March 4, 2026 • 6 mins
The A-Team’s Adam Clanton and Adam Wexler break down a new two-round mock draft from ESPN analyst Jordan Reid. In Reid’s latest projection, the Houston Texans trade back once again — paving the way for the Arizona Cardinals to select their quarterback of the future in Ty Simpson. Reid then has Houston using two second-round picks on offensive linemen. Be sure to listen to the audio as Clanton and Wexler share their reactions to the projected move and what it could mean for the Texans’ overall draft strategy.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And Mendoza is now off the board for them. So
can we get the next best quarterback, Ty Simpson at
thirty three? Well, sure if nobody else drafts him. And
that's what Arizona's thinking at thirty four, So they trade
up with the Texans to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson,
who's impressed I guess in his post actual game tape
(00:22):
portion of his draft resume, because he looked good at
the combine. He's a natural throw of the football, all
the good stuff that I can't believe they pay so
much attention to. You've got all this game tape to
look at that should be where you're basing it on.
But nonetheless, this benefits the Texans. They get extra draft
assets for Nick to move on the next three days,
and in the number thirty four spot, the Texans still
(00:45):
go exactly where I said. Every mock draft that I've
seen sends them the trenches offensive line or defensive tackle.
What is it for the Texans?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
It's offensive line. And the little blurb they wrote here
is interesting because it says, with Titus Howard off the
Cleveland's Juice Scrugs headed to Detroit, Texans could address the
offensive line here losing Howard leaves Blake Fisher as their
projected starter at right tackle. Enter the other Blake in
(01:17):
this scenario, Blake Miller, offensive tackle out of Clemson, started
fifty four career games there, so he is battle tested
and could potentially start right away with his run blocking power,
you know, for their new running back, and strong hands
in pass protection, you know, for their young quarterback.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
No offensive lineman in Jordan's mock go between twenty eight
and thirty four, So Miller might have been the best
available lineman at twenty eight, and in this setup this mock,
he turns out to be the best available lineman at
thirty four, at least in the Texans eyes. Seventh linemen
off the board, they get him at thirty four. A
(01:56):
couple of interior linemen go ahead of this. The majority though,
are tacks. But yes, this does make sense. I don't
know that the Texans like him. I don't think Jordan
Reied knows that the Texans liked him either. And it's
a little bit difficult in that you're only in year
two of Kole Popovich and Nick Kayley and what they
like to do offensively. But even year two, you watched
(02:17):
the whole year of how the Texans deploy their offensive line,
the sets they use, how often they used six linemen,
and why they had to, even though I think they
still will. You use six linemen when you use them
as often as the Texans do, it's because your five
aren't good enough. It's because you need to run different plays,
you need to put different personnel out there to accommodate
for your shortcomings. They have shortcomings on the offensive line.
(02:40):
It doesn't bother me because it made them better.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
It was smart.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
It's what they had to do. It will bother me
in the future if they have to keep running thirty
percent of their snaps thirty five percent of their snaps
with a sixth linemen on the field, because when the
Texans do it, all six of them are blocking. That's
one fewer player. If you're passing the football and they
do pass the football out of the sixth lineman, looks
it's one for your target for no reason. I mean,
(03:05):
he's not chipping and then going, he's not holding his
ground and kind of confusing the defense. Oh, they kept
him into block. No, he's running for a round. Nobody's
defending him. He's wide open.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, he's not.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
They're not doing that with the sixth lineman the tackle eligible.
If it was a tight end, they certainly could or would.
