Throughout the offseason, the Houston Texans have been blasted for not putting their money where their mouths are. General manager Brian Gaine and coach Bill O’Brien repeatedly stressed the importance of protecting Deshaun Watson these past few months, and yet they were unable to nail down proven offensive tackles such as Trent Brown or Donald Penn in free agency.
They also came under much criticism for not keeping hold of safety Tyrann Mathieu whom they were outbid on by the Kansas City Chiefs, and defensive back Kareem Jackson who they failed to approach with a new deal despite coming off of a career year.
The latest round of criticism has come from draft guru’s, lambasting Gaine and the Texans for opting for small school players and reaching for players who otherwise would have fallen to them further down or in free agency. Take Luke Easterling of The Draft Wire who gave Houston a “C” grade, or Pete Prisco of CBS Sports who said they had the “worst” draft in the league.
Yes, risks were taken
There can be no denying that the Texans did indeed take risks this draft. First-round offensive tackle Tytus Howard does come from a small school background and so his experience against the top players is limited. The same can be said for second-round offensive tackle Max Scharping, third-round tight end Kahale Warring out of San Diego State, and cornerbacks Lonnie Johnson of Kentucky and Xavier Crawford of Central Michigan.
Then there is the argument that many of the players they drafted could be seen as ‘projects’. Howard likely would have fallen into the start of round two had Houston not taken him 23rd overall because of areas of his game in which he needs to improve such as his footwork. The same can again be said of Scharping who needs to improve his handwork and upper body strength, while neither cornerback is the finished product at the moment and Warring only received for 637 yards in three years at college.
As a result, there is widespread agreement that what Houston needed were finished products who would come in and impact immediately, but what they got were “one-day” players, essentially wasting the prime of players like J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins.
There is an upside, and it’s prominent
Don’t get me wrong, none of the players Houston drafted are the finished product. They all have areas in which they can grow and improve, but what Gaine and co. did was actually rather clever. They focused on bringing in players who others would overlook, not down to a lack of potential or talent, but due to their schooling. Had many of their picks gone to say the Big 12 schools, they probably wouldn’t have fallen into Houston’s lap.
Howard is rough, but he has excellent size and power, and along with Scharping their stats from college show that they were both arguably two of the best at their position in the draft. When lined up at right tackle, Howard had the second-highest grade of any player in his position out of the 2019 draft class according to Pro Football Focus, while Scharping was the most efficient pass-blocker out of all draft-eligible tackles per PFF.
Then when you take into consideration seventh-round full back Cullen Gillaspia who at 6-2 and with three seasons at Texas A&M as a linebacker under his belt has potential as a blocker on the offense, as well as free agent signings Darren Fells, who is primarily a blocking tight end, and Matt Kalil who has experience in the NFL at a Pro-Bowl level, but whom they signed on a seemingly minimal deal should he not pan out, and the Texans have been cunning. They have succeeded in achieving what they set out to do, protect Deshaun Watson.
Fells is experienced and is a plug and play starter, Kalil, if he can stay healthy, will be a reliable backup or solid starter when needed, not to mention a good mentor for their rookie tackles. Gillaspia is a nice extra piece for the mix, with the ability to block, as well as in both the run and passing game.
Then we come back to Warring. Did the Texans desperately need yet another tight end? No. However, he has excellent athletic ability and is clearly intelligent enough to pick up sports quickly given his experience in water sports, basketball, tennis, cross country, and football. With quality coaching from former TE coach and current offensive coordinator Tim Kelly and guidance by the veterans such as Fells, Warring has a very high ceiling as a receiving threat. And when considering that TE Ryan Griffin is already 29, coming off of a sports hernia, another mediocre season, and an arrest, perhaps this wasn’t such a pointless selection, given that only Jordan Thomas has really stood out at the position for the Texans.
