Houston Texans: Complete 2015 NFL Draft Wrap-Up and Analysis
Seven rounds, a couple of trades, and now seven new players. The Houston Texans nailed the 2015 NFL draft, and despite your own opinion, general manager Rick Smith deserves the credit.
The Texans went into the draft knowing their needs and clearly having done their research. Negotiations with teams like the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets on Day 2 meant the Texans finished the draft with three likely starters on the roster, and even though they lost a few picks, they definitely fought for their reward.
After an offseason of Andre Johnson drama and the same questions at quarterback, all of a sudden the Texans actually look like a team that might contend with the Indianapolis Colts next season.
Sure, it’s one draft, and a few rookies aren’t going to crush the AFC South. But the Texans found some playmakers this year, and in the aftermath of some Jadeveon Clowney disappointment, things could be looking promising again in Houston.
The Selections
1 of 6Wide receiver was probably on everyone’s mind when pick No. 16 rolled through. DeVante Parker probably expected to be a Texan by that point, but when the San Diego Chargers came calling, guessing who the Texans would select next became a bit of a mystery.
The Texans drafted cornerback Kevin Johnson, a pick that has fans divided, but one that had to happen if any sort of future was to be assured behind Johnathan Joseph.
Marcus Peters was still on the board at the time, but the Texans now have a corner who is a natural athlete and an immediate starter. Johnson looks good against outside receivers, and he seemed grateful to be joining the Texans defense.
Speaking of gratitude, the entire Texans fanbase breathed a sigh of relief when Rick Smith traded up in the second round. Benardrick McKinney was taken at No. 50, and if there was ever a weak link at the inside linebacker spot, the middle of the Texans defense now looks deadly with another scary pass-rusher.
In the third round, the good vibes kept coming. Smith again traded, sending DeVier Posey and some late-round selections to the New York Jets. It all resulted in Jaelen Strong, possibly the most exciting pick of the Texans’ draft.
Strong should move up the depth chart easily and possibly straight into the slot. He could even help out on kick returns and finally gives the Texans some help in the red zone.
Following all of the excitement, the Texans had to stay patient during the fourth round, as they traded their pick to the Browns. When Round 5 started, they drafted another receiver, Keith Mumphery. The selection came as a surprise, because the Texans were still searching for a tight end or safety, and Mumphery’s slow speed will make it tough for him to make the roster.
Continuing on with that trend, the Texans drafted outside linebacker Reshard Cliett, a prospect who is a little unknown. He is another physical pass-rusher, but one that will be fighting for playing time and is likely to wind up on special teams.
Finally, the Texans followed up in the sixth round with a defensive tackle, Christian Covington. He has tremendous upside and could be on the starting roster by season’s end. The seventh-round pick, Kenny Hilliard, is by far the riskiest of the draft and could end up being a bust as soon as training camp begins.
Best Pick: Jaelen Strong
2 of 6
Jaelen Strong had to happen in the third round; otherwise this draft would have been a complete waste of time.
Rick Smith made the necessary moves and gave up relatively little for a receiver who ultimately was undervalued in skipping so far down the draft. In the end, the Texans have the last laugh though, because they now have a receiver who should score plenty of touchdowns in the NFL.
Strong isn’t anything special like Parker or Amari Cooper, and he definitely doesn’t have blazing sideline speed going for him. He is simply a productive receiver being brought into an offense that is in need of a serious third-down threat who can provide a bunch of yards after the catch.
Drafting a wide receiver was always important to replace Andre Johnson, but this pick doesn’t quite fulfill that. If Houston wanted to replace Johnson, it would have done it in the first round, but this pick complements DeAndre Hopkins and Cecil Shorts well.
Strong could alternate with Shorts in the slot or on the outside and is probably just as bigger a deep threat as Hopkins is downfield. Now when some of the tougher AFC defenses come to town, the Texans should still have that reliable receiver over the middle.
Worst Pick: Keith Mumphery
3 of 6
Houston ignored a massive need at safety in the fifth round, and although drafting another wide receiver was great for some depth, the team could have used this pick more wisely.
Guys like Anthony Harris were still available by the time the Texans were on the clock, a safety who totaled 108 tackles last season. Instead of considering the secondary though, the Texans will now have to dip into free agency to try to help D.J. Swearinger and Danieal Manning.
Selecting Mumphery gives the Texans some competition between the backups at wide receiver and maybe another potential punt or kick returner. Aside from that, he’s going to be a possession receiver, unless the Texans want to try him out at a different position.
