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Who will the Houston Texans select with the No. 25 overall pick come next Thursday night in Green Bay? Well, according to one mock draft, it won't be an offensive player, period.
The Texans shored up their defensive line long-term with the addition of Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen in Dane Brugler's seven-round mock draft for The Athletic on Wednesday, now a week out before the start of Round 1 at Lambeau Field. Nolen has been considered by many as the top defensive tackle in the class and a bit of a wild card in terms of location, with several teams being linked to him inside on Thursday evening.
Nolen (6-foot-4, 329 pounds) fell into the Texans' range for Brugler, who loves the player but believes several factors could contribute to a fall down the board in the first round. The biggest one? Needs at other positions.
The Texans bolstered a top-10 defensive grade from PFF, but struggled to contain the run at the defensive tackle position.
Nolen, an All-SEC defender and consensus All-American, finished with career-highs in tackles for loss, sacks and pressures. He also graded out as the SEC’s top run defender by PFF and was the anchor of Ole Miss’ top-ranked run defense.
After Nolen in the first round, Brugler gave the Texans help in the receiver room with Utah State's Jaylen Royals coming off the board at No. 58. Prior to the pre-draft process, the 6-foot Aggies receiver was a fan favorite to land in Round 3, so it would make sense for the Texans to target a Z receiver known for his speed and open-field awareness as a replacement for the injured Tank Dell.
Brugler ensured that Houston bolstered up its trenches in Round 3, targeting Purdue's Marcus Mbow at No. 79 and William & Mary's Charles Grant 10 picks later. Mbow has the potential to be a do-it-all swing lineman, having started at three positions with the Boilermakers. Grant was one of the top FCS offensive tackles over his three seasons with the Tribe, allowing two sacks in over 1,800 pass-blocking sets.
Here are the Texans' seven picks in Brugler's mock draft:
1 (25). DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss2 (58). WR Jalen Royals, Utah State3 (79). G/C Marcus Mbow, Purdue3 (89). OT Charles Grant, William & Mary5 (166). RB LeQuint Allen, Syracuse7 (236). CB Jason Marshall, Florida7 (241). C Eli Cox, Kentucky
This draft class would certainly check boxes for Houston in a year where expectations have been raised. Nolen is possibly a top-10 player in the class on talent and would ensure that the Texans never have to worry about the run defense. Royals is a solid secondary receiver threat while Mbow and Grant could compete for first-team reps in camp. One could argue with using Day 3 picks at running back and center, two positions where the Texans are just fine entering the 2025 draft, especially with only seven picks total, but every position could use competition and long-term needs are always worth addressing early.
The Texans need to improve four essential positions in the long term. Brugler, while going about it in a way that will easily upset fans on paper, accomplishes the feat before Saturday morning.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans land Ole Miss All-American Walter Nolen in Dane Brulger's mock
Continue reading...
The Texans shored up their defensive line long-term with the addition of Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen in Dane Brugler's seven-round mock draft for The Athletic on Wednesday, now a week out before the start of Round 1 at Lambeau Field. Nolen has been considered by many as the top defensive tackle in the class and a bit of a wild card in terms of location, with several teams being linked to him inside on Thursday evening.
Nolen (6-foot-4, 329 pounds) fell into the Texans' range for Brugler, who loves the player but believes several factors could contribute to a fall down the board in the first round. The biggest one? Needs at other positions.
The Texans bolstered a top-10 defensive grade from PFF, but struggled to contain the run at the defensive tackle position.
Nolen, an All-SEC defender and consensus All-American, finished with career-highs in tackles for loss, sacks and pressures. He also graded out as the SEC’s top run defender by PFF and was the anchor of Ole Miss’ top-ranked run defense.
After Nolen in the first round, Brugler gave the Texans help in the receiver room with Utah State's Jaylen Royals coming off the board at No. 58. Prior to the pre-draft process, the 6-foot Aggies receiver was a fan favorite to land in Round 3, so it would make sense for the Texans to target a Z receiver known for his speed and open-field awareness as a replacement for the injured Tank Dell.
Brugler ensured that Houston bolstered up its trenches in Round 3, targeting Purdue's Marcus Mbow at No. 79 and William & Mary's Charles Grant 10 picks later. Mbow has the potential to be a do-it-all swing lineman, having started at three positions with the Boilermakers. Grant was one of the top FCS offensive tackles over his three seasons with the Tribe, allowing two sacks in over 1,800 pass-blocking sets.
Here are the Texans' seven picks in Brugler's mock draft:
1 (25). DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss2 (58). WR Jalen Royals, Utah State3 (79). G/C Marcus Mbow, Purdue3 (89). OT Charles Grant, William & Mary5 (166). RB LeQuint Allen, Syracuse7 (236). CB Jason Marshall, Florida7 (241). C Eli Cox, Kentucky
This draft class would certainly check boxes for Houston in a year where expectations have been raised. Nolen is possibly a top-10 player in the class on talent and would ensure that the Texans never have to worry about the run defense. Royals is a solid secondary receiver threat while Mbow and Grant could compete for first-team reps in camp. One could argue with using Day 3 picks at running back and center, two positions where the Texans are just fine entering the 2025 draft, especially with only seven picks total, but every position could use competition and long-term needs are always worth addressing early.
The Texans need to improve four essential positions in the long term. Brugler, while going about it in a way that will easily upset fans on paper, accomplishes the feat before Saturday morning.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans land Ole Miss All-American Walter Nolen in Dane Brulger's mock
Continue reading...
