Houston Texans Mock Draft: B/R Community Top 100 and 7-Round Results

If you’re slowly getting tired of the same old Houston Texans’ mock drafts, you’re in luck—this one is way, way different.

Over the past two weeks Bleacher Report’s NFL draft correspondents have been working hard, each playing the role of general manager for their respective teams, and compiling a community-wide mock draft based on their teams’ needs and who they felt was the best-available selection ahead of Thursday night.

In this article, you’ll see a table outlining picks 1 through 100, including a small wrap-up of the Texans’ pick. Following Round 3, it’s a free-for-all, where I made picks in the usual mock-draft fashion.

After an offseason the Texans may wind up wishing they could forget, I kept the Texans' most pressing needs in mind when choosing prospects, especially at wide receiver and in the secondary.

With nine overall selections this year, here are a few guys coach Bill O'Brien could be seeing in the future.

Round 1

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Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Buccaneers	Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State
2	Titans	Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon
3	Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	Florida
4	Raiders	Leonard Williams	DT	USC
5	Redskins	Brandon Scherff	OL	Iowa
6	Jets	Vic Beasley	OLB	Clemson
7	Bears	Amari Cooper	WR	Alabama
8	Falcons	Bud Dupree	DE	Kentucky
9	Giants	Kevin White	WR	West Virginia
10	Rams	Andrus Peat	OT	Stanford
11	Vikings	Marcus Peters	CB	Washington
12	Browns	DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville
13	Saints	Shane Ray	DE	Missouri
14	Dolphins	La'el Collins	OL	LSU
15	49ers	Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State
16	Texans	Breshad Perriman	WR	UCF
17	Chargers	Danny Shelton	DT	Washington
18	Chiefs	Randy Gregory	LB	Nebraska
19	Browns	Todd Gurley	RB	Georgia
20	Eagles	Jake Fisher	OL	Oregon
21	Bengals	Landon Collins	S	Alabama
22	Steelers	Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest
23	Lions	Malcom Brown	DT	Texas
24	Cardinals	Cameron Erving	OC	Florida State
25	Panthers	Ereck Flowers	OT	Miami (FL)
26	Ravens	Jaelen Strong	WR	Arizona State
27	Cowboys	Byron Jones	CB	Connecticut
28	Broncos	T.J. Clemmings	OT	Pittsburgh
29	Colts	Arik Armstead	DE	Oregon
30	Packers	Owamagbe Odighizuwa	OLB	UCLA
31	Saints	Eric Kendricks	LB	UCLA
32	Patriots	Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin

Predicting who the Texans will take at No. 16 can be a little impossible, but with Shane Ray already gone to the New Orleans Saints at No. 13 and the obvious top two receivers in Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker selected even earlier, taking a receiver in the first round made sense with so many talented defensive ends likely to fall to the second round. 

Breshad Perriman could fill a hole in the Texans offense that was left by Andre Johnson, and as one of the fastest rising receivers in the draft, he's jumped from second-/third-round status all the way up to a premier top-20 pick. 

Perriman does have a tendency to drop some easy catches, so he isn’t completely flawless. But Perriman does make up for it with his physical size and downfield speed, which shows in crisp routes and a knack for finding the ball in open space.

Yards after the catch was a problem for the Texans last year, and big surprise: Perriman specializes in tacking on that extra bit.

Round 2

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Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
33	Titans	Jalen Collins	CB	LSU
34	Buccaneers	Ty Sambrailo	OL	Colorado State
35	Raiders	Nelson Agholor	WR	USC
36	Jaguars	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Oklahoma
37	Jets	Laken Tomlinson	OG	Duke
38	Redskins	Ameer Abdullah	RB	Nebraska
39	Bears	Eli Harold	OLB	Virginia
40	Giants	Damarious Randall	S	Arizona State
41	Rams	D.J. Humphries	OL	Florida
42	Falcons	Eric Rowe	S	Utah
43	Browns	Donovan Smith	OT	Penn State
44	Saints	Phillip Dorsett	WR	Miami (FL)
45	Vikings	Stephone Anthony	LB	Clemson
46	49ers	Preston Smith	DE	Mississippi State
47	Dolphins	Devin Funchess	WR/TE	Michigan
48	Chargers	Tevin Coleman	RB	Indiana
49	Chiefs	Eddie Goldman	DL	Florida State
50	Bills	A.J. Cann	OG	South Carolina
51	Texans	Benardrick McKinney	OLB	Mississippi State
52	Eagles	Devin Smith	WR	Ohio State
53	Bengals	Maxx Williams	TE	Minnesota
54	Lions	Duke Johnson	RB	Miami (FL)
55	Cardinals	Ronald Darby	CB	Florida State
56	Steelers	Nate Orchard	DE/LB	Utah
57	Panthers	Jay Ajayi	RB	Boise State
58	Ravens	Clive Walford	TE	Miami (FL)
59	Broncos	Grady Jarrett	DT	Clemson
60	Cowboys	T.J. Yeldon	RB	Alabama
61	Colts	Paul Dawson	LB	TCU
62	Packers	P.J. Williams	CB	Florida State
63	Seahawks	Carl Davis	DL	Iowa
64	Patriots	Tre' Jackson	OG	Florida State