But the player they draft, if this is who they
draft at thirty four, at forty eight, where they got
Ursery last year, pretty much anybody in the top seventy five,
if they're an offensive lineman, they will be expected. I
(03:38):
will be expecting them to start. They need they should
be prepared to start. They should be that far along
in their development. I know it's not a you're not
drafting a guys who will have his best year in
twenty six, but rather he'll have a great career and
maybe great years in twenty seven and beyond. But they're
not really in a position to develop a player. If
he's drafted in the sixth round, fine, you're not expecting
(04:00):
them to start. If it turns out to be your
best player at the position, go ahead. I don't mind
starting a guy drafted later. If he out plays the
other guys, he out plays them, that's great. But a
player drafted I think in any of these positions where
they drafted Fisher, where they drafted Scrugs, obviously, where they
drafted Kenyan Green, you're drafting because you believe in their
ability to make your line better right now, and unfortunately
(04:23):
in all three of their cases that was wrong.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Well, hopefully they're all right because four picks later they've
got him taken another offensive lineman. By the way, this draft,
this mock draft, I love it. Yeah, the Texans currently
hold thirty eight. It's the pick they got from Washington
and the Tunsil deal. They have him. Good pick for Tunsel,
by the way, I.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Agree these are good second round picks. Are awesome players.
They're they're starters, they're Pro Bowl players, They're they're Kamari Lassiter,
they're Jalen Petrie. They're good players.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So absolutely, they're also Blake Fisher and Juice Scruggs.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
It's not they're also the perfect round to draft a guard.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah. Interior alignment from Oregon Big Kids four three, fourteen.
Manuel Pregnon, I think there's again. I'm not gonna lie
to you and pretend I've got a line on all
these offensive line yet.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Hang on, you do have a line on the guy
that they have the Browns taking one pick later because
he's an Aggie.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I mean, the Aggie's had good especially in the trenches.
The Aggies really did. It's it's one of the biggest
reasons why the Texas A and M had the kind
of season they had. If they they were very good
up front, and they were very good on up front
defensively too.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
These are both guards. If the Texans took Chase Bisontis,
I don't know if I pronounced that right, there's no
way pronounced that right instead of Immanuel Pregnon. I don't. Yeah,
I have to say it like that. I'm sorry, it's French.
If you if you were to flip flop those mocks here,
which is thirty eight to Texans and thirty nine the Browns,
(05:49):
I don't think. I'm sure one of them will end
up having a better career than the other, because that's
how it works.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
But well, you're again as I'm not gonna die win
both guards. There's there's no reason those two players with
the I would hope who they pick have played enough
football that they should be no less than super competitive
with any veteran you have here and hopefully make your
line better.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
My dream is just to just rack up on these
offensive linemen and just you by process of elimination, you
have a just amazing group of guys in front of CJ,
and it all comes together and we're parading
And Mendoza is now off the board for them. So
can we get the next best quarterback, Ty Simpson at
thirty three? Well, sure if nobody else drafts him. And
that's what Arizona's thinking at thirty four, So they trade
up with the Texans to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson,
who's impressed I guess in his post actual game tape
(00:22):
portion of his draft resume, because he looked good at
the combine. He's a natural throw of the football, all
the good stuff that I can't believe they pay so
much attention to. You've got all this game tape to
look at that should be where you're basing it on.
But nonetheless, this benefits the Texans. They get extra draft
assets for Nick to move on the next three days,
and in the number thirty four spot, the Texans still
(00:45):
go exactly where I said. Every mock draft that I've
seen sends them the trenches offensive line or defensive tackle.
What is it for the Texans?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
It's offensive line. And the little blurb they wrote here
is interesting because it says, with Titus Howard off the
Cleveland's Juice Scrugs headed to Detroit, Texans could address the
offensive line here losing Howard leaves Blake Fisher as their
projected starter at right tackle. Enter the other Blake in
(01:17):
this scenario, Blake Miller, offensive tackle out of Clemson, started
fifty four career games there, so he is battle tested
and could potentially start right away with his run blocking power,
you know, for their new running back, and strong hands
in pass protection, you know, for their young quarterback.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
No offensive lineman in Jordan's mock go between twenty eight
and thirty four, So Miller might have been the best
available lineman at twenty eight, and in this setup this mock,
he turns out to be the best available lineman at
thirty four, at least in the Texans eyes. Seventh linemen
off the board, they get him at thirty four. A
(01:56):
couple of interior linemen go ahead of this. The majority though,
are tacks. But yes, this does make sense. I don't
know that the Texans like him. I don't think Jordan
Reied knows that the Texans liked him either. And it's
a little bit difficult in that you're only in year
two of Kole Popovich and Nick Kayley and what they
like to do offensively. But even year two, you watched
(02:17):
the whole year of how the Texans deploy their offensive line,
the sets they use, how often they used six linemen,
and why they had to, even though I think they
still will. You use six linemen when you use them
as often as the Texans do, it's because your five
aren't good enough. It's because you need to run different plays,
you need to put different personnel out there to accommodate
for your shortcomings. They have shortcomings on the offensive line.
