2011 NFL Draft Grades: Grading the Houston Texans' Draft Picks

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2011 NFL Draft Grades Take A Deeper Look At the Houston Texans

You have to give the Houston Texans credit.

Last year, the Texans were simply awful on the defensive side of the ball. We're talking about a group that couldn't stop the pass and just let opposing offenses throw all over them and do whatever they wanted. With new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips in town, he decided the Texans weren't going to be pushed around anymore.

The first four picks of Houston's draft were all defensive players, including two defensive ends in J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed. The Texans followed that up with two cornerbacks, Brandon Harris and Rashad Carmichael.

I love that Houston didn't waste any time trying to fix the defense. Getting two solid pass rushers is a massive get for this team, although I might have wanted to address the secondary a bit earlier than the Texans did in this draft.

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However, Houston surprised us by drafting T.J Yates out of North Carolina to be the backup to Matt Schaub on the final day of the draft. I love the pick because when Yates had weapons with the Tar Heels, he was a very effective passer and we all know that the Texans have a ton of players who can make game-changing plays.

The Texans did a great job of addressing their needs and went right out and attacked them. This defense won't be nearly as bad as it was last year.

Grade: B+

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