Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area completed an exhausting study of the last five year's worth of NFL Drafts. The Green Bay Packers led things off at the #1 slot, and the Buffalo Bills managed to rank dead last. Your Houston Texans? As you might expect from a team that up until last year had seasons of 8, 8, 8, and 9 wins, they place right in the middle of the pack at #14. Here's what Maiocco had to say about them:
↵↵↵14. HOUSTON TEXANS
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Number of picks: 38
Still on team: 29
Starters: 11
Best pick: DE Mario Williams, 2006
Worst pick: OT Charles Spencer, 2006
Overall: The Texans have gotten good production from the top of their draft classes. But it hasn't all gone perfectly, either. Left tackle Duane Brown and linebacker Brian Cushing, first-round picks in 2008 and '09, played very well, but were subsequently suspended for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. The team went against conventional wisdom to select Williams over Reggie Bush. In hindsight, Williams was clearly the right call. Williams and linebacker DeMeco Ryans, chosen in the second round, have been to two Pro Bowls apiece. Half of their starters have come through the past five drafts, but it hasn't been good enough to get the Texans to the playoffs.
I'm glad we've verified that Mario Williams is indeed better than Reggie Bush, as this was a topic that clearly needed a thorough rehashing.
↵What really jumped out to me on this list is the number of starters the Texans have claimed in their last five drafts. 11 ties them for third with the Packers and Vikings behind the Titans and Panthers. But I think that number is a bit misleading and can be attributed to a lack of talent on the roster before the Kubiak era began. It's not hard to claim a starting spot if you are say, Troy Nolan, when the players behind you are...uh. I can't even name them. Torri Williams? Likewise, cornerback Kareem Jackson clearly wasn't ready to play, but due to a lack of alternatives, the Texans spent all of last season watching him get picked on by opposing teams.
↵The Texans are what they are at this point: a decent team that drafts decently. When will the next step come? Probably when they start demanding more than competency.
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