No. 51: Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State

The Texans have a long wait between the first and second round, but if they were able to snag a guy like Benardrick McKinney at No. 51, it would add a fierce edge-rusher to their 3-4 defense.

About a month ago, the Texans brought McKinney in for a workout, and he no doubt impressed. Inside linebacker has been a concern for Houston all offseason, and with Mike Mohamed still having a lot to prove, drafting a big-time run-stopper like McKinney really puts the pressure on. 

McKinney is frequently compared to Brian Cushing, in part due to his thick thighs and fearlessness when meeting opposing linemen head on. He's the kind of guy who could seriously compete for a roster spot straight away, and given McKinney can play inside or outside, it's all just an added bonus.

Round 3

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Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
65	Buccaneers	Rashad Greene	WR	Florida State
66	Titans	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M
67	Jaguars	Jeremy Langford	RB	Michigan State
68	Raiders	Ali Marpet	OG	Hobart College
69	Redskins	Danielle Hunter	DE	LSU
70	Jets	Tre McBride	WR	William & Mary
71	Bears	Jaquiski Tartt	S	Samford
72	Rams	Sammie Coates	WR	Auburn
73	Falcons	Mitch Morse	OG	Missouri
74	Giants	Rob Havenstein	OT	Wisconsin
75	Saints	D'Joun Smith	CB	Florida Atlantic
76	Vikings	Shaq Thompson	OLB	Washington
77	Browns	Jordan Phillips	DT	Oklahoma
78	Saints	John Miller	OG	Louisville
79	49ers	Denzel Perryman	ILB	Miami (FL)
80	Chiefs	Tyler Lockett	WR	Kansas State
81	Bills	Bryce Petty	QB	Baylor
82	Texans	Doran Grant	CB	Ohio State
83	Chargers	Hau'oli Kikaha	OLB	Washington
84	Eagles	Quinten Rollins	CB	Miami (OH)
85	Bengals	Za'Darius Smith	DE	Kentucky
86	Cardinals	David Cobb	RB	Minnesota
87	Steelers	Jeff Heuerman	TE	Ohio State
88	Lions	Josh Shaw	CB	USC
89	Panthers	Michael Bennett	DT	Ohio State
90	Ravens	Derron Smith	SS	Fresno State
91	Cowboys	Trey Flowers	DE	Arkansas
92	Broncos	Henry Anderson	DE	Stanford
93	Colts	Mike Davis	RB	South Carolina
94	Packers	Brett Hundley	QB	UCLA
95	Seahawks	Alex Carter	CB	Stanford
96	Patriots	Kenny Bell	WR	Nebraska
97	Patriots	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	Oregon
98	Chiefs	Senquez Golson	CB	Ole Miss
99	Bengals	Steven Nelson	CB	Oregon State
*100	Titans	Nick O'Leary	TE	Florida State

*First pick of Round 4

No. 82: Doran Grant, CB, Ohio State

Things aren’t completely desperate at corner just yet, so the Texans could afford to wait until the third round to address the secondary.

At this point, I thought it was important to draft a cornerback for the future but also find someone who could help in another huge area of need: special teams.

If the Texans don’t wind up drafting a receiver who can field kicks, Doran Grant is the guy, and if he did wind up as a return man, you can rest easy knowing he’s probably the fastest guy for the job.

Grant ranked in the top three among corners for 40-yard dash times at the NFL Scouting Combine, and when it comes to defense, his quick hip movements allow him to stay on receivers and read routes.

He could be a bit short at 5’10", so matching him with taller receivers in his rookie year probably isn’t great. But Grant can also play safety, making him a valuable player, depending on how Romeo Crennel feels fit.

Round 4

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No. 116: Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State

The Texans need to throw another quarterback into the mix, even if it’s just until preseason begins.

