NFL mock draft if underclassmen were eligible: Trevor Lawrence goes No. 1, Tua in top 5
23. Houston Texans – T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa
T.J. Hockenson wasn’t supposed to be the featured tight end at Iowa this season. That was supposed to be Noah Fant (more on him later) but the 6-5, 250-pound Hockenson emerged as a dual-threat tight end who was a dominating blocker and excellent receiver.
Hockenson won the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end, and might go much earlier than this in the 2018 NFL Draft, but in this exercise, the Texans can’t let him slip past.
The Texans haven’t had a good tight end since Owen Daniels was patrolling the middle of the field and up the seam. Deshaun Watson needs more consistent weapons besides DeAndre Hopkins, who is an elite talent, but the defense knows they can devote two-three people on him every crucial down.
Adding Hockenson would do wonders for Watson who would finally have a security blanket to work with on short-intermediate routes and increase his completion percentage and keep the chains moving.