low enough center of gravity to bowl over d-linemen (here's where the draft pundits hiss at me and tell me to stay in my lane). It's round 6, take a chance!
Round 6 - Ian Book QB Notre Dame
He won more games than any other QB to ever wear the golden helmet, including Joe Montana. He's not overly flashy and he's still here for a reason, maybe many. But he wins games and has done it under the scrutiny and bright lights that few programs other than the Irish experience. This is where you ignore how most highly touted ND QBs have fared in the NFL. Did I mention we're in the 6th round? Move along.
Round 7 - Roy Lopez, DT Arizona
It's the last round and I need to get help stopping the run, stat! Get me a vending machine to play inside. Enter Lopez, who will hold up at the line, enabling the LBs to do their thing, and he can also get his arms around the ball carriers. He was All-Conference at New Mexico State and Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 during the weird Covid season. He just needs a shot, I mean…a chance. Man, you have to be careful with sports verbiage these days.
