Houston Texans Three Round 2023 NFL Mock Draft

With two first round picks and five selections in the top 75, the Houston Texans have a chance to add key pieces to the roster.

With just 11 wins in the past three seasons, fans of the Houston Texans haven’t had much to look forward to in recent years.  

However, with new head coach DeMeco Ryans at the helm, as well as the number two overall pick to come away with a quarterback excitement is building around this team.

With a lot of needs on both sides of the ball, they have a lot of options for players to target with their remaining selections.  

So, without further ado let’s start with the second overall pick.

This mock draft is ran through a PFF NFL Mock Draft Simulator.

Round One, 2nd Overall: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

To kick off the DeMeco Ryans era in Houston I’m projecting the Texans select who many view as the best quarterback in this class and that is Bryce Young.  

It’s unclear at this point which quarterback the Panthers will select at number one, but at this point it looks most likely that Stroud will be the selection.  This may be the ideal scenario for the Texans as it allows them to take Bryce Young.

As a former top ranked quarterback in his class, Young has been a highly regarded prospect throughout this whole process and it’s easy to see why.  His height may move him down some boards, but skillset wise he brings more to the table than any other quarterback in this class.

For starters, he’s what you want from an intangibles standpoint.  He’s a leader as he was named a team captain at Alabama in each of his two seasons of starting.  He’s also someone who’s not going to be phased by big games or big moments.

This was on display in the 2021 Iron Bowl.  Trailing by seven with just over a minute and a half left, Young led an incredible 97 yard touchdown to send the game into overtime.  This kind of poise in big moments is so valuable in a league where so many games are decided late.

Young has excellent accuracy to all levels of the field and he consistently places passes where they need to be. He also senses pressure well in the pocket, he does hang onto the ball too long at times, but he has a good sense of when/where pressure is coming and navigates the pocket to avoid it.

Another big selling point to his game is his ability to create outside of structure. This is a trait that is highly valued in today’s game and Young has time and time again shown his ability to scramble and find receivers downfield better than most you’re going to see out of a quarterback.

Round One, 12th Overall: Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State

There’s a lot of different position groups that the Texans could look to target with their second first rounder, so the best player available will likely be their strategy.  In this mock draft scenario, they target Joey Porter Jr. to pair him with last year’s third overall pick Derek Stingley Jr.

Joey Porter Jr. is apart of a very talented cornerback class and will be coveted by NFL teams for many reasons.  Perhaps the biggest reason is because he plays relatively mistake free football for a corner.  

This isn’t to say he never gets beat because nobody is that good, but he does a good job of keeping WRs in front of him and ensuring that when he does allow separation it’s not an explosive play.

Porter Jr. also brings elite size and length, which allows him to match up well against just about any WR in the league from a size/physicality perspective.  His height (6-foot-2 ½), wingspan (80 ⅞ inches), and arm length (34 inches) are all higher than the 95th percentile for corners.

At Penn State, Porter Jr. was a reliable player as he was a three year starter for the Nittany Lions. He was lockdown this season as he allowed more than 25 yards in just once in his 10 games played.

Teams largely just avoided throwing at him which is a good testament to his coverage abilities. When he is targeted he’s shown good closing speed to make plays on the ball.  This was on display in the Purdue game this year as he had a ridiculous five pass breakups in the game.

Round Two, 33rd Overall: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Edge, Kansas State

Last season the Texans actually had a pretty solid pass rush, but they lost edge rusher Ogbonnia  Okoronkwo in free agency.  So, if the value presents itself I expect them to add an edge rusher in what is a talented class and in this scenario they add Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the second round.

The biggest selling point for Anudike-Uzomah is that he is capable of winning in multiple ways.  His best trait is his power and strength to push to the pocket or get offensive tackles off balance.  He does also win with quickness as well, which is important when projecting edge rushers to the next level to not just have one way they can win.

The 2022 Big 12 defensive player of the year was a game wrecker at times at Kansas State as he had eight forced fumbles over the last two seasons and had three plus sacks in three separate games.  He wasn’t quite consistently dominant enough as a pass rusher to make the top five of this list, but he’s right on the edge.

While he may not have the upside and athletic ability of some of the top edge rushers in this class, Anudike-Uzomah is a good value as a late first round or early second round pick.  He can step in and be a part of an edge rotation right now and projects to develop into a starting quality player.

Round Three, 65th Overall: Dorian Williams LB Tulane

With the first of two third rounders in this mock draft the Texans select another front seven player.  This isn’t a great linebacker class but there are potential starters available on day two.

Dorian Williams was a big contributor along Tulane’s defense for three seasons as he was first team all conference in 2022.  He also made an honorable mention and second team for the conference in 2021 and 2020.

He helped his draft stock at the combine as his 4.49 40 yard dash is in the 94th percentile for linebackers.  This speed gives him the necessary skill set to be a good coverage defender, which would be valuable in improving the Texans’ defense.

Round Three, 73rd Overall: Kayshon Boutte WR LSU

After three straight defensive additions in this mock draft scenario, they add a receiver to help out Bryce Young with Kayshon Boutte in the third round.

Boutte is a very talented receiver, who has unfortunately seen his draft stock fall after an underwhelming season and combine performance.

He has the makings of an excellent route runner in the NFL as his quickness and explosiveness are exceptional. He’s also very dynamic with the ball in his hands as his short area explosion, elusiveness, and burst make him very hard to take down in the open field. 

It’s unclear where Boutte will come off the board, but for a rebuilding team like the Texans with a lot of draft capital it makes sense to take a gamble on him.