2017 NFL Mock Draft: DeShone Kizer, defensive stars headline class

The Houston Texans have been looking for that big-time tight end since Owen Daniels was catching touchdown passes from Matt Schaub. That sounds like decades ago, and for some Texans fans, it probably feels that way. The next tight end for the Texans could be O.J. Howard, whose athleticism translates well to the NFL game.

Howard is 6-foot-6, and is an a freak of an athlete. He has extremely soft hands, and while he is not featured much in the Alabama offense, his game is built for the NFL. Houston has extremely talented wideouts, and they just paid quarterback Brock Osweiler a ton of money to be their franchise quarterback. The addition of Howard would give the young signal-caller another huge weapon in the passing game.

Houston has some great players on the defensive side of the ball, and if they can get healthy, they should be able to challenge in the AFC very soon. DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller are both stud wide receivers who love to go deep, so having a guy like Howard who can go over the middle would be huge for Houston. He may not fall this low, but the Texans also may not play well enough to be picking this late in the draft anyway.