Houston Texans 2014 NFL Draft Wrap-up
Aug 31, 2013; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz (86) makes a touchdown catch against Northern Illinois Huskies linebacker Jamaal Bass (6) during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Overall Draft Evaluation
Where they went right:
The Texans this draft went right in that they decided to focus on defense with Clowney and Nix. Those additions give the Texans a defensive front seven that should be one of the most fearsome in the league next year. Nix is a mammoth lineman and Clowney is an all-around prolific pass-rusher. Along with J.J. Watt, the Texans should be able to stop anyone next year without a doubt. One the offensive side of the ball, they made a wise decision in going with an offensive guard and some other blocking help. Tom Savage seems to have the skills, he just needs some improving over the off-season. I think getting a QB in general was the right move considering Ryan Fitzpatrick probably isn’t the best QB to be leading your football team. The Texans job from here on out is to nurture Savage and teach him so that he can become that NFL-ready QB we know he can be.
Where they went wrong:
A lot of their picks had the right idea in mind, however they could have selected much better talent considering what was still on the board. While having defensive ends and tackles and secondary personnel is nice, I think that they definitely should have picked up an outside or inside linebacker (but they didn’t). Don’t get me wrong I think that Tom Savage is a good QB, I think though getting Derek Carr at the beginning of the second round would have been a better decision considering that the majority of the offensive guards went in the third round. As well another thing that the Texans totally missed was in the fact that they only have two reliable receivers. Sure Graham and Fiedorowicz can be productive as TEs, but other than DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Johnson, they don’t have anybody on the receiving end for Tom Savage to sling it to. Had they selected perhaps an unknown receiver in the 6th round, they could have gotten a sleeper who would give Savage at least SOME help out there. While their selections were good in theory, they should have selected production over skill analysis.
The Bottom Line: B+
Their offensive line is set and their defense is stacked. All they need is to get their offense clicking and they should see massive improvement going into the 2014 season.