Complete Breakdown Of The Houston Texans Draft

1st Round (20): Kareem Jackson, CB Alabama
Analysis: I actually love this pick. It is criticized because McCourty and Wilson were still on the board but I believe that Jackson is the second best cover corner in the draft behind Haden, who was already taken. This was a very good pick.

2nd Round (58): Ben Tate, RB Auburn
Analysis: Another pick that I love. Maybe not the best Running Back in the draft, but he clearly fits a need. Tate is a 1 cut back and he holds on to the football, unlike other backs the Texans had last year. He will definitely help the Texans in the Short Yard Situations and will help Matt Schaub on his already unstoppable Naked Boot. Tate fills the biiggest Question Mark on the offense.

Round 3 (81): Earl Mitchell, DT Arizona
Analysis: I see the need for this pick, but I wouldn't say I am in love with it. Drafting Defensive Tackles has not gone very well for the Texans thus far, neither Travis Johnson nor Amobi Okoye have panned out thus far so I would rather gone for an proven DT in Free Agency or through Trade. Hopefully Mitchell will help Okoye reach his potential and take some pressure off Mario Williams and Antonio Smith or Connor Barwin.

Round 4 (102): Darryl Sharpton, ILB Miami (FL)
Analysis: Now we are getting to the Picks that I hate. All Sharpton will do is play Special Teams and back up one of, if the, best Middle Line Backer in the NFL in Demeco Ryans and he will play Special Teams. The 4th Round could have been a place to find a Safety that could compete for a starting job, not pick for depth.

Round 4 (108): Garrett Graham, TE Wisconsin
Analysis: I would like this pick if we had not taken 2 Tight Ends in last years draft to go along with the Pro Bowler we already had. Graham plays very similar to Owen Daniels, he can find the soft spots in Zones and thrives on man to man coverage but is a below average blocker.

Round 5 (144) Sherrick McManis, CB Northwestern
Analysis: Ok. I am not going hate on this pick because I understand it. McManis can come in and compete with Golver Quin, Jacques Reeves, Brice McCain, Fred Bennet, and Kareem Jackson for the 2 Starting Corner Spots. If all else fails, he could move to FS and compete for the job.

Round 6 (187): Shelley Smith, OG Colorado State
Analysis: Not sure what to say about this one. Gotta keep Schaub off his back which became a problem with so many injuries last season. From what I have seen, he has good technique and footwork, but once he gets beat he has trouble recovering. He is a better Run Blocker than Pass Blocker, that is a good thing and a bad thing for obvious reasons. I think he will thrive under an OC like Rick Dennison

Round 6 (197): Trindon Holliday, WR (Return Specialist) LSU
Analysis: This is my favorite pick in the entire draft. Holliday is the fastest player in the Draft by a long shot. The thing I like the most about this pick is that Holliday will take over the Return Game which will allow Jacoby Jones to focus more on being a Wide Receiver. Holliday is not very biig but he is incredibly explosive, I am not sure how effective he will be in Kubiak/Dennison's offense since Dennison is more about the Offensive Line and isn't too creative.

Round 7 (227): Dorin Dickerson, TE Pittsburgh
Analysis: This is a clear case of taking the best player available and completely ignoring needs. Dickerson is a good pass catcher, but will not see much playing time. He will likely move to Wide Receiver

Overall Analysis: A very solid Draft Class, All of the main needs were addressed except Safety. I am interested to see where we go from here with Safety. John Busing and Brian Russell are not going to do much to start slow down Peyton Manning. I also think there are too many Tight Ends... Overall I say a B-