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MVN writers mock draft: 18. Houston Texans - OT Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh

NFL

By Houston Mercier

With the eighteenth pick in the MVN writers’ mock draft, the Houston Texans select Jeff Otah, offensive tackle from Pittsburgh.

Houston will undoubtedly be looking to improve its offensive line this year, something it has not done in the entire history of the franchise. Matt Schaub, last year’s $49 million man and the Texans’ franchise quarterback, was injured for a portion of last season and will need protection in order to be effective this season.

Of the offensive linemen available, Otah provides the most upside, and his athleticism fits best into the Texans’ zone-blocking scheme.

In 2006, Otah enrolled at Pittsburgh and started all 12 games at left tackle. In 2007, he started all 12 games and was an All-Big East first team selection.

Here’s a brief scouting report on Otah from NFL Draft 101:

Strengths: A mauler at the point of attack. Long wingspan prevents most defenders from turning the corner. Handles speed rushers quite well.

Weaknesses: Works better in smaller spaces. Not going to make many blocks down field. Limited to playing the right side of an offensive line.

Houston Mercier is a columnist for MVN’s Houston Texans site, Texas-Sized Football.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 8:02 pm and is filed under Jeff Otah, Mock Drafts 2008, 2008 NFL Draft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.