The Houston Texans will be on the clock at some point in the 2020 NFL Draft and it will take patience before they can join the festivities. The Texans do not have a draft selection until the second round with the 40th selection leaving them idle until day two.

Even with the wait, the Texans still have business to tend to when the draft concludes and with the draft preparation around the league coming to an end, its time to witness if countless hours of work will pay off with draft selections.

As for the Texans, questions continue to surface heading to the draft. What position groups will they focus on? Will they use every pick? Will they make more trades?

State of the Texans has put together six predictions for the Texans for the NFL Draft.

Six Predictions for the Texans for the 2020 NFL Draft

1.) LSU safety Grant Delpit will be an option in round two

Grant Delpit Jason Getz-USA Today

The Texans are on the lookout for safety, and there is a high possibility that LSU safety Grant Delpit will be pushed down to the second round. With questions surrounding Delpit’s physicality, his playmaking ability should not be overlooked. Part of one of the more talented defenses in the nation Delpit is a rangy free safety that could pair with Justin Reid in the coming seasons. Letting talent like that pass will be tough, but Delpit will have a strong chance of being available for the Texans in round two.

2.) Texans Trade Back at 40

Even with Delpit looking at them in the face, the Texans will ultimately trade back to find a possible trade partner to pick up a later round second pick and possibly an extra third-round selection to grab three players inside the top 100 selections. With teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, or possibly the Cleveland Browns holding mid-round second-round picks with mid-round third-round selections. The Texans could easily find a taker for their 40th overall selection to get themselves into a favorable position to grab another pick inside the top 100.

3.) Texans come out of the draft with the following three: defensive lineman, safety, pass rusher

There is a shopping list for the Texans, and defensive lineman, safety, and a pass rusher are on the list. The Texans will come out with the combination of the three by the end of the draft on Saturday. The Texans are looking for younger players to continue to build a defensive front that needs to become more athletic but provide much better pass rush when the front line players need a break or go down with an injury. O’Brien did not want Tyrann Mathieu to leave in free agency, and he wants an athletic player that can do multiple roles to keep the defense an interchangeable and matchup driven secondary from down to down.

Draft Watch 2020: Running Backs | Inside Linebackers | Edge | Wide Receiver | Safeties | Cornerbacks | Offensive Linemen | Defensive Linemen

4.) Texans do not use all three seventh-round picks

As great those seventh-round picks are during this unheard-of time of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Texans will not use all three of their picks in the final round. One of the picks will be moved to address another moving coming to help the roster if it is a small trade to move up or sending one to land a veteran player looking for a new home.

5.) Texans trade a day three pick for a veteran player

The Texans are always open for business. Now, with this season being a “veteran year,” this is not out of the question for the team. With teams focused on youth and O’Brien focused on poaching players who have fallen out of grace with their current teams, he will be on the look out for roster help scouring the 31 other rosters.

6.) Texans do not take a running back

With the arrival of David Johnson and Duke Johnson entering year two with the offense, the Texans would be best served if they concentrate their efforts on landing help for their defense. With the focus on putting an experienced skill group around Deshaun Watson, building a youthful defensive group is now the focus. Putting draft capital towards that goal is the direction the Texans need to take, and looking for a veteran running back or a rookie free agent is a better allocation of resources for the team.

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