Skip to main content

Auburn OT Greg Robinson to visit with Texans next week

If nothing else, the Houston Texans are giving those who follow the draft something to talk about.

Houston taking Robinson, considered the top offensive tackle in the draft, with the No. 1 pick is an extreme long shot. An extreme long shot. Much more likely is that new coach Bill O'Brien and the Texans go for South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney or a quarterback such as UCF's Blake Bortles or Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel.

That's not to say Robinson isn't a high-level prospect. While he still needs to develop as a pass blocker, he is an excellent athlete for his size (6-foot-5, 332 pounds) and an absolute road-grader in the running game.

As NFL Media inside Ian Rapoport pointed out in his tweet, Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle Jonathan Ogden started his career at guard. That likely would be just fine with Robinson, who never had played tackle until he was moved to the position -- from guard -- in 2012. Indeed, Robinson was a national recruit out of Thibodaux (La.) High in the 2010 class at guard.

And given that he needs to improve as a pass blocker and that Houston already has former first-rounder Duane Brown at left tackle, Robinson could get some on-the-job training at right tackle as a rookie.

Still, that Houston would take Robinson at No. 1 over Clowney or a quarterback is extremely unlikely to happen. Robinson is expected to be the first offensive lineman off the board -- just not with the No. 1 overall pick.

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.