Recapping the Houston Texans Draft

The Texans came into this draft with two major issues, inconsistent QB play and could not generate pressure on the QB. This class did not present a clear cut franchise QB prospect but it did present a clear cut elite POTENTIAL pass rusher.
The Texans I thought made the right decision taking the best PROSPECT in the draft with Clowney. Notice I highlighted POTENTIAL & PROSPECT when talking about Clowney, he is not a sure fire can't miss prospect. First of all, there is no sure can't fire can't miss prospect, it doesn't exist. But two things usually can derail an elite prospect when coming into the league, work ethic and durability. Clowney does not have any durability question marks but he has a ton of concerns about his work ethic. This isn't surprising as most #1 overall prospects coming out of high school have never had to work as hard as others because they were so much more talented than their opponent. They didn't have to work as hard to be successful. That will not be the case in the NFL though and it remains to be seen how Clowney will handle that at the next level.
A concern I have not heard anyone mention is Clowney is going to have to make a position change to succeed in the pros. He will have to play outside linebacker in the Texans 3-4 scheme atleast on early downs in the two-point stance. Someone who doesn't reportedly work as hard having to change positions is a red flag to me.
However when he is on, he can dominate and take over a game. He can demand consistent double teams to protect the QB, he can strike the opponent and cause a fumble and give any tackle trouble with his burst and speed to turn the corner. Factor in he will be playing with JJ Watt and this gives them an insanely talented defensive line...potentially.
Now the Texans did have 9 other picks to continue to upgrade their team. Here is what else they got.
ROUND 2 (33RD OVERALL)
Xavier Su’a-Filo, UCLA, #56
Game Film Evaluated: Stanford (2013) Arizona State (2013)
Pros: Good burst off the snap. Keeps legs driving in run blocking and can get a push. Keeps working to finish blocks. He can effectively slide off one man to stunting or delayed blitzer. Versatile as started at LG but moved to LT when starter got hurt. Athletic to pull and get in space. Held his own vs Will Sutton. Keeps his balance well, rarely ever ends up on the ground.
Cons: Waist bender and will at times miss his target as he’s over extending. Doesn’t keep moving his feet as a tackle, sometimes drops his head and can be countered easily. He can get to the second level. Not athletic or quick enough to recover when beaten which hurts ability at tackle. Will have trouble with great 3-techniques. Not the quickest feet, struggles to reset his feet when beaten. Leads to holding calls. He’s a grabber, needs to keep hands inside the rusher. He can pull but not fluid to change directions to hit athletic moving targets
Summary: A solid guard who offers some verstality. He fits as a guard in the pros in either scheme, probably best in an angle scheme so he can pull. Needs help with his footwork to help vs quick penetrating defensive tackles he will face at the next level. Not ready to start as a rookie unless he takes to coaching well. Not as good a prospect as Larry Warford from Kentucky but looks like 3rd round pick.
ROUND 3 (65TH OVERALL)
CJ Fiedorowicz, TE from Iowa
Tight End became a need after the Texans moved on from Owen Daniels in the offseason and CJ fills that need immediately. Another player who had some question marks about work ethic, teams without a lot of self-starters are often the teams that get the overrated label. He can be a very good receiver and a average to above average blocker. He is athletic to be split out as a receiver and beat a linebacker in coverage and down the seam. I had CJ as a mid-3rd round pick and taken little early but no issues with this pick.
Round 3 (83rd Overall)
Louis Nix III, Notre Dame, #1 Game Film Evaluated: Michigan (2013) Michigan State (2013) Pros: Cannot be moved from the 1-technique, can disengage from the lineman but not consistently. He has impressive strength to hold at the point. He can pursue plays to the edge of the tackle box. Shows some impressive rip moves to get some pressure but rarely. Has a good bull rush.
Cons: You expect a tackle this big and strong to destroy lineman when matched up 1 on 1 but that doesn’t happen.
Summary: Sure looks like a two-gap nose tackle or a 1-technique in a stay at home clog the middle type scheme. He is now a 2-down run stuffer who can’t give much in the pass rush with any consistency. 3rd Round Value.
Round 4 (135th Overall)
Tom Savage, Pittsburgh, #7 Game Film Evaluated: Florida State (2013) Notre Dame (2013) North Carolina (2013)
Pros: Works under center, had to stand tall in pocket with pressure in his face. Throws a tight spiral and puts it accurate for his receivers. He can get a lot of zip on his passes. Very strong to withstand pressure and still get the ball away. He can progress through his reads. Average athlete. Took a lot of punishment at Pitt.
Cons: Constantly under pressure and sometimes, he doesn’t recognize it fast enough. Reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger with regard to his pocket presence. His accuracy goes when he faces pressure in his face. Footwork is pretty good but accuracy struggles at times still. Little late on his throws especially over the middle.
Summary: I am very intrigued about Savage, I see loads of potential with him as a professional QB. I like the size, arm, throws with anticipation, has the look of a pro quarterback. His flaws are correctable but will take work and patience. He has the look of a pure pocket passer who is too much a statue back there to hurt his OL but its worked for Roethlisberger, why not for Savage. I see a 2nd round QB who could go to a team at the back of the 1st round who has an aging QB without any severe holes like Denver?
Draft Summary: The Texans got I feel four Day 1 starters with this draft. My favorite pick was getting Nix and Savage in the middle rounds. The nose tackle makes the 3-4 defense go and frees up the linebackers to go make plays. Then to get a QB who has a great arm, stands tall in the pocket despite getting pressure and can fire the ball with anticipation gives them a guy with a lot of upside. I didn't have any notes on their 6th and 7th round picks so could not use that for or against them in the evaluation. I wasn't crazy about the UCLA guard at the top of the 2nd round, there were better players there like LaMarcus Joyner as a playmaker in the secondary or Cyrus Kouandjio as a 1st round value tackle. I always worry about drafting guys who aren't self-starters in the work ethic department, those guys tend to not develop fast enough to break into a starting lineup.