The Houston Texans had a successful 2017 NFL Draft, highlighted by trading up to take Deshaun Watson at No. 12. Here is Houston’s 2017 NFL Draft grade.
The Houston Texans ended up drafting seven players in the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia this April. Moving up from No. 25 to grab Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson was a brilliant move made by much-maligned Texans general manager Rick Smith.
That move definitely makes this draft a success for Houston. The Texans should return the best team in the AFC South heading into 2017. They were clearly looking for players from strong Power 5 programs this draft. Many of the guys Houston took are notable names from the college football world.
Here is a look at the 2017 NFL Draft grade for the Texans, based on all their selections, of course.
First Round
Houston has one of the deeper rosters in the AFC already. The Texans are stout defensively and have great coaches scattered all across the sidelines. Really the only thing that the Texans didn’t have heading into the 2017 NFL Draft of tremendous need was a franchise quarterback.
Frankly, Houston has never had one. Then again, David Carr was supposed to be that before he became one with the Houston turf in the early 2000s. Houston had the No. 25 pick, but opted to trade up to No. 12 with the Cleveland Browns to take the most polished quarterback from college football in the Clemson Tigers’ Deshaun Watson.
The move up only cost Houston this year’s No. 25 and their 2018 first-round pick. Given that Houston will probably be in the AFC playoff mix, that 2018 pick will be at best in the mid-teens. Going up to get Watson was bold, but 100 percent the right move for the Texans to make.
Though we aren’t sure of Watson’s NFL prototype (he’s somewhat of a cross between Marcus Mariota and Tony Romo, maybe), he inherits a gifted offensive-minded head coach in Bill O’Brien. He is the only NFL head coach that can win his division with rancid starting quarterback play.
Watson is a huge upgrade over Brock Osweiler. He may back up Tom Savage in 2017, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him win the starting job out of the gate. This is the type of pick that could make Houston a perennial Super Bowl contender for the next decade. It’s simply outstanding.
Second Round
Houston has come to terms that inside linebacker Brian Cushing may be on his way out of the league. The guy has been a great player in the middle of their defense for a while now, but the former USC Trojans standout struggles to stay healthy.
If Houston wants to reload and stay in the mix in the AFC Playoffs, the Texans needed to find a guy that could eventually usurp Cushing on their depth chart. Grabbing Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker Zach Cunningham at No. 57 in the second round was an absolute steal.
The guy was a tackling machine at Vanderbilt in the SEC. Vanderbilt wasn’t on many teams’ radars last fall, but Cunningham helped carry that improving Commodores defense to a bowl game. He’s not as athletic as other linebackers in this draft, but he is a fearless playmaker in the middle of a defense. It’ll be interesting to see how he will jell in new defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel’s Texans defense.
Third Round
This was a deep running back draft, one with both Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey going inside of the top-10. Houston probably needed to grab a running back at some point as well in this draft. The Texans got a solid year out of Lamar Miller in 2016, but who knows how much tread is still left on his tires?
Houston stayed in-state and took the best player from the Texas Longhorns in the draft in junior running back D’Onta Foreman. Texas may have been a terrible team in the final year of the Charlie Strong era in Austin, but Foreman was briefly in the mix for the 2016 Heisman Trophy.
He runs with conviction and could be a future bell-cow back in Houston. For now, pairing him with Miller gives the Texans a solid one-two punch in their backfield. The best thing Houston can do going forward with their offense is to establish a competent ground game while Savage and Watson develop as NFL passers. Taking Foreman at No. 89 looks to be a sound choice for the Texans.
Fourth Round
Bucknell Bison offensive tackle Julie’n Davenport is one of the many FCS players of great intrigue in this draft. He came to the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl with a ton of promise. Davenport showed in Mobile that he can at least temporarily hang with the Power 5 big boys in competitive drills.
However, he may only be a rotational right tackle in the NFL. Davenport can set the edge with the best of them, but can be exploited on the inside with a bull rush. Taking Davenport at No. 130 in the fourth round was a decent call by the Texans. It is debatable how much NFL upside this kid’s got.
Houston is probably looking for a guy that can help recreate Vince Wilfork in the aggregate up front. The one-of-a-kind defensive tackle has probably played his last bit of football. Taking Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Carlos Watkins at No. 142 in the fourth round could be a high-value pick for the Texans.
Watkins was the wrecking ball on the defensive line of the national champions last fall. He can rush the passer decently on the interior. However, Watkins can lose his footing if he doesn’t get the right leverage off the snap.
Fifth Round
Houston may have needed to draft a defensive back to offset the loss of A.J. Bouye in 2017 NFL free agency. Going with a safety may help, but wasn’t third cornerback the primary issue of need in the Texans secondary?
Oregon State safety Treston Decoud may not play a ton right away in Vrabel’s defense. However, Houston does tend to lose key players on the defensive side of the ball to injury early in the season for whatever reason. He is a prime candidate for the Texans to coach up this fall. Keep in mind that Bouye was a former undrafted player out of UCF.
Seventh Round
Losing center Ben Jones to the Tennessee Titans two offseasons ago wasn’t great for the Texans. Jones helped make Houston’s AFC South rival Tennessee have one of the best offensive lines in football. Improved play at center will go a long way in getting the Texans offense back on track.
Houston opted to stay in-state and use its No. 243 pick in the seventh round on Baylor Bears center Kyle Fuller. Baylor may have played in an Air Raid offense, but Fuller seems to have some of the necessary traits that can withstand playing in that simplified collegiate offense. This could be another good value pick for the Texans.
Next: 2017 NFL Draft instant grades
Overall, Houston should be very satisfied with the seven players it drafted in 2017. Perhaps as many as five of these players could vie for serious playing time right away. Cunningham, Foreman and Watkins should have meaningful rotational roles as rookies. Davenport could see some action as well. Even Decoud and Fuller could be interesting building blocks going forward. Let’s be real, though. This draft was all about getting a franchise quarterback. Houston looks to have landed a great one in Watson.