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Seth and Sean talk with Texans Sideline Reporter and Captain of FootballTakeover.com, John Harris, about the Texans' 2026 draft class.
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00:00You heard him throughout the weekend on Texans radio, Texan sideline reporter, NFL draft expert,
00:05footballtakeover.com founder John Harris joining us live from NRG Stadium. Johnny, how we doing?
00:12Recovering. Yeah. Recovering. Yeah. You know, it was a long eight days. I mean, I had to take a
00:18unexpected trip to LA last weekend, not this past weekend, but the weekend before. And I was like,
00:26man, I'm trying to crush draft coverage from out in LA. That wasn't fun, but it was a good weekend
00:33all in all. Glad to have it done and behind. And we talked a lot about this draft not being
00:39just
00:40overall, not being a draft that was sexy with quarterbacks and, you know, the ball carriers
00:45and the wide receivers, you know, they were going to find value in this draft, but it just didn't
00:51have that sex appeal quite like next year. And that's actually what I'm looking at right now.
00:58And I've start to populate my 2027 NFL draft database. I'm looking at going, man, this thing
01:03is going to be all kinds of sexy next year. May not be for the Texans. And I hope it's
01:08not. I hope
01:08we're drafting 32 and 64 and 96 in the first three rounds. Uh, but it still will have a lot
01:15of sex,
01:15sex appeal to the next draft, but I still felt like this one had it, but I got to say,
01:21I was a little shocked. I was a little surprised when I was listening to this show back driving in
01:26this morning and you guys went like two whole segments and Seth did not mention the words
01:30Caden McDonald. I thought those would have been the first two words out of Seth's mouth this morning,
01:35but I didn't hear that. I thought, man, is Seth okay. And then once you guys got into a little
01:40bit, then he started talking about, okay, Seth's all right. But I was a little surprised that we
01:44didn't hear that right off the bat. Well, he got his, he's got his own segment in the previous
01:47segment. I'm trying hard not to just because, uh, John, I've been telling Sean for a long time that,
01:54you know, there's a place for a guy like Caden McDonald in D'Amico's defense. It's just that
01:59he probably for whatever reason has just never gotten that guy. So I was actually,
02:03I've been trying not to brag about being so right about something because D'Amico said in his press
02:09conference, it's not for lack of trying that we haven't had a guy like that. There's totally
02:13a place for a guy like this in this defense. So I just, um, were you surprised that he was
02:18still
02:18there at 36? No, it was about where I thought. I mean, I think in my Harris 100, I think
02:23I had him
02:24at 24, 25, but I, but I totally understood why that was kind of the spot for those kinds of
02:32defensive tackles. You know, I was trying to think, you know, the defensive tackle impact guys we've had
02:38in previous drafts. And I, I was kind of racking my brain. I know I probably missed some from last
02:44year, but I remember Byron Murphy. I mean, I love Byron Murphy come out of Texas, but he really,
02:49really was that one year he kind of flashed and was really, really good. He didn't go to like 16
02:54to the Seahawks. And obviously now he's one of the best, uh, in the league, but it feels like
02:59defensive tackle. I don't want to say is getting the running back treatment in some sense,
03:03but I think it is, you know, we got to get these edge guys. Hey, everybody's got to grab
03:07wide receivers and you know, nobody's building offensive lineman anymore. So we got to take
03:11an offensive lineman. I mean, you, you can't make a case to me that Blake Miller is a better
03:18football player than Caden McDonald. Can't do it. You cannot do it, but people just are dying to have
03:26offensive lineman. They're just not out there. Um, they're such a scarce commodity that I think
03:32somebody looks at Caden McDonald and says, yeah, yeah, you know, we can go find a run stuffer
03:37later. Okay. Then you're going to leave a run stuffer for the best defense in the league.
03:41All right. We'll bite. We'll take it. Uh, and I just love everything about him. He's young
03:4621 during it. He'll be 21 during the season. You know, I, I liken them to DJ reader. And so
03:53I have
03:53to watch myself, my comps, but the first time I saw McDonald with Ohio state against Texas,
03:59I'm like, damn, who's this DJ reader twin. And he really, I think his career could kind
04:05of go that way. You know, first and second down early in his career, he plays, he plays
04:10very, very well. He learns a little bit more about the pass rush game. And I think that's
04:16what happened for DJ. And I think as he got a little bit older, his pass rush game started
04:22to develop a little bit. And look, you know, this Seth, all you got to do is just put feet
04:26at the feet of a quarterback, you know, so power long arm, uh, just one pass rush move
04:32and you learn it, you master it. You can stay on a field for three downs. And I think that's
04:37eventually what Caden will do. But if Caden's out there for first and second down, great,
04:41because it's going to be very difficult to block that dude, whether he's next to Togi
04:45eye or Sheldon, where he plays next to Logan hall. I think he's going to be a really good fit.