(02:40):
It doesn't bother me because it made them better.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
It was smart.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
It's what they had to do. It will bother me
in the future if they have to keep running thirty
percent of their snaps thirty five percent of their snaps
with a sixth linemen on the field, because when the
Texans do it, all six of them are blocking. That's
one fewer player. If you're passing the football and they
do pass the football out of the sixth lineman, looks
it's one for your target for no reason. I mean,
(03:05):
he's not chipping and then going, he's not holding his
ground and kind of confusing the defense. Oh, they kept
him into block. No, he's running for a round. Nobody's
defending him. He's wide open.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, he's not.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
They're not doing that with the sixth lineman the tackle eligible.
If it was a tight end, they certainly could or would.
But the player they draft, if this is who they
draft at thirty four, at forty eight, where they got
Ursery last year, pretty much anybody in the top seventy five,
if they're an offensive lineman, they will be expected. I
(03:38):
will be expecting them to start. They need they should
be prepared to start. They should be that far along
in their development. I know it's not a you're not
drafting a guys who will have his best year in
twenty six, but rather he'll have a great career and
maybe great years in twenty seven and beyond. But they're
not really in a position to develop a player. If
he's drafted in the sixth round, fine, you're not expecting
(04:00):
them to start. If it turns out to be your
best player at the position, go ahead. I don't mind
starting a guy drafted later. If he out plays the
other guys, he out plays them, that's great. But a
player drafted I think in any of these positions where
they drafted Fisher, where they drafted Scrugs, obviously, where they
drafted Kenyan Green, you're drafting because you believe in their
ability to make your line better right now, and unfortunately
(04:23):
in all three of their cases that was wrong.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Well, hopefully they're all right because four picks later they've
got him taken another offensive lineman. By the way, this draft,
this mock draft, I love it. Yeah, the Texans currently
hold thirty eight. It's the pick they got from Washington
and the Tunsil deal. They have him. Good pick for Tunsel,
by the way, I.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Agree these are good second round picks. Are awesome players.
They're they're starters, they're Pro Bowl players, They're they're Kamari Lassiter,
they're Jalen Petrie. They're good players.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So absolutely, they're also Blake Fisher and Juice Scruggs.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
It's not they're also the perfect round to draft a guard.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah. Interior alignment from Oregon Big Kids four three, fourteen.
Manuel Pregnon, I think there's again. I'm not gonna lie
to you and pretend I've got a line on all
these offensive line yet.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Hang on, you do have a line on the guy
that they have the Browns taking one pick later because
he's an Aggie.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I mean, the Aggie's had good especially in the trenches.
The Aggies really did. It's it's one of the biggest
reasons why the Texas A and M had the kind
of season they had. If they they were very good
up front, and they were very good on up front
defensively too.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
These are both guards. If the Texans took Chase Bisontis,
I don't know if I pronounced that right, there's no
way pronounced that right instead of Immanuel Pregnon. I don't. Yeah,
I have to say it like that. I'm sorry, it's French.
If you if you were to flip flop those mocks here,
which is thirty eight to Texans and thirty nine the Browns,
(05:49):
I don't think. I'm sure one of them will end
up having a better career than the other, because that's
how it works.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
But well, you're again as I'm not gonna die win
both guards. There's there's no reason those two players with
the I would hope who they pick have played enough
football that they should be no less than super competitive
with any veteran you have here and hopefully make your
line better.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
My dream is just to just rack up on these
offensive linemen and just you by process of elimination, you
have a just amazing group of guys in front of CJ,
and it all comes together and we're parading
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