Houston Texans Draft Review

1st Round, Pick #11: J.J Watt (DE Wisconsin)

Houston was rumored to be one of the teams looking to move up to Arizona's spot to get a hold of Patrick Peterson and since they weren't able to do that, the Texans were forced to stay at 11 and find a piece to their new 3-4 defense. Aldon Smith was considered their top target (after Peterson) but with San Francisco taking him the Texans went in a different direction. JJ Watt is one of the top 5 technique defensive ends in the draft and is a good fit for them. I however believe that they should have taken Robert Quinn who would have been an excellent 3-4 edge rusher, but Watt is a good player, and is a good fit, so I can't knock this pick at all.

Grade- B+

2nd Round, Pick #42: Brooks Reed (DE/OLB Arizona)

A great pick for the Texans who add another piece to their new 3-4 defense. Houston went into this draft with practically nobody at the rush linebacker spots and added one of the top prospects at the position in the 2nd round. Brooks Reed played defensive end in college but should make an easy transition to the stand up position. Reed draws a lot of comparisons to Clay Matthews but that isn't just because of the hair. Reed isn't an elite athlete, but he makes up for it with a motor that never stops, great strength, quickness, and a strong football IQ. Reed probably won't have the same impact as Matthews has had on the league, but he is definitely no slouch.

Also check out NFL Draft Geek's exclusive interview with Brooks Reed

Grade- A

2nd Round, Pick #60: Brandon Harris (CB Miami)

The only thing not to like about Brandon Harris is his size, he is only about 5-10, which is unfortunately the reason he fell this far. He is a tremendous talented, and the Texans wasted little time moving up to get him, possibly the steal of the 2nd round. Even though Harris isn't elite in any area of his game he does everything well and doesn't have any glaring holes. Harris is a very talented cover corner that is going to help the Texans improve on their 32nd ranked pass defense from last year. If Harris can make an impact right away that could allow the Texans to move Glover Quinn to the free safety spot where his skills better suit him. I think Harris is a lot better than most do, and I confidently had him as my #19 overall player, so for him to fall to pick #60 is absolute thievery!

Grade- A+

4th Round, Pick #127: Rasad Carmichael (CB Virginia Tech)

After finishing last season with the worst pass defense in the league, the Texans had to do something to fix their secondary. They traded up to get Brandon Harris and with this pick, and they moved up once again to get another cornerback. Now, Carmichael isn't an elite prospect by any means, but he has good speed, and does very well in the trail position. Houston now has a pretty nice young trio of corners in the fold with Kareem Jackson, Brandon Harris, and now Rashad Carmichael.

Grade- B+

5th Round, Pick #144: Shiloh Keo (Safety Idaho)

Another round, another defensive back. Houston isn't messing around in their attempt to fix their secondary. After spending their last 2 picks on cornerbacks, the Texans get Keo who will compete for playing time at the strong safety spot. Keo will be a physical in the box type of safety who is a very good tackler and a powerful hitter. He isn't an elite athlete by any means, but has a very good football IQ and knows where to be on every play. Also look for Keo to make an impact on the special teams coverage units.

Grade- B+

5th Round, Pick #152: T.J Yates (QB North Carolina)

Matt Schaub had a very good season last year and that lead to the Texans contending for a playoff spot. A big reason for that was that Schaub was able to stay healthy throughout the season. This a big change from previous years. That being the case the Texans have to have a quality back up ready to go when needed. I like Houston taking a developmental QB here, but I think T.J Yates is very overrated. He had a lot of playing time in big games and North Carolina, and always came up small, he has the size, and a solid arm, but I wouldn't trust even as my backup.

Grade- D

7th Round, Pick #214: Derek Newton (OT Arkansas State)

For a team with some question marks at left tackle and guard, its a surprise they didn't address the offensive line more. But they must have felt that the defense, mainly the secondary was a bigger need. But here in the 7th round the Texans might have found a potential sleeper. Newton isn't a huge powerful offensive tackle, but he has good size and is a good athlete. In the zone blocking scheme which the Texans run, they look for athletic guys. Newton is still raw and may never develop into a starter, but he should be able to help them as a backup at either tackle or guard.

Grade- B

7th Round, Pick #254: Cheta Ozougwu (DE/OLB Rice)

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your 2011 Mr. Irrelevant. This year's Mr. Irrelevant gets to stay in Houston for both his college and maybe pro career. Ozougwu is a raw defensive end that will be moving to the 3-4 outside linebacker spot. With Houston being so thin at the position they are willing to take a chance on him. Ozougwu didn't show a lot on film but he has the raw potential to possible become a solid reserve rush linebacker.

Grade- C