A late season look at the Texans 2014 draft class.

Nov 23, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (90) prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Today the Texans, with hesitation and resigned acceptance placed the 2014, #1 overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney on IR for the rest of the season. Coach Bill O’Brien announced by saying: “I just want to start off with an update on Jadeveon Clowney. We met as an organization this morning with all of our medical personnel, doctors, trainers. We came to the decision that in the best interest of JD is that we will place him on injured reserve and he will have surgery on his right knee. I will not get into the details of what type of surgery it is or when it is. I just respectfully ask you not to ask those questions. But we think it’s in the best interest of JD and our team right now to do that for him, and then as soon he is able to start rehabbing his knee he will rehab very hard and he will be back at some point in the near future.”

This is a great time to take a late season look at the Texans 2014 draft class. Leading the list for the Texans is Jadeveon Clowney, who can only considered a bust for the season. I know the term “bust” carries a lot of negativity and that’s fine, for my purposes I use it in context of this season and what each player has done so far. The Texans started the season off with the first pick of the draft. Opting to go with with the most physically impressive player, Clowney instead of grabbing a quarterback at the top slot, or trading back to scoop up a larger load. At the time it was seen as a gamble with the Texans having no franchise quarterback on the roster. They made a safe move that for this season, bit them on the rear.

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Clowney season ends as it began, under the knife of a surgeon. Clowney’s OTA and training camp was delayed due to a sports hernia surgery, followed by a concussion then the first game of the season he did not complete as an errant landing caused a meniscus tear in his knee. That knee injury doomed his season before it began. Clowney and Watt, a fearsome duo never materialized. Instead, as the season progressed and Clowney either sat out due to the knee, or the flu and chose to play on social media during a game the fans have lost faith in him. The team has not and stands behind him. However Clowney will have to prove in 2015 that he was worthy of the #1 slot in the draft by working his tail off starting now.

After Clowney the Texans selected guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, who along with Alfred Blue is one of the lone success of the draft. While not a starter in his own right yet, Su’a-Filo has made great progress and get’s his share of snaps. Su’a-Filo is well on his path to a good career in the NFL and the Texans are better for drafting him this season. A real teachable player his improvement has been quite evident as the season has progressed.

Coming in third is a player I was very excited for who just hasn’t done anything to stand out. C.J. Fiedorowicz, tight end from Iowa. A tall, strong player who was selected for his ability block but also showed signs he could be used in the passing game. Alas his run and pass blocking has been modest and his has a sum total of 2 catches on 4 targets for 16 yards. That’s just not cutting it. I can’t say he’s a bust, but he has been an overall non-factor so far in 2014.
Nov 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans guard Xavier Su
After C.J. was the Texans surprise pick up, and much talked about steal of Louis Nix III in the third round as he was at one point considered a possible first or second round talent. Nix stock dropped his final year in college as knee injuries and a broken foot during the combine pushed him back. However, Nix quickly faded from view as talk of his health related issues got louder and his ability to perform was in doubt. Nix went on IR and the Texans signed veteran Ryan Pickett almost literally off the street. While Nix’s 2014 season was certainly a bust Pickett has been a real boon for the defense.

Look tomorrow for a continuation of our breakdown of the 2014 draft class and where they stand.

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*Quotes provided courtesy of the Houston Texans PR Department.