The NFL draft is just 2 days away, and the Houston Texans will soon be selecting new pieces to improve the team. Following a 10-6 season the Texans currently hold 4 picks in the draft (40th, 90th, 111th, and 171st overall respectively). Here are 5 prospects the Texans should consider with those 1st 3 picks.

Jeff Gladney- CB TCU- The Texans are in desperate need of help in the secondary, and in particular; at corner. Vernon Hargraves III, and Gareon Conley simply aren’t going to cut it. Gladney is a smooth, athletic corner who is capable of being a day one starter on the outside in the Texans defense.

Antoine Winfield Jr.- S Minnesota- Taesean Gipson is not the long term answer at safety for the defense. Selecting Winfield would immediately upgrade the Texans secondary and would pair great with Justin Reid as a ballhawk center-fielder  free-safety (7 picks last year in college) while Reid is more involved down in the box.

Chase Claypool- WR Notre Dame- This offseason Bill O’Brien did the unthinkable when he traded away DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. With Will Fuller IV and Brandon Cooks both having injury concerns the team is in need of a new number 1 wideout; Claypool may be just the man for the job. Claypool is versatile enough to play in the slot or on the outside. Additionally, he is armed with a 6’4 238 lb frame, 4.42 speed, and an insane catch radius. Overall, Claypool has all the traits to develop into a potential stud for the Texans if selected.

Jordan Elliott- DT Missouri- In the offseason D.J. Reader left the Texans in free agency for the Cincinnati Bengals leaving a massive hole in the middle of the Texans defensive front. Elliott would be a great pick up to replace him. At 6’4 302 lbs Elliott has the prototypical size desired of an NFL defensive tackle in addition to elite level speed that helped him garner Second-Team All-American Honors this past season.

Jordyn Brooks- ILB Texas Tech- Benardrick McKinney has been a force for the Houston Texans ever since his 2nd season and has even been selected to a Pro Bowl in 2018, however he is getting rather expensive as he will cost the organization 36.5 million over the next 4 seasons. Trading him and others in exchange for more draft picks may be a viable option for the Texans as they only have 4 picks in this year’s draft. His replacement would be Brooks out of Texas Tech. Brooks had great production over his 4 years at Tech  going over 80 tackles each year, and offers a cheaper option to perform the role of McKinney in addition to having the upside of being an asset rather than a liability in coverage that McKinney is.