It might not mean much in the fourth round, but if a guy like Garrett Grayson, who has been seen as a rising sleeper for months is still available, the Texans might as well go all in.

With Brett Hundley and Bryce Petty off the board already, Grayson’s accuracy puts him slightly above Sean Mannion and for good reason. His deep-ball game is legit, and even though there are concerns about his release and vision, the Texans simply need to look at this as a “project” to put some fire under Bryan Hoyer or Tom Savage.

If Houston is really serious about drafting its new face of the franchise, it's obviously going to do it in the first round. Otherwise, the Texans are stuck with hoping they find the next Tom Brady in the middle rounds, which is more than just a long shot.

Round 5

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No. 152: Jamison Crowder, WR, Duke

Going with Perriman in the first round guarantees the Texans a likely starter, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t find another backup in the late rounds or undrafted free agency.

I know what you’re thinking; the Texans roster contains 10 receivers already. Right now, only four of them are potential starters, though, and if the Texans can find a slot guy to fill in behind Cecil Shorts, why not take the pick.

Crowder is another punt-return specialist who compares to Eddie Royal. He’s great at surprising defenders and will probably surprise any team that takes the chance on him, just like his 1,074 yards surprised Duke last year.

No. 175: Mike Hull, OLB, Penn State

Penn State has been a popular name linked to the Texans all offseason. Outside linebacker Mike Hull has been in touch with the team for months, and as a former Bill O’Brien guy, it’s not hard to see why.

Hull is an easy fourth- to fifth-round guy, with plenty of upside, and that’s why he fits at this spot. He can play both inside and out and was regarded as one of the better tacklers on a Penn State defense that ranked 20th in the nation in tackles for a loss.

At 237 pounds, Hull could stand to put a little weight on and will always have to work hard to overcome how short his arms are. He does show a lot of heart and fire, though, and could cover a minor backup role behind Whitney Mercilus nicely.

No. 195: Rory Anderson, TE, South Carolina

Wide receiver and linebacker have to be the Texans’ top priorities this year, but when it came to the later rounds, finding a tight end stood out as a problem.

This year's tight end class is interesting, chock-full of talent, even though most of it will fall to later rounds. In this case, I tried to find a sleeper who could plug up the Texans’ lousy blocking problem of 2014 and also contribute to helping out the quarterback.

Rory Anderson could easily go higher than the fifth, but the thing is, no one knows much about him. He was hardly utilised as a Gamecock, but for what we do know, he’s a solid blocking contributor downfield who also managed five touchdowns on 14 catches last season.

It’s the same case of “needs more size” here, but since coaching tight ends is O’Brien’s specialty following his New England days, Anderson is in solid hands.

Round 6

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No. 211: Kenny Hilliard, RB, LSU

Arian Foster's future is still in the dark, so adding a little reassurance depth at running back looks good for the Texans this year.

Kenny Hilliard is far from a late-round steal, but he is a former teammate of Texans second-string running back back Alfred Blue, who is looking at an increase in playing time this season.

Hilliard battled for playing time at LSU but still found the end zone six times. He fit in well with Les Miles’ running back rotation, and with what is likely going to be a juggle between Foster and Blue playing this season, the Texans would do nicely with a power-type running back like Hilliard in the mix.

No. 216: Chaz Green, OT, Florida

The Texans aren’t in desperate need of a tackle, but this is more an issue of addressing a problem before it becomes larger.

Derek Newton was re-signed this offseason, but he has been heavily criticised for his 2014 season. Duane Brown’s status past 2016 could still be an uncertainty, and with a fresh quarterback under center, adding depth at the tackle position is worth a late-round pick.

Chaz Green battled an injury at Florida, but he still managed a solid season. He mainly played on the right side but dabbled on the left side of the line, meaning he should transition to the NFL well.

He’s been noted as a solid run-blocker and tackler, and although he’s in for a roster fight at camp, he could find his way on to the roster as a third-stringer.

Round 7

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No, 235: Bryan Bennett, QB, Oregon

Just like receivers, finding quarterbacks in the seventh round or free agency should help the Texans have a really competitive camp this offseason.

Bryan Bennett could very well be an undrafted free agent by this time next week, but with quick legs and veteran-like knowledge to run the read-option, taking him as their final pick could work out well for the Texans.

When looking at this pick, I like how productive he seems on the field, even if his deep balls tend to get lost in the air. This may not be a pick for the future, but again it puts pressure on those at the top of the quarterback list.