The mock drafts have the Houston Texans going in various directions in Round 1.
At No. 3 overall, some mock drafts have the Texans going with safety Kyle Hamilton. Others have the Texans picking Kayvon Thibodeaux if he is available at No. 3.
If the Texans find themselves in a scenario where they are picking a safety or addressing another need at No. 3 overall as they have missed out on the Thibodeaux or Aidan Hutchinson sweepstakes, they can still find a valuable edge rusher later in the draft.
According to Gavino Borquez from the Draft Wire, Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson had a good day in his first practice at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. on Feb. 1.
Johnson was arguably the best player on the field on Tuesday. With a combination of power, his tentacle-like arms, physicality, and an array of pass rush moves, he consistently lived in the backfield. The former Florida State product raised eyebrows with a spin move on Kentucky’s Darian Kinnard in the early stages of one-on-ones, and they both got the spotlight at the end of practice where Johnson put Kinnard on the turf before losing the next two. If stays hot the rest of the week, Johnson could see himself taken in the first round.
If Johnson is able to provide a decent pass rush as a rookie, the Texans could pair him with Jonathan Greenard, who is going into his third season. Greenard led the Texans with 8.0 sacks. Houston’s real bread and butter defensively was in the takeaway department where they tied for 10th-most with 25. Throw in a playmaking safety on the backend and a solid pass rush, and maybe the takeaway total increases along with a few more sacks.
The Senior Bowl is the preliminary event in the “underwear Olympics” of the predraft season. So far, Johnson is on his way to gold.
