2015 NFL Draft grades: Houston Texans select Kevin Johnson

With the No. 16 pick in the NFL Draft the Houston Texans selected Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson

The Houston Texans had the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft and drafted Jadeveon Clowney out of South Carolina to give them a ferocious pass rush alongside J.J. Watt, but Clowney was injured and only played four games and made seven combined tackles with zero sacks.

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Despite Clowney’s injury keeping him out of the lineup and subsequent microfracture knee surgery, if he can make a full comeback, the Texans can view it as getting two first round picks when they welcome him back. Technically, they only have one first round pick this year at No. 16 after making great strides in the first year of head coach Bill O’Brien and could contend for a playoff spot this year if they have a great draft.

They took the first step toward that when they selected Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson. When you play in a division with Andrew Luck, you need shutdown corners and Johnson has the potential to do just that as one of the best, if not the best cornerback, in the draft.

He was a steady riser in the predraft process and should be a great addition opposite Kareem Jackson and Jonathan Joseph in the Texans secondary. He bulked up to 188 pounds and is over six-feet tall, so the height is there, but there are concerns about his lack of bulk. His run support needs to get better to be a complete corner and make plays in the open field, but Romeo Crennel had a top-10 scoring defense and they got better today.

Grade: B

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