2019 NFL Draft: Fixing one pick for each AFC South team

By Dan Schmelzer | May 19, 2019

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Cody Ford 2019 NFL Draft

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Houston Texans 2019 NFL Draft Class:

Round 1 (23rd Overall): Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State
Round 2 (54): Lonnie Johnson, CB, Kentucky
Round 2 (55): Max Scharping, OT, Northern Illinois
Round 3 (86): Kahale Warring, TE, San Diego State
Round 5 (161): Charles Omenihu, DL, Texas
Round 6 (195): Xavier Crawford, CB, Central Michigan
Round 7 (220): Cullen Gillaspia, RB, Texas A&M

Texans select Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma instead of Tytus Howard

Make no mistake about it, the Houston Texans are one of the most talented teams in the NFL. Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins lead an explosive offensive unit, while J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney lead a potentially dominant defense.

It would not take much to make this team a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the near future, but their current offensive line is the fatal flaw of this team. The Texans offensive line is not great at opening up holes in the run game and they allowed a league-leading 62 sacks last season. Simply put, Watson is not going to be able to reach his full potential if the Texans do not fix their issues up front.

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In their defense, they did try to fix the offensive line in the 2019 NFL Draft, drafting tackles Tytus Howard and Max Scharping with two of their first three picks. Personally, I did not love either of these selections, particularly taking Howard in the first round. Howard certainly has some long-term upside and could grow into a good left tackle, but he is simply not ready to play right now.

The Texans need offensive lineman who can compete right away. With that in mind, taking Cody Ford out of Oklahoma in the first round would have been much better than the selection of Howard.

Ford is a big and nasty offensive lineman who excels in the run game. He has tremendous power at the point of attack and plays hard on all downs. He is not a true left tackle prospect, but Ford moves well for a man of his size and shows great mirror ability in pass protection. Simply put, he would be a massive immediate upgrade for the Texans whether he would stick at right tackle or move inside to guard.

Andre Dillard would have been a slam dunk selection for the Texans. Unfortunately, he went just one pick prior, as the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to snag him. Instead of adjusting, the Texans appeared to simply take the next left tackle on the board.

This team has issues all over the offensive line. Ford is a better player than Howard right now and will likely continue to be in the future. Passing on him because he is not a left tackle will prove to be a massive mistake.