Houston Texans 2018 Draft

This is the first draft for the Houston Texans featuring the team of head coach Bill O'Brien and new GM Brian Gaine. They were handicapped by not having a first or second round draft picks but that was price they had to pay to move up in the 2017 draft to get DeSean Watson. The Texans' first selection was at the top of the 3rd round and they selected S Justin Reid out of Stanford. He was a highly ranked player in the draft and he brings intelligence and a hitting ability to t...he Texans who need DB help really bad. With their 2nd 3rd round pick the Texans selected Martinas Rankin out of Mississippi State. He is listed as a center but scouts claim he can play anywhere on the O-line. He will be a valuable depth guy for the Texans who have needed upgrades to the O-line for several years now. With their last 3rd round pick Houston went with UCF TE Jordan Atkins. The 3rd round saw Houston address needs with really good players so the Texans, IMO, are doing a nice job, to this point. At the top of the fourth round Houston had what I consider a bit of a thud. They chose Texas Tech WR Keke Coutee. Coutee is more of a slot guy and he will need to find a way to beat out Braxton Miller. There were so many better receivers on the board I just wonder what Gaine and O'Brien were thinking. With needs at CB and LB they chose to draft a slot receiver and I think Houston layed a big egg with this pick. Houston won't have a pick at all in the 5th round so this makes this selection even more confusing. Maybe he can beat out the oft-injured Miller and if he does, okay, I'll take all the ribbing that comes with making a bad judgement by the rest of the armchair GMs out there. See you in about 2 hours when the 6th round begins.

The Draft is over and it's time to take a look at the final 4 picks made by the Texans so let's put our judgemental nit picking caps on. Just kidding.

 

Round 5 - No picks

 

Round 6 - Pick 3 (177 overall) DE Duke Ejiofor from Wake Forest. This looks like a good pick as he could be used as a 3-4 outside LB if he has any coverage skills at all. He could be a good compliment to Whitney Mercilus. This pick fills a position of need for Houston as they are in need of LB help especially since Houston has parted ways with Brian Cushing.

 

Round 6 - Pick 37 (211 overall) Jordan Thomas TE from Mississippi State. This pick is ranked 3-1/2 stars by Texans.com voters. NFL.com seems to not like this player. He is big (6'5", 280 lbs) so he may be asked to be a blocker. If he has quick enough feet he could be converted to tackle or D-line but Houston has depth issues at TE so he may be the answer to the need for a blocking TE.

 

Round 6 - Pick 40 (214 overall) Peter Kalambayi DE from Stanford. Kalambayi is more well thought of by the folks at NFL.com. He's an athletic guy with long arms and good quickness. He seems to frustrate because his production doesn't live up to his measureables. He will add depth to the Texans linebacker corps and he will be good on special teams given that he is very fast for a man his size. (4.57-40 at the combine - 6'3" and 252 libs)

 

Round 7 - Pick 4 (222 overall) Jermaine Kelly DB from San Jose State. Kelly is a regular guy according to NFL.com with average skills but what do you expect from a 7th round pick.

 

Overall Day 3 had to be somewhat disappointing given the players that were available when the questionable picks were made. That said, despite the NFL.com report from Chad Reuter pointing out the Texans mistakes he gave the Texans an A for this draft. I'm not sure I agree since they ignored CB and their pick at TE really seems to suck big time. The players that Houston gets back because of injury include Desean Watson, JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus which is a pretty good infusion of talent. Here is Chad Reuter's assessment of the Texans draft.

 

[h=3]Draft Analysis[/h]

Top Needs: CB • DL • OL • S • TE

 

If the Texans had the fourth pick in this draft, instead of trading up to pick Deshaun Watson last April, would they be better off? It seems unlikely, so I'll stick with the "A" grade I gave them last year. But we'll know more when Watson is healthy again. When Houston finally made a pick early in the third round, they found a great value in Reid. He's a bit tight in the hips, but he's also a smart, downhill player who will start for many years. They also got great value in Rankin, a tackle from Mississippi State who could play multiple spots. The dude just doesn't get beat, and will be a solid starter. Picking Akins over other tight ends like Ian Thomas and Troy Fumagalli is a move that's worth questioning. (Overall Grade: A) -- Chad Reuter

The draft is over but that doesn't mean the Texans, or any of the other 31 teams have stopped signing players. Almost the moment the draft ends teams rush out to sign what are termed priority free agents before the competition has a chance to do the same. PFA is just a fancy term for players who didn't get drafted and they are true free agents able to sign with any team who makes an offer. This post is to list the PFA's signed by the Texans.

 

DB - David Bellamy

DE - Mason Gentry

DL - Kingsley Opara

LS - Drew Van Maanen

OT - Anthony Coyle

RB - Davin Coleman

WR - Vyncint Smith

 

To be honest, I have never heard of any of these players. I couldn't even find David Bellamy college.