Tania Ganguli breaks down the 2016 Houston Texans draft class.
Round 1, pick 21*: Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame | Highlights
My take: The Texans wanted to get faster and this is a great way to do it. Fuller was the fastest receiver at the NFL combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds. But he isn't just a track star. Fuller showed ability with the ball in his hands while at Notre Dame. He averaged 20.3 yards on 62 catches during his final season in college, and averaged more than 45 yards per touchdown reception as well. He's a home-run hitter. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Fuller led all Power 5 conference receivers in receptions (17) and touchdowns (10) on passes thrown 20 yards or longer. This big-play ability will be valuable for Osweiler, for whom the Texans have added plenty of speed this offseason. They also signed fast running back Miller in free agency. Speed isn't everything, but the Texans really lacked it offensively last season. That has changed in a big way.
Fuller's history with O'Brien: Texans coach Bill O'Brien took over Penn State just as the school was hit with NCAA sanctions resulting from the sexual abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The program lost wins, scholarships and many players who either transferred or decommitted from the school. Fuller initially committed to play for O'Brien at Penn State, but about two weeks after the NCAA levied its sanctions he switched to Notre Dame. At the time Fuller said his decision did not have to do with the sanctions, rather he felt he had a better opportunity at Notre Dame. O'Brien, apparently, has no hard feelings about the switch.
First-round success: The Texans' drafts haven't always been great, but they typically find incredible success in the first round. Every first-round pick since 2008 is still with the team; most have made a significant impact for the franchise and nearly all of them are still starters. Those players are left tackle Duane Brown (2008), linebacker Brian Cushing (2009), cornerback Kareem Jackson (2010), defensive end J.J. Watt (2011), outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (2012), receiver DeAndre Hopkins (2013), outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (2014) and cornerback Kevin Johnson (2015). If Fuller has a rookie year as successful as Johnson's, he will fit right in with this group.
*Acquired in trade with Redskins
Round 2, pick 50*: Nick Martin, C, Notre Dame | Highlights
My take: Martin's former teammate Will Fuller is now his current teammate again. Martin is versatile, which the Texans like, and he'll be able to help elsewhere on the interior of the Texans' line in case of emergencies. The Texans' concerns on the offensive line are many and both interior and exterior. This pick addresses one concern: They let center Ben Jones go in free agency and didn't truly replace him like they replaced guard Brandon Brooks with Jeff Allen. Left tackle Duane Brown suffered a torn right quad tendon in the final game of the season and had surgery to repair the injury. Brown is entering his ninth NFL season and replacing him would have been a priority in a few years even without this injury. The injury has the Texans thinking about the future a little sooner. Houston has upgraded at quarterback with Brock Osweiler and at running back with Lamar Miller. For both players it's imperative to have a trustworthy offensive line in front of them.
*Acquired in trade with Falcons
Round 3, pick 85: Braxton Miller, WR, Ohio State | Highlights
My take: Miller was initially a quarterback at Ohio State and a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year while he was at it. He hurt his shoulder in the Orange Bowl after the 2013 season, then hurt it again in the 2014 offseason and missed that year. Miller switched to receiver for his senior season, utilizing his incredible athletic ability and speed while the Buckeyes had moved on at quarterback. O'Brien loves players who have diverse skill sets. He likes having players he can use unconventionally and Miller's history as a big-time quarterback gives the Texans that option. Miller had 24 catches, 329 yards and three touchdowns receiving, and had 40 carries, 234 yards and one rushing touchdown last season. His experience at the position isn't vast, which is why he was available in the third round. But with some work he can be a fun piece for the Texans' creative offensive minds.
Speed, speed, speed: That's been the theme of the Texans' offseason. They didn't have much of it last season and they have much more of it now. Running back Lamar Miller, added in free agency, is fast. Receiver Will Fuller, the Texans' first-round pick, was the fastest receiver at the combine and played like it at Notre Dame. Braxton Miller is fast, too. I've written often that speed isn't the end-all, be-all for offensive players. Receivers can get open without being incredibly fast, and Texans No. 1 receiver DeAndre Hopkins does that. But any team benefits from having fast options, and the Texans now do.
No Hackenberg reunion: Immediately after the Texans' second-round selection of Notre Dame center Nick Martin, the New York Jets took Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg. So much for the reunion with his former head coach, O'Brien. The truth was, after the Texans signed Brock Osweiler in free agency, their need for a quarterback dropped dramatically. If they were to take a quarterback it would likely have been no sooner than the third round, possibly even later than that. Had Hackenberg fallen that far, the Texans would have had a decision to make. Instead they bolstered the rest of their offense.
Round 4, pick 119: Tyler Ervin, RB, San Jose State | Highlights
My take: The results of the Texans' self evaluation are abundantly clear. They felt they weren't fast enough and set to work fixing that. Every skill player the Texans have taken in this year's draft has one thing in common -- they're all fast. Ervin ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at the combine. He's also got athletic ability beyond that. His 39-inch vertical ranked second among running backs at the combine and his 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump also ranked second among combine running backs.
Running back run: During the height of the Arian Foster era, the Texans never spent draft picks on running backs. From 2009 through 2013, the Texans drafted exactly zero running backs. That's all changed lately. Not only has Houston drafted running backs in each of the past two drafts, they also added high-profile free-agent running back Lamar Miller in March. Miller, like all the skill players the Texans drafted, is fast.
Round 5, pick 159: K.J. Dillon, S, West Virginia | Highlights
My take: Safety is a position where the Texans wanted an upgrade, but as they had so many more pressing needs, they didn't get there. Dillon has a little bit of versatility and could contribute in either safety spot in a pinch, though his greatest impact should come on special teams. Currently the Texans' starters are Andre Hal and Quintin Demps. Worth noting, too: Dillon stepped in for Karl Joseph, a safety who went 14th overall and in whom the Texans had interest had he fallen into their range.
What about the defensive line?: The Texans' defensive line will look a little bit different next season than it did last season because starting defensive end Jared Crick departed in free agency. Some thought they might take a defensive end early in the draft to fill that spot. I could see Devon Still, who signed a futures deal in January and officially became a Texan in March, being part of the mix at defensive end.
Round 5, pick 166*: D.J. Reader, DT, Clemson | Highlights
My take: Reader is a big, strong nose tackle at somewhere around 330 pounds, which is the style the Texans want from a typical nose tackle. Vince Wilfork remains their starter, but depending on his development Reader could offer the Texans some options in the next few years. He was a standout at the Senior Bowl, which has been a theme for the Texans' draft picks this season. One curious element of Reader's history is that he left the team before the 2015 season for personal reasons, returning later that year.
Some defensive depth: The fourth and fifth rounds are mostly places where you find depth, but every so often those players develop into starters. We might not know what to make of fifth-round picks K.J. Dillon and D.J. Reader right away, but that's really what you expect in the fifth round.
*Acquired from Patriots