Texans draft NC State tackle Ikem Ekwonu in CBS Sports’ post combine mock
The Housotn Texans have a bevy of needs across their roster. It is what happens when a club finishes 4-13 and posts its second straight season of four wins.
According to Ryan Wilson from CBS Sports, the Texans fix their offensive line woes early with the selection of North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu in the latest post combine mock draft.
If Ekwonu is our OT1, Neal is OT1A and it’s really close. He’s 6-foot-7, 337 pounds, but standing next to him he looks more like a svelte 265; he carries the weight well and that balance, power and athleticism showed up all the time in his game, which came against some of the best edge rushers in the country.
Adding Ekwonu with the No. 3 overall pick would mean the Texans either executed a trade deal to send Pro Bowl tackle Laremy Tunsil to a new NFL city for picks, or they intend to do so after the draft or at some point during training camp. Former 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard moved between tackle and guard during 2021, but he found more success as a bookend for Houston, particularly at left tackle in place of an injured Tunsil, who only played five games for the Texans.
General manager Nick Caserio told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on March 1 that the Texans’ goal is to get their hands on as many prospects as possible to give themselves flexibility in the first and second found.
“There’s different ways to get players on your team, and I would say spending as much time on that group of players, knowing that group is just as important as knowing the top 50 players in the draft,” Caserio said. “Again, it really speaks to more of a comprehensive deep dive of knowing the overall board.”
If Houston would to take Ekwonu, regardless of how the Tunsil situation plays out, new offensive line coach George Warhop would have to determine whether to place the rookie at left tackle or move him to the right side.
