Conference Championships Scouting Roundup: Three Players Texans Should Keep an Eye On

Which prospects should the Houston Texans keep an eye on after the Conference Championships Weekend of the college football season?

Conference championships weekend is in the books with some big-time performances that deserve a mention and a look from the Houston Texans, who currently hold two premium first-round picks in the next draft. Let’s dive right into it!

Kayshon Boutte, wide receiver, LSU

The Texans could easily spend their second first round pick on a pass catcher, in order to immediately give to their new franchise quarterback a fresh weapon to work with. Boutte bounced back from a quite regular season with a big-time performance against Georgia as he ended up with 107 receiving yards and a tone-setting 53-yard score early in the game. Boutte can do it all as he’s a three level threat who also seems to have his explosiveness and long speed back after a tough injury suffered last season. Boutte is a first-round talent and would make sense early in the draft. He’s a true primary NFL receiver in the making.

Josh Downs, wide receiver, North Carolina

If Houston decides to opt for another position with their second first round pick, Josh Downs could be available at the beginning of the second round and would be a solid fit with the Texans offense. Downs is a speedster with a pretty refined game overall. Houston needs help in pretty much every single position, but in particular, the offense needs a massive boost as it legitimately looks like the worst in the whole league. As I previously wrote, adding weapons is the best way to ease the transition of a quarterback in the NFL. Downs has been the primary target for both Sam Howell and Drake Maye and possesses the tools to be an impact NFL pass catcher.

Deuce Vaughn, running back, Kansas State

Vaughn was once again dominant in the Big 12 Championship Game against TCU. He’s a do-it-all weapon who can be extremely useful in the NFL: having a versatile offensive chess piece is a must in the modern NFL; he’s a dangerous runner with great explosiveness, a reliable checkdown target, dynamic receiver and solid returner. Paired up with Dameon Pierce, who’s physical and reliable on early downs could be the move for the Texans. The Texans need to invest on the offense and Vaughn could still be on the board early on day three.