Texans Pick Washington OL Troy Fautanu in Latest NFL Mock Draft

The Houston Texans were predicted to take Washington Huskies offensive lineman Troy Fautanu in a recent mock draft.

The Houston Texans traded away their own first-round pick for 2024 last season when they moved up to take Will Anderson at No. 3 overall, but thanks to the Deshaun Watson trade with the Cleveland Browns two years ago, they will still pick in the first round.

The Texans land with the No. 23 overall pick in this year's draft instead of Cleveland, and NFL.com's Bucky Brooks recently projected that Houston would take offensive lineman Troy Fautanu with that selection in a recent mock draft.

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You can view his reasoning below.

"With C.J. Stroud blossoming into a franchise quarterback, the Texans must make a concerted effort to keep him protected. Fautanu would give the team the flexibility to reshuffle the O-line and put its five best pass protectors in front of the emerging superstar."

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Fautanu was part of a superb Washington Huskies offensive line unit in 2023, a group that won the Joe Moore Award, an honor given annually to the best offensive line in the country in college football. 

He started in 13 games for Washington this season en route to the team's appearance in the national championship game, one it lost to Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines in early January.