Houston Texans draft: What to love, what to hate
By Randy Gurzi
What to love: Value!
The Houston Texans were able to get some great value with some of their selections. In fact, the value they got was praised by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports, who put two of the team’s draft picks in his list of the 20 biggest draft bargains.
The players he chose for that honor were third round pick, wide receiver Braxton Miller, and my favorite pick of the weekend, D.J. Reader, the massive nose tackle from Clemson who was snatched in the fifth round.
"Another Houston pick I really liked. Reader, a former Clemson baseball player, is a freaky athlete. He told me he once was clocked at throwing a pitch at 94 MPH in high school despite weighing 321. He also can do a split despite that massive size. He can overwhelm guys with his burst and leverage. Reader did have an up-and-down career at Clemson. A big part of that was his struggling to deal with the death of his father in 2014 and he left the team for awhile."
With Vince Wilfork nearing the end of his time in the NFL, Houston had the smarts to grab the incredibly athletic Reader, who should have no problem sliding into the starting role come 2017. After giving this young man a full season to learn from one of the veterans in the game, the sky will be the limit.
Another pick that should be on this list is the second round selection of Notre Dame center, Chris Martin. A three-year starter in South Bend, Martin is the younger brother of the Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl guard, Zack Martin and shares the same football IQ and toughness that his older brother has.
After losing their former starter Ben Jones as well as their right guard Brandon Brooks this offseason, the selection of a smart player who moved all along the o-line was a great move.
Next: More of what to love