Texans get mostly good marks for draft
Nearly a week later, there is still plenty of draft buzz going around. Many of the draftees are now signing contracts with their new employers. Houston has already locked up K.J. Dillon, D.J. Reader, and Tyler Ervin. A Braxton Miller deal is reportedly in the works. On top of that, rookies have reported for their mini-camp, finally giving coaches a chance to apply their trade.
The reality of the situation is we have no idea how these draft picks are going to work out. We can opine, predict, and project all day long, but they have yet to set foot on an NFL football field. For that reason, I don’t put a lot of weight into these draft grades. But we have to have something to discuss, and it is interesting to see what all the talking heads have to say.
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We can expect a lot of news in the coming weeks regarding the progress of the draft picks and UDFA’s. But for now, let’s look at how the “experts” graded Houston’s draft.
Dan Kadar, SB Nation
Best pick: Miller – Miller is a player who has sky-high potential if he can continue the development at wide receiver that he flashed at Ohio State.
Questionable pick: Fuller – The Texans obviously loved Fuller’s speed, but his drop issues are real.
Houston gave out a bunch of money in the offseason with quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller. They added some athletic pieces around them with wide receivers Will Fuller and Braxton Miller. Fuller can open up the whole field thanks to his speed and route running. Miller was, personally, one of my favorite players in the draft. He can be a special player if he continues to develop as a receiver.
At running back they got a third round back that compliments Miller. He’s a big play athlete who can break big plays. Safety K.J. Dillon is a player who you could play in the slot or drop back in zone. He was a smart pick in the fifth round. Houston needed a nose tackle and got a good one in D.J. Reader in the fifth round.
Overall grade: B+
Mel Kiper, ESPN
Houston Texans: B+
If Bill O’Brien wanted weapons, he now has them. The Texans moved up a spot in an odd trade in the first round to make sure they were able to get Will Fuller, a 4.3-40 burner out of Notre Dame who can take the top off a defense; they added Braxton Miller in Round 3; they added Tyler Ervin in Round 4. Every one of these guys is dynamic in space, and with the ball in their hands.
There are questions of course: Fuller is inconsistent catching the ball, Miller is in the second year of a difficult conversion from quarterback, and Ervin is slight. But this team is WAY more explosive on paper.
They moved up to get Nick Martin as a likely starter at center, and D.J. Reader is kind of a Vince Wilfork-lite (though not that much lighter on the scale). I’d have been interested in another pass-rusher, as the pressure to produce there for J.J. Watt is significant. If Brock Osweiler plays well and these new toys in the offense are part of the reason why, it’ll look good; if Osweiler struggles, not so much.
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