When we get to the secondary, Houston made some bold decisions. In gutting their group by letting Kayvon Webster, Kevin Johnson, Tyrann Mathieu, Shareece Wright and Kareem Jackson all go, they not only cut off some of the dead wood that had been under producing for quite some time, but they gave the room a breath of fresh air and let everybody know that nobody is safe and they all have to fight for their spot. Adding free-agent defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun was a smart move. Former NFL safety Solomon Wilcots told the Texans Wire that “Briean Boddy-Calhoun is a player that’s really, I think he’s poised and prepared to be a full-time starter.”
Then there is 26-year-old former first-round pick with the Denver Broncos Bradley Roby. Brought in on a one-year $10 million prove-it-or-leave deal, Roby is an experienced Super Bowl winner with speed to burn, something that has been lacking from Houston’s defense for some years. He may not have lived up to his high draft pick, but he has potential and perhaps a change of scenery and coaching staff is what he needs to click. Even if he doesn’t work out, on a short-term deal the Texans have little to lose and everything to gain.
Finally, safety Tashaun Gipson was brought in to replace Mathieu. Given a three-year deal, this plug and play veteran is excellent against tight ends and will be a very solid starter from day one alongside Justin Reid. With veterans such as him and Boddy-Calhoun on the roster, Johnson and Crawford can be eased into the lineup and given time to practice and mature.
Then we get to arguably Houston’s best pick in the draft. Defensive end Charles Omenihu was selected in the fifth-round, which given the fact he was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2018 after he recorded 9.5 sacks on the year, is a steal. Houston had a need here with Christian Covington departed for Dallas, and Joel Heath continuing to under perform. Omenihu won’t have to start right away with Jadeveon Clowney, J.J. Watt, and Duke Ejiofor all available which will give him time to polish his craft. At 6-5 and 280 pounds, he has all the measurables and power you could want in the position and showed the production in college to match. If coached correctly, he could prove to be a big-time player.
Did Houston miss out in positions of need?
The Texans have a need for depth at both wide receiver and running back. Injuries all but emptied out their receiving corps last year, forcing the likes of rookie out of Limestone College Vyncint Smith and return specialist DeAndre Carter into the lineup. Whilst at running back, with the departure of Alfred Blue, they are left with just two real options at the position in Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman.
Many have issues with the team’s decision to pass on available receivers and backs in the draft, but by doing so they landed some bargains in free agency who could make a real difference. Karan Higdon is a back with real potential, who said; “teams were hesitant due to my surgery.” But his ability cannot be ignored, as stated by Mark Lane:
Higdon rushed for 2,616 yards and scored 27 touchdowns on 471 carries through his four seasons at Michigan. The 2018 first-team All-Big Ten member also caught 16 passes for 177 yards.
Then at wide receiver, they were able to bring in both Johnnie Dixon out of Ohio State and Tyron Johnson out of Oklahoma State among others. Both players have great speed, with Dixon running the 40 in 4.41 seconds, and Johnson in 4.34, and both had decent production in their final year’s in college with Dixon receiving for 669 yards, and Johnson 845.
Each of these individuals has potential and ability, and while they may not have been draft picks, in a year where there were few stand out offensive weapons, they could all prove to be great finds.
Expensive times are coming
Finally, we get to one of the biggest sticking points of them all, money. Gaine has been criticized for not handing Jadeveon Clowney a new deal or offering enough to keep Tyrann Mathieu, but there is a good reason to be careful with their currently sizable cap space. Within the next four years, Clowney, Watson, Watt, Hopkins, and Will Fuller among others will all be in line for new deals/extensions. That means huge expenditures are coming their way, so being frugal now to spare change for the future may well prove to be smart business in the long run.
And yes, they could have currently afforded to bring in a Trent Brown or Tyrann Mathieu, but the players they drafted each has genuinely high ceilings despite their small school origins.
Many will disagree, but Gaine has been cunning
Originally, I was very much under the impression that Gaine was being cheap and too cautious in both free agency and the draft. However, if you look more closely at each player’s abilities and potential ceiling, as well as what they offer either instantly or in the long run, it can be argued that the Texans have worked their way into a strong five-year-plus run, rather than just focusing on 2019.