There’s no doubt he is underrated, but this pick could have been better spent.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
What the Experts Are Saying
4 of 6
"Johnson might be the most well-rounded cornerback prospect in the draft and certainly will boost a defense that has to contend with several potent offensive weapons in the division. McKinney will be a solid fit in the middle of the team's defense and can really help shut down opposing run games, but he has issues in coverage, and the Texans might have given up too much -- a fourth- and sixth-round pick -- in order to move up for a questionable player. At least they wound up getting a steal in Strong, who will be a perfect Andre Johnson replacement. Overall Grade: B
"
It’s tough to argue with what Fischer is saying, but the Texans definitely didn’t give up too much to draft McKinney. He does have coverage issues, but with three compensatory picks in this year’s draft, they could always afford to draft up and take the best talent not named Stephone Anthony. Labeling Strong as a surefire replacement this early on is risky too.
"Loved the work Houston did in rounds 1-3, for the most part. Kevin Johnson is a plug-and-play cornerback, and he buys the Texans wiggle room as Johnathan Joseph heads toward free agency next off-season. Benardrick McKinney is an intimidating presence at inside linebacker, which was a position of need. One nitpick: The Texans really could have used some coverage help next to Brian Cushing, and that's where McKinney is at his worst. Getting wide receiver Jaelen Strong at 70 was robbery. He will not catch 85 passes, as Andre Johnson did in 2014, but he should fly past Johnson's three-touchdown total. Overall Grade: A
"
A good point is raised here in Johnson’s touchdown total, a stat that has been way down in recent seasons. Strong definitely won’t come close to 85 passes, but he could come close to Johnson’s yardage total (936) next season if the Texans’ quarterback play is up to par.
"[On selecting Christian Covington in the sixth round]: Undersized, penetrating tackle who is extremely smart with high football character. These types are solid guys to take fliers on at this point. Grade: C+
"
The upside to Covington is huge, and Brandon Thorn is right in saying the Texans were smart in taking a chance on him in the sixth. The Texans defensive line isn’t thin, but if Covington can show his power in practice, he has good chance to make an impact.
What's Left to Address
5 of 6
Safety
The Texans finally signed veteran safety Stevie Brown earlier in the week, adding a little more leadership at the position. With trade speculation constantly surrounding D.J. Swearinger, however, the Texans clearly realize the need for safety depth prior to August.
They had chances to draft safeties high or low but didn’t follow through. Drafting Kevin Johnson is great for the corner position, but there were plenty of defensive backs capable of playing both corner and safety in this year’s class, and the Texans missed their chance.
It’s likely the team targets this in free agency.
Tight End
Tight ends were a hot commodity in this year’s draft, with plenty going earlier than expected. The Texans missed their chance on drafting someone like Blake Bell in the middle rounds and now look likely to rely on Ryan Griffin or Garrett Graham.
The problem isn’t huge, but the Texans do need to either find someone who is capable of laying down blocks, or hope that Griffin or Graham can provide some pocket protection next season.
Either way, Ryan Mallett will need a reliable target as a fresh starter. With two new receivers in Shorts and Strong now on the field, a trusted veteran like Graham needs to step up.
Center
The listed needs entering the draft were wide receiver, cornerback, inside linebacker and offensive tackle. The Texans answered three out of four but failed to find a center in the sixth or seventh round.
The only center on the roster right now is James Ferentz, a one-year backup out of Iowa. It’s not exactly an ideal situation for the Texans after losing veteran Chris Myers, but free agency should provide some depth.
Final Grade
6 of 6
Out of the Texans’ seven picks, I liked five of them. Taking into account just how ballsy the Texans were in trading up twice, the early rounds were ingenious by Rick Smith, while the later rounds featured a lot of underrated talent that the team was right to take a chance on.
Most of the picks show a lot more positives rather than negatives, so I give Smith five thumbs up in that aspect. The only disappointing one may be Kenny Hilliard, as the Texans drafted a guy knowing full well that he could be a complete bust.
After drafting Johnson, the Texans could have sat back on Day 2 and drafted Strong at No. 51. To walk away with both of those guys and McKinney showed just how committed the team is to fixing the defense.
There were a lot of holes to fill this year, perhaps more so than last year. Smith is the guy who drafted J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing, but after finding three likely starters in 2015, this could go down as his most successful draft year yet.
Grade: A-
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
