Houston Texans NFL Draft Picks 2020: Round-by-Round Results, Grades
The Houston Texans recorded their second double-digit win season in the Bill O'Brien era in 2019, finishing the regular season 10-6. Houston won its Wild Card weekend matchup against the Bills before losing in the Divisional round to the Kansas City Chiefs.
At the start of the NFL legal tampering period this offseason, Houston made a blockbuster trade, sending wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals in exchange for running back David Johnson.
In the 2019 NFL draft, Houston selected Alabama State offensive tackle Tytus Howard No. 23 overall. It added cornerback Lonnie Johnson and offensive tackle Max Scharping with its two second-round picks. The Texans had just four more draft picks in the remaining five rounds, however. With their remaining draft capital, they added tight end Kahale Warring, defensive end Charles Omenihu, cornerback Xavier Crawford and fullback Cullen Gillaspia.
According to The MMQB's AFC South team needs, Houston has two holes in its defensive front as it could use both a nimble lineman and also a productive pass rusher. The Texans, however, will enter the draft with their first selection at No. 40 overall. Wide receiver depth is another potential area of need following the trade of Hopkins.
A full list of Houston's picks will be updated below as the draft progresses.
You can follow along with the State of the Texans' draft live blog.
Round 2, No. 40 overall: Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU
Andy Benoit's analysis: Felling Houston down the stretch last season was a putrid pass rush that, at times when J.J. Watt was out, bordered on downright irrelevant. Some see Blacklock as the best pure pass rushing defensive tackle in this draft. He aligned primarily over the center at TCU, both as a 0-tech (directly over the center) and 1-tech (shaded over the center’s shoulder). But elite athleticism—including much-coveted short-area lateral quickness—suggests he can play 3-tech in the NFL. Blacklock’s game is not built on power, so he himself won’t fill the void left by free agent D.J. Reader’s departure, but his presence allows Reader’s in-house replacement, Brandon Dunn, to focus almost solely on the nose position. Grade: A
Round 3, No. 90 overall: Jonathan Greenard, DE, Florida
Andy Benoit's analysis: One of Greenard’s biggest selling points is his positional versatility—a strength the Texans usually put to good use in their interchangeable front seven. Don’t be surprised if he plays multiple positions off the bench in his first couple of seasons. Grade: B
Round 4, No. 126 overall: Charlie Heck, OT, North Carolina
Round 4, No. 141 overall: John Reid, CB, Penn State
Round 5, No. 171 overall: Isaiah Coulter, WR, Rhode Island
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