2016 NFL mock draft: Houston Texans land WR Corey Coleman

That’s the direction that Brett Kollmann of Battle Red Blog goes with Houston’s first pick in the SB Nation NFL writers mock draft.

Kollman: Other than the nigh-unstoppable fades that DeAndre Hopkins seemed to catch on a weekly basis without breaking a sweat, the Texans had major issues with generating explosive plays in 2015. The addition of Lamar Miller at running back will go a long way toward fixing that problem, but Brock Osweiler still needs more explosiveness outside at wide receiver in order to be successful. Enter Corey Coleman, the speed merchant from Baylor that was on pace to score a whopping 32 touchdowns last year before a sports hernia severely hampered his production in the last month of the season. Between Coleman making opposing corners look silly with his ridiculous athleticism, Hopkins demanding consistent double coverage, and Miller having the potential to break a long run on any given play, this new-look Texans offense will never be short of explosive plays again.

Analysis: There are two ways to look at this pick. It’s a whiff because Coleman is perhaps the third- or fourth-best wide receiver in the draft this year (despite being a good player). The other way is to say it’s a success because he provides the offense with a distinctly different playing style compared to Hopkins. Even though I have higher grades on Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss and Josh Doctson of TCU, I tend to think the correct opinion is the latter one. Coleman can succeed in the short passing game or use his speed to beat defenders over the top. His game has natural flaws because of his size, but what he can provide Houston’s offense is valuable.