Houston Texans: 5 best NFL Draft picks of all-time

Derek Newton (2011: seventh round, 214th overall pick)

Despite emerging as one of the top players in the Sun Belt Conference and earning first team all-conference honors as a senior, Derek Newton entered the 2011 NFL Draft projected as a late-round prospect. In fact, he was nearly not drafted at all.

The Houston Texans took a chance on the Arkansas State offensive tackle with the 214th overall pick in the seventh round, though, in what proved to be a wise decision.

Since his rookie season, in which he appeared in 14 games as a reserve, Newton has missed just two of the team’s regular season starts. This consistency paid for the 6-foot-5, 311-pound offensive lineman, as Houston awarded him with a five-year, $26.5 million contract during the 2015 offseason.

Offensive line remains somewhat of a concern as the Texans head toward the 2016 NFL Draft, but Newton is not the cause of this uncertainty. More than anything, it is a reflection of injury troubles related to fellow offensive tackle Duane Brown and the departures of offensive guard Brandon Brooks and center Ben Jones.

Newton has not appeared in a Pro Bowl, and he is far from one of the elite offensive tackles in the NFL. But as a seventh round pick that has made 62 starts in the past four seasons, he earns a spot on this list.

Next: No. 4