A lot of quality talent still available, entering Day 2 of the draft. 2nd and 3rd round Mock Draft: https://t.co/EGJ64auz3j — Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 24, 2020
Defenders the Texans could target on Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft Spoiler So which prospects make the most sense for the Texans early in the second round? With the help of The Athletic’s draft guide — “The Beast,” by scouting expert Dane Brugler — here are potential fits for the defense. Safety Xavier McKinney (Alabama): The first round didn’t see a single safety selected, so it’s possible the Texans could get Brugler’s top player at the position, McKinney, with the 40th pick. Why is Brugler so high on him? “McKinney is an instinctive, full-speed-ahead defender with the functional range and diagnose skills to put himself in position to make plays, projecting as an interchangeable safety who should start from Day 1,” Brugler writes. McKinney broke up 20 passes and picked off five during two seasons as a starter at Alabama. Though McKinney can play all over the field, he earned his highest Pro Football Focus grades while playing as a deep safety. Of all the skills he offers, that’s perhaps the one Houston needs the least, given Justin Reid’s play as a free safety helped the team rank third in deep pass defense DVOA a season ago. But if McKinney is available to Houston, he’ll be hard to pass up. Jeremy Chinn (Southern Illinois): Chinn will make a big jump in level of competition, but as a former cornerback, he tends to make big plays. As a four-year starter, he broke up 31 passes and picked off 13 and forced six fumbles. Brugler believes he’ll excel versus tight ends, which would be a useful skill for the Texans, who ranked last in pass defense DVOA over the middle of the field. Kyle Dugger (Lenoir-Rhyne): Another small-school prospect, Dugger, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs 217 pounds, is not as versatile as McKinney or Chinn. Brugler projects him to be a box safety or weakside linebacker. He wasn’t a blitzer in college, though, as zero sacks in four seasons shows, and that could be an issue for a Texans team looking to improve its meager pass rush. Dugger is also already 24 years old. Grant Delpit (LSU): Here’s another interchangeable safety who also played as a nickel in college. Delpit, who moved to Houston from New Orleans as a child because of Hurricane Katrina, wore No. 7 for LSU, which reserves the jersey for team leaders. He was an All-American in his final two years as a starter, finishing his career with 17 1/2 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 32 passes defended, eight interceptions and two forced fumbles. Antoine Winfield Jr. (Minnesota): The smallest safety on this list, Winfield — who grew up in the Houston suburb of The Woodlands — stands just 5-foot-9. His lack of size and elite speed leaves “little margin for error,” Brugler writes. He can struggle as a tackler and in coverage against bigger receivers who can box him out. But Winfield, whose dad played 14 NFL seasons and made three Pro Bowls as a cornerback, displays opportunistic instincts. Following season-ending injuries in 2017 (left hamstring) and 2018 (left foot), he was a unanimous All-American as a senior, leading Minnesota in tackles (88), forced fumbles (2) and interceptions (7). According to PFF, he allowed just nine first downs in coverage. Cornerback Kristian Fulton (LSU): Fulton was primarily the left cornerback in LSU’s press-man scheme, but he also saw snaps in the slot. That sounds like an O’Brien player. The coach and GM values versatility and has consistently mentioned press-man ability at the top of his list of traits he needs out of his corners. Fulton saw 323 snaps in such coverage last season, according to Pro Football Focus. That was third-most in the country, and per PFF, Fulton recorded college football’s third-highest forced incompletion rate (29 percent). Trevon Diggs (Alabama): Sloppy technique and a lack of discipline in coverage could limit Diggs’ impact as a rookie, but at 6-foot-1, he possesses the size and athleticism to be a starting corner. O’Brien’s positive offseason comments about 2019 second-rounder Lonnie Johnson Jr. — who struggled with penalties as a rookie but has great length for the position — indicate cornerback is a position at which the Texans are prepared to be patient. Defensive line Ross Blacklock (TCU): In his seven-round mock draft, Brugler projected the Texans would select Blacklock at No. 40. Blacklock, who played only two seasons at TCU due to injuries, can play all over the line but is a work