19. Houston Texans: Tim Keenan III, DL, Alabama
One of the teams under the most pressure this coming season is the Houston Texans. The Texans look like they’re going to be able to coast to a division title in the AFC South, so how do they perform when the games really matter late in the season?
One area of this roster that needs to be looked at after the 2025 season is the interior defensive line, where the Texans don’t currently have a single draft pick poised to contribute. That’s a problem.
You can only go after the bandage solutions for so long before it comes back to bite you. The Texans have outstanding edge rushers in Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., but they need some young, inexpensive talent on the interior defensive line, and Tim Keenan III can be that. He’s one of the best run defenders in college football, and DeMeco Ryans won’t likely turn down going after a Crimson Tide defender.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
We’ll see what the 2025 season brings for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have one of the best and most loaded offenses in the entire NFL heading into this season. And honestly, their defense has the talent to almost match them.
This is a Bucs team that isn’t far removed from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and a lot of those core pieces remain.
Todd Bowles needs his big-name defenders to stay healthy, but one area that might be in need of a makeover, regardless of how this season goes, is the EDGE position. The Bucs are hoping for Haason Reddick to return to the form we saw from him a couple of years ago with the Philadelphia Eagles, but that feels like somewhat of a long shot.
Even if he does perform well, it feels like it will be a short-term solution at best. Getting a value like Keldric Faulk at 20 overall in this 2026 NFL Mock Draft is exactly what the Bucs need to keep adding talent to the defense after loading up on offense.