Houston Texans draft prospect: Eric Barriere, EWU

The Houston Texans cannot look past Eric Barriere’s achievements.

The Houston Texans may have the quarterback of the future in Davis Mills, but Eric Barriere (pronounced “berry-eh”) lit up the Big Sky Conference and FCS playoffs for the last four seasons. In his time at Eastern Washington (no, he wasn’t teammates with Cooper Kupp), Barriere racked up 13,670 passing yards in four years, with 120 passing touchdowns.

A big part of Barriere’s numbers was his insane performance against Idaho in early October of last season, where he completed 26 out of 35 passes for 600 yards and seven(!) touchdowns. He also added a rushing score for a combined eight total touchdowns.

Barriere won the Walter Payton Award, the FCS’ version of the Heisman.

Positives:

• Incredible deep passing ability, the ball only leaving his hand once it’s at top dead center
• Accurate enough to throw the ball on the sides of defender’s
• Can use his legs to do damage, as freshman and sophomore stats show
• Leadership is a strong suit, leading his team to the 2019 FCS Championship game

Negatives

• First three years his numbers were all over the place; consistency needs improving
• Doesn’t take the steps to protect himself as a runner
• Concerns about his small frame may be reasons he falls in drafts

Could Eric Barriere be a late-round Houston Texans draft pick?

Establishing depth is always on the to-do list for an NFL GM. Nick Caserio would be wise to invest a pick on Barriere, as Jeff Driskel is a tight end now, and Deshaun Watson is most likely on his way out.

Barriere needs a lot of work, but the raw skills are there. There could even be a point that Barriere gets used as a wildcat quarterback due to his mobility and incredible deep ball skills. Therefore, it would be in Houston’s best interest to keep Barriere in case Mills has a sophomore slump.