2014 NFL mock draft: Stephon Tuitt to Houston Texans at No. 33

Welcome to the start of the second round of the 2014 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft. This round will start just like the last one did, with Brett Kollmann of Battle Red Blog making the top pick for the Houston Texans.

”Houston has its quarterback of the future in Teddy Bridgewater, so now it’s time to give J.J. Watt some help. Stephon Tuitt, when healthy, was one of the 10-15 most feared players in this entire draft class. He, along with fellow Golden Domer Louis Nix, dominated college football’s offensive lines all the way to the national championship game in 2012 with superb stack and shed ability and an excellent pass rush skill set. Were it not for an unfortunate string of injuries since the end of that 2012 campaign, perhaps we would still be looking at Tuitt as a very high first-round draft pick.

At 6’5 and 304 pounds with nearly 35-inch arms, Tuitt’s rare combination of size, power, quickness and finesse that he put on display two seasons ago drew comparisons to Muhammad Wilkerson and Calais Campbell, and to be honest it’s hard to disagree. If Tuitt’s fractured foot heals properly, which is highly likely, then Houston may have found itself one of the most dominant defensive end tandems in quite some time. Between Watt and Tuitt working inside, 2012 first-round draft pick Whitney Mercilus coming off one edge, and the athletically freaky Trevardo Williams coming off the other, Andrew Luck would have nowhere to hide. I’ll take that any day of the week.”

If Houston passes on Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall choice in the draft, Tuitt is a solid consolation prize at the top of the second round. Tuitt is similar in a lot of ways to former Texans defensive lineman Antonio Smith. He may not blow you away with sensational plays, but he’s a steady factor up front capable of playing the run and the pass.