NFL Draft: Houston Texans best 15 picks of all-time

Aug 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of a Houston Texans helmet sits on the bench against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Texans may be a young franchise, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t made some shrewd picks, here is a look at their best 15 draft picks ever

Successful NFL franchises are built through the draft, plain and simple. In a salary cap era, it’s important to find young talent that’s always be ready to step in and play at a high level.

The issue though, is that the draft itself is an inexact science. Some of the brightest minds in the league struggle to make the correct call on players.

There are also those who simply don’t translate well from college to pros. These players look to be stars and get picked early only to struggle and fade away, or some even just burn out quickly. Then there are those who get picked up in the later rounds, only to become stars in the NFL.

Since their first draft in 2002, the Houston Texans have been on both sides of the equation. There have been first round selections that never panned out, like quarterback David Carr, and there have been late round players who became long-time starters, like 7th round pick tackle Derek Newton.

We decided to take a look at the top 15 players selected by the NFL’s youngest franchise and offer up our reasons why each was chosen as one of the better draft moves by the Houston Texans.

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