04:50And I say this a lot and Seth, you, you've said it too. And I'll say it in different
04:54ways. Just because a guy or a team or a general manager or a coach has not gone out and
05:01gotten
05:01his quote unquote type doesn't mean that they won't go get somebody against type. They just
05:06may not have had the opportunity to do it. And I think D'Amico, uh, put it best. You
05:11know, when D'Amico came here, I remember there was some talk about, you know, Derek Stingley
05:17because, you know, the 49ers had really, while D'Amico is the defense coordinator there, they
05:23always went with round three corners and beyond. They're like, Oh, he's not going to like Stingley
05:27as a first round or all this kind of stuff. And it's like, well, now you have Stingley.
05:32Now that might change some of the things you can do up front. And because you got some
05:36dudes up front and might change what you can do with staying and you go, huh? Okay.
05:40So yeah, I have no problem with the Texans going against quote unquote type because I don't
05:47think Nick and D'Amico over the years have said, Nope, we got to do it this way. And this
05:51is the only way we're going to do it. I think they've shown that they're willing to do anything
05:55anytime to help this football team win, including going, getting a 325 pound 21 year old to play
06:01in the middle of that defense. John Harris, joining us here on a pain and Pendergast sports
06:05radio, 610 recapping the Texans 2026 draft. Um, all right. So Johnny, they take five guys
06:11on day three. If you had to pick one, who's going to be the most impactful for the Texans this
06:17season in 2026 of the day three guys that were taken?
06:23I, I think it might be Wade or Kamari because I think they'll end up having an opportunity
06:30on special teams to kind of earn, earn reps. And you know, what Kamari was drafted is funny.
06:37Kamari Ramsey, I guess we got a, you know, we got Jalen's and Kamari's now you got to clarify.
06:43So when Kalen Ramsey was drafted, I was like, wait a second. I had him, I think at 89 or
06:4890 in
06:49my Harris 100. And I was a big fan and I didn't think we would do something like that, but
06:54he did
06:55play nickel at USC. They were kind of forced into it this past year because they had some guys get
07:02banged up. They had a couple of guys that, you know, could play safety with. I, he's a true safety
07:07to me, but with the opportunity to play nickel and I mean, look at the guy that plays nickel for
07:12us,
07:12you know, he played safety at Baylor and learned this nickel role. And when I think about what
07:17Kamari does really well, I think Kamari could fit that role that Jalen plays. And you know,
07:24then a lot of people say, well, what if Jalen gets hurt? You know what? He missed three games
07:27with a concussion last year. I think it was or two maybe. Um, and then put the guardian cap on
07:32and became a legend. But that said, he kind of plays that way, but I really love the range
07:38and the speed in the back end. And on, on Saturday I remembered, and I, I kind of talked
07:44about a play that he had against Iowa where he basically cleared three quarters of a field
07:50and caught up to a deep over route to one of Iowa's really fast wide receivers and ended
07:56up being part of a pass breakup all the way on the other side of the field, a play that
07:59he shouldn't even have been there. And I remember just running that play back going,
08:02holy crap, that looks like Kalen. And he's wearing number seven for USC. Now they're
08:07built completely differently. You know, Kamari is six foot 200, kind of stout, thick, Kalen
08:12six, two long, lanky, et cetera. But that same kind of range and speed was really impressive
08:18to see from Kamari. That was, that was probably my favorite pick. Just getting a guy like that
08:22in the fifth round that can play either safety spot, physical to play down, range to play
08:29as a, as opposed safety going to contribute on special teams. And I think it's step into
08:33either one of those safety spots in due time. So I like the Kamari pick, but I think just
08:38both those guys, the opportunity to play in special teams will have the opportunity for
08:42an impact right away. You know, this is, um, the Marlon Klein pick is obviously very intriguing
08:47and interesting, and it's got a lot of people all riled up. Um, I can see where the upside is
08:51there. The one, one thing I wanted to ask you that was curious, I thought was, um, at least
08:56in one scouting report I saw, I said that he hadn't played a lot of scouting, uh, special
09:00teams, which for a guy who was a backup at tight end for the, all those years, like,
09:04is there a reason why he didn't play more special teams?
