Looking Back on the Houston Texans' 2004 Draft

The Houston Texans' 2004 NFL Draft was eerily similar to their 2003 draft.

They started it off with a bang by drafting a solid starter in Dunta Robinson, but then swung and missed on the rest of their picks.

Other than Robinson, only three players from their 2004 draft class made any kind of impact for the team. The lack of impact players in this group had a lot to do with the Texans hitting rock bottom as a franchise not too long after this point.

As hard as it is, let's take a spin back through the 2004 NFL Draft and look at who the Houston Texans could have had.

Round 1

Who Houston Took: CB Dunta Robinson, DE Jason Babin

Who Houston Should Have Taken: Robinson, LB Karlos Dansby

As I mentioned in the introduction, Houston got the selection of Robinson right. He stepped right in at cornerback and solidified that position.

Robinson recently left as a free agent to play for the Atlanta Falcons, but his play in Houston made him by far the best defensive back in the Texans' short history.

The miss on Jason Babin in the first round here cost the franchise dearly.

Not only did Babin fail to produce like the team had hoped, but the price of moving up to grab this draft pick was great. The Texans were without their second and third round picks, so they couldn't afford a miss. With how the rest of this draft played out for Houston, they could have really used those picks.

Dansby would have given the team much of the pass-rush skills they expected to get from Babin. He is also a more versatile player with his abilities to rush the passer, play the run and defend the pass.

Round 4

Who Houston Took: S Glenn Earl

Who Houston Should Have Taken: DE Jared Allen

Glenn Earl is actually one of the players who stuck with the Texans for a while. Thanks to holes in their secondary, he saw some significant playing time.

That doesn't mean Earl was any good, though.

He never was able to hold down a starting position, and as soon as the team had the depth to cut him, they did.

The whole league missed on Jared Allen, and that's really frustrating for the Texans, given who they used their draft picks on in 2004.

All Allen has done since being selected in the fourth round of 2004 is collect 83 sacks. I would imagine a defensive line featuring Jared Allen opposite Mario Williams in Houston, but if I do that, I might openly weep.

Round 6

Who Houston Took: CB Vontez Duff, S Jamaal Lord, LB Charlie Anderson

Who Houston Should Have Taken: G Rex Hadnot, DT Craig Terrill, Anderson

Vontez Duff didn't make the team out of training camp. Jamaal Lord, who was making the transition from option quarterback at Nebraska to safety, played just one season in Houston.

Anderson has actually shown some staying power. Anderson gave the Texans a solid special teams player for four seasons, and he even started five games in his last season with Houston.

With the offensive line a huge question mark for the team, you would have thought Houston would have looked at taking a talent from their own backyard. Rex Hadnot, a University of Houston Cougar, has established himself as a solid guard in the NFL, something the Texans could have really used in those days.

Craig Terrill isn't going to sell season ticket packages, but given how often the Texans whiffed on defensive tackles early on, they could have used someone like Terrill, who has stayed on NFL rosters since being drafted.

Round 7

Who Houston Took: DE Raheem Orr, WR Sloan Thomas, QB B.J. Symons

Who Houston Should Have Taken: WR Patrick Crayton, TE Jeff Dugan, RB Derrick Ward

The trio of Orr, Thomas and Symons failed to do anything of substance for Houston. They played a combined three games in an NFL uniform.

Patrick Crayton was the real steal of the this draft. With the Texans having selected Andre Johnson in 2003, taking Crayton the next year would have given the Texans a duo of elite receivers.

Jeff Dugan isn't going to remind anyone of Tony Gonzalez in his prime, but he certainly would have given the team an upgrade over guys like Bennie Joppru.

Ward is now in a Texans uniform, but he would have been nice to have back in 2004 as part of a running back by committee with Domanick Davis. Davis was often injured, and having someone like Ward to share carries with might have done a lot to keep him from wearing down.