Houston Texans: All-Time draft picks by round

Round 5: D. J. Reader (2016)

This was yet another nice job by the Houston Texans front office when they found D.J. Reader in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and what a player he turned into during his four seasons with the team from 2016-19. Reader this offseason left the Texans in free agency to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals, who made him the highest paid nose tackle in the league.

That contract was well-deserved by Reader as he signed a four-year, $53 million deal, and everyone should be excited for him because how often does a fifth-round pick (166th overall) go on to be the highest-paid player at his position in the history of the league?

Since joining the NFL in ’16, Reader has career totals of 6.5 sacks as a nose tackle, with 2.5 of those in ’19. Also last season, Reader finished with 52 combined tackles, 28 of those being solo, along with six tackles for loss13 QB hits, plus his PFF.com grade was 86.7.

The Texans are losing a player that made others around him better, and the defensive line will be affected without him on the roster for the 2020 season and beyond. Reader was an excellent selection in the fifth round, and at least the memories are still with the Texans.