Houston Texans Draft: ‘We just tried to add good football players’

The Houston Texans had an interesting three days for the 2021 NFL Draft, as they kept quiet on Thursday, then on Friday they made some noise by drafting a quarterback. By the time Saturday rolled around, it was time to make trades and move up a bit on the final day.

All in all, it will take some time to see how well this draft class will turn out, but this franchise already made many moves this offseason, and well, the Houston Texans did what they thought was best over this past weekend.

In his Day 3 press conference following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL Draft, Texans general manager Nick Caserio was asked if he was able to accomplish what he wanted in this draft.

In comments provided by the Houston Texans official web site, Caserio was quoted with the following comments:

"“Again, we just tried to add good football players that are good people, that aren’t afraid of competition, that are selfless and that are tough. They have certain skills or attributes relative to their position that we think they can add to our team and that we can look to improve or develop.”"

The very last part of the above quote is important because basically every selection for the Houston Texans in this draft is a player who will have to develop over this season, and most likely, future seasons.

The Houston Texans selection of Davis Mills with the 67th overall pick in the third round was unexpected, even for Mills. as he said the Texans didn’t call him before the pick was made. This was the most intriguing pick by the Texans in the 2021 NFL Draft because it not only said the Texans are planning for life without Deshaun Watson, but they were keeping that pick extra close to the vest so to speak.

For Mills, it will be interesting to hear about how he progresses this offseason and throughout 2021, but it is likely we won’t be watching him on the field this upcoming season unless he just forces his way into the starting lineup if Watson isn’t playing in ’21.

The pick of Nico Collins at 89th overall was one of need and a solid choice at that point in the draft. Collins will be able to help out on the wide receiver depth chart because other than Brandin Cooks, who really has secured a starter’s role for ’21?

Collins’ final season at Michigan was 2019 as he didn’t play in ’20. Collins in ’19 totaled 37 receptions for 729 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 19.7 yards per reception. With Collins he could play opposite of Cooks, and this was the best pick of the draft by the Texans this past weekend. Collins is the rookie that will make the most impact for the franchise in ’21.

The Houston Texans stayed with offense in Round 5 with Brevin Jordan, a University of Miami tight end, and this too is a pick that could be surprising once training camp begins and he works with head coach David Culley with Tim Kelly as the offensive coordinator.

Houston needs to improve at tight end this season, and maybe Jordan can work his way into the rotation in ’21. Though the Texans needed to add to their defense more, the addition of Jordan is a good player to have on the offense.

The pass catching ability is there for the rookie Jordan, but as his NFL.com draft profile states, his blocking abilities need to improve. If that happens, this selection could be a steal that could really help the future of this franchise.

Houston’s remaining draft consisted of defense with linebacker Garret Wallow (TCU) and defensive lineman Roy Lopez (Arizona).

Again, without a first- or second-round pick this was an average draft for the Texans, and one that will help add depth to the franchise, but a draft that still is intriguing with the addition of Mills, Collins and Jordan on the offense.