09:07No, I think Michigan, you know, just looking at the Michigan roster over the years, they
09:11always had a bunch of young guys just thinking about who ran down on special teams. It was
09:15a bunch of safeties and linebackers that they had in reserve, to be honest. I mean, they,
09:20that, that team was loaded for years. Um, you know, he was playing behind Loveland and,
09:25and Schoonmaker and gosh, what though? Oh, uh, the kid from, oh man, uh, Barner, I, I love
09:32Barner, man. I think Barner gives Seattle such an edge. And I think that's, you know,
09:37that's not Marlon Klein to a degree. Marlon's not built kind of like that, but I do think,
09:43and, and you said it, Seth, you kind of stole the words right from him. I do think he can
09:46put
09:47a few more pounds on, but I also think as a tight end, I think he can get to areas
09:52on the
09:53field in the passing game that maybe the other tight ends on this roster don't get to. I think
10:00if Brevin were fully healthy, I think Brevin could, but we just don't know after two years
10:06of ACL tears, you know, where is Brevin athletically? I mean, he's gotten bigger and stronger. I mean,
10:12I see him every day, but he just built differently than Marlon as well. And Marlon could play every
10:17one of the tight end positions. Why he wasn't on special teams, you know, hard to say, you know,
10:21some teams will end up having, you know, rules for their special teams. You know, I want these
10:25guys. I want defensive guys, you know, instead of offensive guys. Yeah. I don't know, but I feel
10:31like he's going to have to be able to do that. And I think in the NFL, especially the kickoff,
10:36you know, the kickoff rules being what they are. I think that's a great spot to have additional
10:416'6", 250 pound guys that like to get physical. So I do think at least on kickoff, he'll be
10:47there,
10:48but I'm just curious as a, as an inline blocker, I thought he was good. I don't think he's great,
10:53but I thought he's good. I thought there were a couple of technique things, especially his feet,
10:57kind of running his feet through his block that James Ferentz is going to have to work with. But
11:02considering he grew up playing soccer, came to America as a freshman, goes to Georgia,
11:07Raven Gap School, learns English, learns football, and then becomes a guy that Michigan, Michigan can
11:13rely on for four years. He's a captain to get him in his second round. Yeah. It was a little
11:18bit
11:18higher than, than I had. I had this, this tight end group was, and I mentioned a number of times,
11:22this tight end group kind of had a lot of the very, a very similar guy, 6'5", 6'6",
11:29247 to 250 pounds,
11:31ran four, six in the 40, probably about a 35 inch vertical drop and could probably be a move guy,
11:38probably not going to line up too much in line. You throw him the ball in the flat,
11:41they're going to do something. I think what's separated Marlon in a sense is that he could
11:45probably be a better inline blocking guy than Jack injuries from Texas or Max Claire from Ohio
11:50state. I think Marlon could be a guy that lines up with his hand in the dirt a little bit
11:54more
11:54than those guys were going to in their careers. John Harris joining us here on sports radio 610.
11:59And Johnny, one of the positions that they did not come away with the Texans in this draft was
12:04anybody off the edge that I can think of, of the eight guys. I don't think there was an edge
12:08rusher
12:08drafted. They were all gone before 59 basically. Yeah. Yeah. So, but I know it was on sort of the
12:15wishlist for all of us that they, they might get an edge rusher. Where do they go now? Do you
12:20think
12:20to build some of that depth at that position now that they didn't use draft picks on it? And,
12:26you know, could, could someone like Derek Barnett still be in the mix who's still out there as a
12:30free agent? I think it could. I mean, at some point that whole, you know, Hey, we don't have
12:35a contract with you, but you know, just stay in touch. And that sort of runs out at, at, at
12:40some
12:41point. I mean, you know, it ends up being a football booty call that you just kind of like get
12:46tired of,
12:46I guess, you know, it's like, Hey, commit to me or not, you know, but it's worked. And I,
12:51and I would love to have DB back. I mean, he is such a big part of this. So maybe
12:56that's what
12:56I wouldn't even be surprised if today, I remember, I think it was a 22 draft and we're talking about
13:01edge rushers and didn't draft an edge rusher. And then the next day it was Mario Addison,
13:04Jerry Hughes. Uh, and I think Oboe Caronquo, all three of them were like, Oh, okay. Well,
13:09I guess they addressed the edge position and they did it with, you know, veterans. I wouldn't be
13:13surprised if something like that ended up happening. And obviously they know, they know Derek Barnett,
13:17but let's say they don't. Well, you brought in Dominique Robinson, a guy with a lot of athletic
13:23upside. Um, and so, okay, there's an opportunity there. Talked about, uh, Dylan Horton. I thought
13:30came a long way the second half of the year in particular, but Rod Wright said something to us
13:35in the interview we did last week. I thought it was, was really interesting. We kind of asked him
13:40about the rotation and why it's important to have the rotation on a defensive line. And he said,
13:46I learned in Atlanta in 2023. And if you remember that game, we had taken a lead. Dalton, uh, has
13:51a
13:52touchdown catch on a throw from CJ, but then Atlanta got the ball of like, I don't know, two minutes
13:56left
13:57and they wanted a two minute drill. And Rod said, we'll, and all the defensive linemen were out there
14:03for almost every rep and they were tired when they were gassy. He said, I learned a lesson that day
14:08that we have to have depth at those positions so that 55 and 51 are gassed up, ready to go
14:16for a
14:17two minute drill at the end of the half or a two minute drill at the end of the game
14:20in particular.
