WR depth in draft offers shot to fill hole

If the Texans had to play on Sunday, their top three receivers would be Will Fuller, Kenny Stills and Randall Cobb.

Signing Cobb to play on the inside won’t offset the loss of All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins, so the Texans need more reinforcements for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

After Bill O’Brien traded Hopkins to Arizona for running back David Johnson, a secondround pick and an exchange of fourth-round selections, the Texans have eight draft choices, including two in the second round.

With Hopkins not part of the offense for the first time since he arrived as the 27th overall pick in 2013, the team’s biggest need is another receiver for Watson.

Without Hopkins, Watson will be under more pressure to produce in a big way in his fourth season.

Fortunately for Watson and O’Brien, this is a deep and

talented draft for receivers.

There’s always a chance O’Brien could make a trade and move up in the second round or perhaps even into the first round, but as it stands today, his two second-rounders are 40th and 57th overall.

Before we look at this year’s class of receivers, let’s look back at the 2019 draft, which turned out to be exceptional for receivers selected after the first round.

Only two receivers — Baltimore’s Marquise Brown (25th overall) and New England’s N’Keal Harry (32nd) — were drafted in the first round.

In the second round, there was a run on receivers. Seven were selected, including San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel (36), Tennessee’s A.J. Brown (51), Kansas City’s Mecole Hardman (56) and Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf

(64). All had terrific rookie seasons.

Washington’s third-round pick, Terry McLaurin, also had an outstanding rookie season.

The point is there will be impressive prospects available for the Texans, but O’Brien has to draft the right one, and his assistants have to do a good job of developing him.

One thing O’Brien must do when he makes the pick is select a prospect who’s mentally tough. The rookie will be under the microscope, dissected by media and fans because he’ll always be linked to the Hopkins trade. He better have skin like a rhinoceros.

In next month’s draft, as many as six receivers could go in the first round, but because of the plethora of talent, a few could drop into the second round as teams jockey to fill other needs.

What we know at this point of the evaluation process is Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, Alabama’s

Jerry Jeudy and Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III should be taken in the top half of the first round. The Texans will have no chance at any of them because even if O’Brien wanted to trade up to get one, it would be far too costly for the Texans to afford such a move.

LSU’s Justin Jefferson seems to be the fourth-best receiver, and he’s expected to be taken in the bottom half of the first round.

Others with first-round ability who could drop into the second round are Clemson’s Tee Higgins, Colorado’s Laviska Shenault, Baylor’s Denzel Mims, Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk, TCU’s Jalen Reagor and USC’s Michael Pittman Jr.

Of that group, Higgins (6-4), Pittman (6-4), Mims (6-3) and Shenault (6-2) have good size. Mims, who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the combine, has the best combination of size and speed.

With the eighth pick in the

second round, O’Brien could have a shot at two or three of those prospects.

With Cobb, DeAndre Carter and Keke Coutee competing in the slot, the Texans shouldn’t be in the market for an inside receiver.

With Fuller and Stills on the outside, the 40th overall pick would be expected to contribute as a rookie. Considering Fuller’s injury history, the Texans’ first pick could get a lot of playing time.

Until O’Brien makes another move, the big three at receiver are Fuller, Stills and Cobb.

Fuller missed five games last season and finished with 49 catches for 670 yards (13.7 average) and three touchdowns. In his first season with the Texans, Stills had 40 receptions for 561 yards (14 average) and four touchdowns.

Cobb, who turns 30 in August, played one season in Dallas after spending eight years with Green

Bay. Cobb caught 55 passes for 828 yards — a career-high 15.1yard average — and three touchdowns.

Like Fuller, Cobb has had injury issues. Stills also missed three games last season.

Without Hopkins, the Texans will need more production from their receivers than they got last season. They need for them to stay healthy and be consistent. They also need their first draft choice to pick up the system fast and make an immediate contribution.

We all know the receivers have some big shoes to fill without the durable and reliable Hopkins, who should continue his exceptional play with the Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray.

Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but time may show that Hopkins was irreplaceable.