The Texans traded up to select disruptive edge Will Anderson Jr., and now they get a disruptive presence on the interior. Hall Jr. had 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last season for the Buckeyes.
The Texans traded their own first-rounder, but they still have the Browns' pick. Receiver could be in play, but I like the fit for Smith here. He looked great as a freshman in 2021 but tore his left ACL in the 2022 opener. If he returns to form next season, he could be a Day 1 pick. At 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, he has good size and quickness, and he managed four sacks from the interior during that '21 season. Sheldon Rankins and Maliek Collins could both be headed to free agency, which would open up a spot inside. Few teams were worse against the run last season than Houston, which gave up 5.1 yards per carry.
In Alt and Blake Fisher, Notre Dame has a pair of offensive tackles to keep on the radar for next year's draft class. Alt is a former high school tight end, and his father, John, was an offensive lineman and first-round pick of the Chiefs in 1984.
Defensive-minded head coach DeMeco Ryans might see McKinstry as the perfect complement to Derek Stingley, Jr. giving the Texans one of the NFL's better cornerback tandems.
The Houston Texans find themselves taking the "other" wide receiver from Ohio State in this draft and reuniting Emeka Egbuka and C.J. Stroud... Ohio State has become a receiver factory, producing a plethora of talent during the last several years, and it is no surprise they have multiple prospects once again. Egbuka may have been overshadowed by Harrison Jr., but he had a productive 2022 season with 1,151 yards and 10 TDs.
This past season, Taylor lived up to his top-10 recruit billing coming out of high school. His 19.5% pass-rush win rate and 16.2% pressure rate trailed only Calijah Kancey among Power Five interior defensive linemen. With an increased workload, Taylor could rise even higher than this.
Verse was trending toward a top 20 pick before returning to Florida State for 2023. That's a risky call, but it pays dividends for now since he's the most established and impactful pass rusher in his class at this early date.
The path from FCS Albany to the ACC wasn't too steep for Verse, who had 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks in his Seminole debut. Now he joins a Browns team in need of defensive talent up front alongside Myles Garrett.
Houston finally is pushing its passing attack forward with the selection of quarterback C.J. Stroud, but the No. 2 overall pick could have a rough initiation to the NFL given the state of the Texans' receiving corps. The 6-3, 211-pound Odunze would be an attractive option as a true No. 1 target who is capable of hauling in deep passes or piling up yards after the catch.