14:21So that, that stuck with me. So I do think there is definitely another piece coming.
14:27I would, I guess now it's gotta be, you know, a veteran at this point in maybe Derek Barnett makes
14:32some sense. And maybe Derek Barnett has a little leverage now to say, Hey, I want a million dollars
14:36more than you're giving me. I don't know, but I do think it's going to end up being a veteran
14:39that they have some experience with. Maybe it's a trade. I didn't think they would bring Jonathan
14:46Grenard back. And obviously JG ends up going to Philadelphia as a good move for them, but maybe,
14:51maybe it's a trade too. Now they look at it and go, Hey, here's what we have. Here's where we
14:55might
14:55be a little short, not just the edge, but maybe other positions. But we, we went into this draft
15:00thinking this roster is pretty solid where it is. You know, we're talking about a fifth or I'm sorry,
15:06a fourth potential edge player, a fifth potential edge player, but because of the way they use
15:11them, it's that, it's that important. Uh, and that's why Caden McDonald's important because
15:15Sheldon, Choke EI, Naquan, and then you signed Logan Hall. I always forget about that. That's
15:20a solid four, but then you bring in, you know, a space eater like Caden, man, you're, you're
15:25pretty solid there. I think they're going to have to bring in somebody on the edge to make
15:29sure that rod sticks to that. Hey, my guy's 55 and 51. I got to stay healthy and they got
15:34to stay. Um, you know, they can't get gassed in those situations at the end of a half end
15:39of the game, Johnny real quick. Cause we only got about like 30 seconds. Who's the number
15:42one pick in the 2027 draft as of right now for you? I think number one on my board overall
15:49would be Trevor Goosby from out of Texas, the offensive tackle. I don't know if he goes
15:53number one, right? But right now I would make him number one. That dude's an athlete of, I
15:57mean, he would have, he would have been the top tackle in this draft by a mile and
16:02it wouldn't even been close. He can set himself apart with a great year. I was a little surprised
16:07he went back to Texas. This dude can do 360 dunks at like six, seven, three 15. He's better
16:13than Kelvin Banks was, uh, and is going to be, I think Trevor Goosby from out of Texas is
16:18that tackle that I, he's a top next would be Dylan Stewart and then all the quarterbacks.
16:22Okay. Yeah. And where's it's real, real quick. Where's arch among the quarterbacks?
16:26I think he's top three right now. Dante Moore, uh, arch. And then look, Julian
16:32saying, Lenora sellers, uh, Sam Levitt. Well, one of those guys is going to step up
16:36into that group, but you know, our showed a lot last year to me, not quite all the
16:42way there, but I think if he's fully healthy, he's had a full year. Um, and now he's got
16:47cam Coleman. Oh, super stud cam Coleman. This receiver group is sick, dude. That's
16:52coming in 2027. Oh my God. That, like I said, quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers
16:56in this draft. Sexy. Yeah. That's what's coming. I mean, get ready. The football draft
17:01lingerie is coming in 2027. Sexy is coming in 2027, baby. All right, Johnny, we appreciate
17:06it as always. Football takeover.com is where you can find all of Johnny's work. And I'm
17:10sure you got some great stuff up on Houston, Texans.com reacting to the draft and all that
17:14good stuff as well. Right, Johnny. Yeah. You boys are great. I appreciate it. Uh, football
17:18takeover.com. I'll be putting up 2027 stuff very, very soon. I can't think about
17:22that, John. Yes, you can. You're always thinking about draft. Absolutely. So, you
17:25know, so hit me up boys. Uh, you guys are the best. You guys have been, uh, so
17:29great to listen to throughout this whole draft thing. Uh, and I, I got to get the
17:33car. I missed the mock draft injection. So I got to see you. Yeah. Go check us in
17:372020. We gave you a sneak preview kind of. Yeah. I am. Yeah. Text me when you hear who
17:40they have the Texans taking. All right. Curious your take on that. Give me a position. What
17:44do they have running back? Oh, Oh, did they take a Mart Hardy or a Mod Hardy? No, I'm
17:51done. You got to go find it, Johnny. You got to go listen to the, on the free Odyssey
17:54app using the rewind feature. That's what I use. Okay. I'm going to go listen right
17:58now. All right. See, I got to go. I got things to do. Bye. Get out of here, Johnny. All
18:00right. There you go. The great John Harris.
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