in progress as a pass rusher. According to PFF, his pressure rate last season was under 10 percent when the Horned Frogs’ defense didn’t execute a stunt. Marlon Davidson (Auburn): He has average speed, but expanded hand tactics allowed Davidson to make plays behind the line of scrimmage during his senior season at Auburn, when he led the team with 12 1/2 tackles for loss and 7 1/2 sacks. This was on a defense that featured Derrick Brown, the seventh overall pick. Davidson also blocked three kicks as a junior, which could be attractive to O’Brien. The head coach regularly highlights his special-teams players and has said special teams coordinator Brad Seely is critical to his preparation in many facets. Jordan Elliott (Missouri): The 40th pick might be a bit early to select Elliott, whom Brugler gave a second- to third-round grade, but he’s someone the Texans might like if they trade down. A Houston native, Elliott posted a pass rush win rate of 18.7 percent last season, which led all interior defenders. Edge Yetur Gross-Matos (Penn State): Will O’Brien, a former Penn State head coach, add an ex-Nittany Lion to his defense? Gross-Matos totaled 17 1/2 sacks in his final two collegiate seasons, and at 6-foot-5, he has the physical tools to be a high-impact edge rusher in the NFL. He can move inside on passing downs, which fits the Texans’ need for interior pass rushing. A.J. Epenesa (Iowa): Epenesa lacks great speed (5.04 40 time) but creates rush lanes by understanding leverage. He totaled 22 sacks during his final two collegiate seasons, and those numbers were far from fluky. He consistently caused pressure, tallying 57 hurries during that time, according to Pro Football Focus.
Went back and finished watching the 1st round (out of boredom mostly). Some thoughts. 1. 49ers - Really like what Lynch and the 49ers did. They get younger and cheaper replacements for Buckner/Sanders. Their defense is already stacked so Kinlaw should be able to step in and produce immediately. Aiyuk, Deebo and Hurd is a really talented and CHEAP WR core. 2. Chiefs - Andy Reid getting his choice of RB is an embarrassment of riches. Their offense was already ridiculous with a hodge podge of backs. Edwards-Helaire is the perfect weapon for them. 3. Packers - Not sure what Gutekunst is thinking here. You bring in the young hot shot offensive minded HC who gets you to the NFC Championship. Get literally run over by the 49ers and you draft a QB who will likely sit for 2-3 seasons?
Not knowing anything about those people on the board...I prefer to trade down and get more picks. Seems like HOU is in a good spot to do so, 40 is still valuable territory
How many safeties do we need and does drafting a safety equate to Brennan Scarlett getting more sacks?
Zierlein 40. Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State 90. Reggie Robinson, CB, Tulsa https://www.rotoworld.com/article/mock-draft/2020-day-2-mock-draft 40. Grant Delpit, S, LSU 90. Jonathan Greenard, EDGE, Florida https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ideal-targets-for-all-32-nfl-teams-on-day-2-of-the-2020-nfl-draft HOUSTON TEXANS – CB KRISTIAN FULTON, LSU First-round pick: None Day 2 picks: 40, 90 Team needs: DI, TE, CB How Kristian Fulton — who sits at 13th on the PFF Draft Board — fell this far in the draft is beyond me. He owns the highest PFF coverage grade in the country over the past two seasons, and he produced the nation's highest forced incompletion rate (30.5%) when lined up on the outside. His ability to stick with his man, consistently force tight coverage and win at the catch point is as good as anyones. Houston’s need at corner is an obvious one, and with the teams slated to pick ahead of them, there’s a real chance Fulton gets to them at 40. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft...-buccaneers-land-dandre-swift-patriots-go-qb/ (Bucs trade up to 40) 45. Darrell Taylor, EDGE, Tennessee 90. Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA
As far as your Chiefs point goes, Reid and Veach texted Mahomes on who to get; could you imagine BOB doing that with Deshaun?
Yeah the more I thought about it...YGM should be priority over Delpit. The possible front of Merci Omenihu YGM Watt Would be sick.
Ive seen Espenesa to Texans a bunch. Epenesa seems like the kind of guy whose habits Bob would gush about but for the last couple of years they've gone raw meat market style size/power/speed over "good teammate, John, works hard every day". Maybe that changes with BOB running everything, but under last year's rules, they wouldnt have drafted a guy who wasnt all that great by the raw combine numbers.
