All 32 NFL team Wire sites collaborated to hold a mock draft this week. Every Wire managing editor, all of whom have tremendous insight into their respective teams, made picks — except of course Cam DaSilva from the Rams Wire. Since 2017, the Rams have not had a first-round pick, and by the time the 2025 NFL draft rolls around, we’re going to have to convince Cam the draft actually starts on a Thursday night.
Mock drafts are kind of like a candy dish at your grandmother’s house that you snack on throughout the visit. Ultimately, it’s a dopamine hit; it’s another avenue for fun. Therefore, it was more of an exercise of what the Houston Texans might look like if they passed on safety Kyle Hamilton.
With that in mind, I decided to use John Crumpler’s “Draft an Identity: The Davis Mills Texans” as a blueprint for my picks. At No. 3 overall, the Texans selected North Carolina guard-tackle Ikem Ekwonu.
The 6-4, 320-pound offensive lineman allows the Texans a chance to establish an identity as either a ground-and-pound team or a team building around QB Davis Mills. The rest of the first round will determine which path Houston takes. Ekwonu has position flex that allows him to play inside, as Houston already has competent bookends in Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard. However, should the Texans let Howard walk in 2023 free agency, Ekwonu can slide to right tackle and the offensive line still has adequate protection for their signal caller.
In Crumpler’s guide, he had the Texans taking Ohio State receiver Garrett Wilson at No. 13 overall. However, the Atlanta Falcons picked Wilson at No. 8 overall.
Rather than adjust the script and turn the draft into the “Ground and Pound Texans” with the selection of guard Zion Johnson, I stuck with the philosophy to build around Mills and took USC receiver Drake London.
London gives an opportunity for the Texans to complement WR Brandin Cooks or effectively replace him in case they trade him to acquire more draft capital. Houston has another young wideout with WR Nico Collins, and Mills has a young tandem that he can develop chemistry with.
Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux were the first two picks off the board. The Carolina Panthers made Malik Willis the first quarterback off the board at No. 6 overall. Curiously the next quarterback taken was Kenny Pickett at No. 20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers — quarterback-needy clubs such as Atlanta, Washington, New Orleans (twice) all passed on Pickett.
