As of right now, the Texans possess eight picks in this year's draft. That's good. The problem is that they don't have their first pick until the 67th overall pick, which will occur a couple hours into the second night of the draft, early in the third round. In fact, here are the Texans' picks in the draft this weekend, beginning on Friday evening in the third round:
Round 3, Pick No. 67Needless to say, it's far from ideal. To try to turn these picks into something other than random numbers on your screen, and contextualize them somewhat, let's look at some Texans' draft history. Based on said history, if you're looking for some basis as to the caliber of player that may get drafted this weekend, here are the Texans' selections at or near the above eight draft slots from their previous 19 drafts.
Round 4, Pick No. 109
Round 5, Pick No. 147
Round 5, Pick No. 158
Round 6, Pick No. 195
Round 6, Pick No. 203
Round 6, Pick No. 212
Round 7, Pick No. 233
Round 3, Pick No. 67
BEST PICKS: Eric Winston, T (2006, 66th overall); Justin Reid, S (2018, 68th overall)
Winston was a solid pick in the Texans' best draft class of all time, the vaunted 2006 class that included Pro Bowlers Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Owen Daniels. Reid was the Texans' first selection in 2018, another year where the Texans didn't pick until the third round, and he's become a solid starter at safety.
WORST PICKS: DeVier Posey, WR (2012, 68th overall)
The Texans had a serious need for a wide receiver opposite Andre Johnson, and chose to move back into the third round and take Posey, a former five star recruit from Ohio State. Posey would tear his Achilles in the postseason that year, and finish his career with 22 catches. DeAndre Hopkins wound up being a much better choice to put alongside Johnson the following season.
Round 4, Pick No. 109
BEST PICK: Glover Quin, S/CB (2009, 112th overall)
Quin went from a somewhat-picked-on cornerback early in his career to an above average safety in 2011 and 2012, before leaving in free agency and becoming a Pro Bowler for the Detroit Lions.
WORST PICK: None
The Texans haven't selected any players in this area of the draft that qualify for a "worst" label.
Round 5, Pick No. 147
BEST PICKS: James Casey, TE (2009, 152nd overall); T.J. Yates, QB (2011, 152nd overall)
Casey was a solid third string tight end and sometimes fullback out of Rice, who left for the Eagles in free agency after the 2012 season. Yates is a Houston folk hero, after winning the team's first playoff game in franchise history in 2011, and returning multiple times to start and win a few games.
WORST PICK: Frank Okam, DT (2008, 151st overall)
Always an underachiever at the collegiate level, Okam was always reputed to be just a little too nice of a guy for the NFL.
Round 5, Pick No. 158
BEST PICK: Charles Omenihu, DE (2019, 161st overall)
Omenihu is a Longhorn fifth rounder whose career seems to be on a better trajectory than fellow Horn, Okam. Omenihu has seven career sacks in two seasons, and is the returning leader in QB pressures, with J.J. Watt now in Arizona.
WORST PICK: K.J. Dillon, S (2016, 159th overall)
Dillon was a fifth rounder out of West Virginia, who played in five games in his career, making five tackles.
Round 6, Pick No. 195
BEST PICK: None
The Texans haven't selected any players in this area of the draft that qualify for a "best" label.
WORST PICK: NIck Mondek, T (2012, 195th overall); Alan Bonner (2013, 195th overall); Xavier Crawford (2019, 195th overall)
It's hard to pick on players drafted this late, but I just found it a little ironic that the Texans have actually taken three players in this exact slot in the draft since 2012. The three of them played a combined total of eight games in the NFL, all played by Crawford.
Round 6, Pick No. 203
BEST PICK: Ryan Griffin, TE (2013, 201st overall)
For a sixth round pick, Griffin was a rousing success, even if he was overall a slightly below average player. A solid receiver with little in the way of blocking skills, Girffin miraculously not only survived a coaching change from Kubiak to O'Brien, but actually got a second contract with the Texans.
WORST PICK: None
The Texans haven't selected any players in this area of the draft that qualify for a "worst" label.
Round 6, Pick No. 212
BEST PICKS: Derek Newton, T (2011, 214th overall); Andre Hal, S (2014, 216th overall)
Newton was a solid starter for four seasons, and even received a second contract, before Von Miller shredded both of his knees on a pass rush during a Monday night game. Hal was a solid safety drafted in the seventh round, who came back from cancer, before retiring after the 2018 season.
WORST PICK: None
The Texans haven't selected any players in this area of the draft that qualify for a "worst" label.
Round 7, Pick No. 233
BEST PICK: None
The Texans haven't selected any players in this area of the draft that qualify for a "best" label, but let's go ahead and point out that they DID take WR David Anderson about 18 picks after this slot in the 2006 draft.
WORST PICK: Chance Pearce, C (2003, 233rd overall)
I have no idea who Pearce was, but I'm sure Aggies do. He never played in the NFL, and I only listed him here because he was taken at the exact 233rd choice in the 2003 draft.
So, if the Texans were able to draft the equivalent of the following class, how would you feel about it?
3/67: JUSTIN REID, S
4/109: GLOVER QUIN, S/CB
5/147: T.J. YATES, QB
5/158: CHARLES OMENIHU, DE
6/195: XAVIER CRAWFORD, CB
6/203: RYAN GRIFFIN, TE
6/212: DEREK NEWTON, T
7/233: CHANCE PEARCE, C
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