The twentieth pick in the inaugural edition of the Cincy Jungle Mock Draft is brought to us by member indesignkat, selecting for the Houston Texans. His explanation for the pick is after the jump. Thank you for your participation indesignkat.
With the twentieth pick in the 2010 Cincy Jungle Mock Draft, the Houston Texans select...
Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
The Houston Texans seem perpetually about to turn the corner and become a playoff contender. Coming off their first winning season despite poor performance in the running game, the Texans look to finally challenge the Colts for the AFC South crown. Andre Johnson is the most consistently productive wide receiver in the NFL. QB Matt Schaub led the NFL in passing yards and completions in 2009, finishing with a QB rating of 98.6 and 29 touchdowns. DE Mario Williams, once booed when he was selected instead of Vince Young or Reggie Bush, has developed into a monster pass rusher. The defense also includes two of the last four NFL defensive rookies of the year in linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing. Nearly all the pieces are there for this team to be a real contender but one big roadblock remains in their way: the Indianapolis Colts. In order to challenge the Colts and start their own playoff legacy the Texans have to shore up their pass defense, get consistency in the running game, and improve their o-line play. This brings us to the 2010 draft.
Considering their position in the first round, picking 20th overall, the Texans were looking at players like DBs Earl Thomas and Kyle Wilson. With both of them gone, the Texans briefly considered Taylor Mays. A hard-hitting safety would be nice, but the thought of him repeatedly over-pursuing and dropping out of zone coverage against Peyton Manning puts a quick end to the consideration. They could use a star-caliber running back, but with CJ Spiller gone the only one that grades out to a potential first-round pick is Ryan Mathews. While he does show potential, and the Texans wouldn't hate using a first round pick on him, they're not entirely sold on him becoming a reliable starter. The list of solid RB prospects that should be available in the 2nd or even 3rd round is longer than usual this year, and the difference between them and Mathews isn't enough to warrant a pick this high. The players they expected to choose from are mostly gone, but surprisingly there are multiple players available that the Texans are shocked to see still around. NT Dan Williams would fit nicely as a two gap DT alongside the young Amobi Okoye, potentially making the Texans d-line the most feared in the NFL. OLB Sean Weatherspoon could potentially give them a hat-trick of NFL DROY linebackers. Even more enticing, however, is OT Trent Williams. Still available despite being #4 on the Texans draft board (behind only Berry, Suh, and McCoy), Williams is the only OT in the draft that the Texans coaching staff feel could effectively protect Matt Schaub from the speed rush of Dwight Freeney. Paired with solid performer Eric Winston, this pick could give the Texans bookend tackles to anchor their line for years to come.
Trent Williams
OT, Oklahoma
6'5", 318lbsStrengths: Ideal size, extremely quick and agile, great footwork, great strength, can pancake bullrushers and move laterally to box out speed rushers, stepped up his play in big games
Weaknesses: only started playing LT last year, history of nagging injuries, may need strong coaching to keep him focused
While some may question his ability to play LT, the Texans see how quickly he adapted to the position change and feel he's barely begun to show what he can do there. Even if he doesn't pan out on the left side, he has all the tools to be a dominating right tackle for a very long time. With the 20th pick of the draft, that's not a bad thing to get.
Trent Williams Highlights:
(via ProDraftParty)