Battle Red Blog
Season isn’t over, but the needs are apparent
The Texans have officially staved off the offseason by one week when they won the AFC South this past weekend. The victory over the Dolphins and subsequent Colts loss to the Broncos vaulted the Texans into the playoffs.
While their season isn’t close to being over, the team’s needs moving forward are well apparent. The offensive line is abundantly the weakness of the team. Stroud has been sacked 46 times this season which is sixth most in the league. Stroud is the future of the franchise and protecting him must be the utmost importance. There’s also the interior of the defensive line that features a cast of veteran characters with no true lead force. They’ve held together quite well with the sage Denico Autry and Tim Settle Jr., but youth isn’t on their sides.
Below is listed out the top needs for the Texans. Barring another first round trade, they’ll be picking at least in the mid 20s come April. They have a full allotment of draft picks and need to round out the roster to make a true run next year.
While Kenneth Grant from Michigan would be the ideal pick, he’s projected to be pick 15-22, a touch outside the Texans range. The Texans do not want a freelancer at DT - they want a guy who can pressure the pocket from inside, line up anywhere across the guard or center, and provide extremely high-end run stopping. This defense excels when the Texans DL is elite. Texans also prefer to rotate their DL heavily so adding an elite interior defensive lineman will level up the entire defense.
Texans currently will have Denico Autry (34), Tim Settle Jr. (27), and newcomer Tommy Tongai (25) on the roster come 2025. They desperately need an injection of young talent to go alongside the elite defensive ends.
Fox Sport and CBS Sports picked Walter Nolen in their recent mock drafts. Nolen is a versatile and skilled interior defensive lineman who will bring finesse to the group. Houston loves its ground-and-pound DTs, but Nolen brings a certain pizzazz to the group. Highly moldable.
Houston’s draft investments haven’t paid off. Former first round pick Kenyon Green is a certified bust and unplayable at this point. Then second round pick Juice Scruggs is extremely limited and highly questionable when on an island. Jarrett Patterson is the definition of serviceable. Plus, Shaq Mason will be 32 next season and will be owed $20M over the next two seasons.
Houston needs to get it right. They can’t miss here again. This draft process has yet to identify a clear cut set of interior offensive lineman qualified for the...
