2020 NFL Draft: Houston Texans: 7-round mock
By John Buhler
Third Round
842. Auburn Tigers. Nick Coe. 101. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. EDGE
Houston made another bold move this past year by trading disgruntled and often frustrating former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the season. No, he didn’t exactly thrive in the Pacific Northwest, but the former South Carolina Gamecocks star will be testing free agency.
Even though the Texans only have one top-100 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, they do have a terrific opportunity to get an underrated SEC player at pick No. 101. The Auburn Tigers have dominated along the defensive line in recent years under defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Taking Nick Coe here in the third round gives the Texans something to work with along the defensive line.
Coe was the third-best player among his position group at Auburn in 2019, but don’t let that fool you. He played alongside two other great players in the form of Derrick Brown, who will be a top-10 pick, and Marlon Davidson, who projects as a certain top-40 pick. Coe leaves Auburn with 70 career total tackles, 21 for a loss of yardage and nine sacks. He also played linebacker in 2019.
Even though he didn’t have a sack in his final year at Auburn, he was still an impactful player throughout his college career. At 6-foot-5 and 291 pounds, Coe would fit right in as a rotational player in Houston’s 3-4 defense. He’s not J.J. Watt, but maybe he could be a lesser, but more reasonably priced version of Clowney in the trenches for the Texans?