Mining of gems possible in round 3
Reid a prime example of discovering help without No. 1 or 2 pick
The last time the Texans didn’t have first- and secondround draft choices was in 2018 when they selected safety Justin Reid and tight end Jordan Akins in the third round.
Reid is a threeyear starter and one of the team’s best defensive players. Akins has played in 45 games, including 20 starts. In 2020, while sharing time with Darren Fells, Akins had 37 catches for 403 yards and a touchdown.
When the draft begins next week, it will be the third time in four years the Texans won’t have a first-round pick and the second time they’ve waited until the third round to make their first selection — barring a trade by general manager Nick Caserio.
In response to a question last week about how difficult it is to prepare for a draft when a team doesn’t pick until the third round, Caserio said, “Quite frankly, not difficult at all.”
Caserio went on to explain how he’d been in that situation with New England in 2017, when the Patriots didn’t pick until the third round and had four selections overall.
“I think the most important thing is to evaluate the players, have an understanding of the board top to bottom, and whatever opportunity you have to pick, be ready to pick the player you feel most comfortable with,” he said.
Even though Caserio has acquired 38 players in trades and free agency, the Texans still have needs on both sides of the ball. In the draft, coach David Culley and his staff need players who’ll compete for starting jobs and provide depth.
Caserio has put the Texans in position to use their selections on the best player available. In other words, Caserio shouldn’t be too picky making his picks.
The Texans’ 2018 draft is an example of how a team can use its selections to bolster a roster without picks in the first two rounds.
In 2018, when general manager Brian Gaine was in charge of his first draft, the Texans also came away with offensive tackle Martinas Rankin, another thirdround pick who was sandwiched between Reid and Akins.
Once Gaine was fired in June 2019 and Bill O’Brien was given control of the roster, he traded Rankin to Kansas City for running back Carlos Hyde, who produced the best season of his
career with a team-leading 1,070 yards. He helped the Texans win the AFC South and beat Buffalo in a wildcard playoff game.
After making the three third-round picks in 2018, the Texans selected receiver Keke Coutee in the fourth round. After spending most of his first two seasons injured or in O’Brien’s doghouse, Coutee was impressive over the second half of last season.
Coutee played in eight games, including four starts down the stretch when Will Fuller was suspended and Randall Cobb was injured. Coutee contributed 33 catches for 400 yards (12.1 average) and three touchdowns — all career highs.
Having first- and second-round picks is no guarantee of success, of course. Teams blow draft choices all the time, even when they have multiple selections in the first two rounds.
In their first 19 drafts, including general managers Charley Casserly and Rick Smith preceding Gaine, O’Brien and Caserio, the Texans took quite a few productive players after the first two rounds.
Dating to 2003 — the second draft in team history — running back Domanick Davis, a fourth-round pick, is the kind of addition Culley could use in his backfield. Davis, who changed his last name to Williams, was the Texans’ first 1,000-yard rusher.
Could offensive coordinator Tim Kelly use a left tackle like Eric Winston and a tight end like Owen Daniels? Of course he could. They were thirdand fourth-round picks in 2006, and they became starters under Gary Kubiak. Both played vital roles in helping the Texans win their first AFC South title and playoff game in 2011.
To improve the return game, Caserio signed receiver Andre Roberts, a perennial Pro Bowl selection as a kick returner. If the Texans could draft a return guy like Jacoby Jones — selected in the third round in 2007 — there would be no need to invest in a veteran returner like Roberts.
The Texans never seem to have enough defensive backs. After having so much stability with cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson, they now have a revolving door for defensive backs. Perhaps Caserio can find one like safety Glover Quin, a fourth-round pick in 2009 who became one of their better defensive players before leaving in free agency.
And finally, we all know the Texans need to elevate their performance in the defensive line. They need linemen who can stop the run and get after the quarterback. Stopping the run was D.J. Reader’s trademark.
Reader was a fifth-round pick in 2016 who started on three AFC South championship teams in his four seasons before not being re-signed last year.
Yes, Caserio, Culley and the coaching staff would love to draft players like those current and former Texans chosen after the first two rounds.
During his 13 years as the Patriots’ director of player personnel, Caserio was Bill Belichick’s righthand man. Belichick had final say on all personnel decisions and relied heavily on Caserio and the personnel department to make recommendations.
During that period, some prominent Patriots drafted after the first two rounds were receiver Julian Edelman (seventh round), offensive tackle Michael Onwenu (sixth), linebacker Elandon Roberts (sixth), offensive tackle Marcus Cannon (fifth), guard Shaq Mason (fourth), defensive end Trey Flowers (fourth), defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. (fourth), running back James White (fourth), guard Joe Thuney (third), safety Duron Harmon (third) and running back Damien Harris (third).
And don’t forget Matthew Slater, one of the most decorated special teams players in NFL history. He was a fifth-round pick in 2008, Caserio’s first draft as player personnel director.
With Caserio overseeing personnel for the first time in his career, he’s listening to his personnel people and coaches, but there’ll be no second-guessing about who’s making the draft choices for the Texans.