HOUSTON -- A wrap-up of the Houston Texans' draft.
Best move: By the time the third round arrived Friday, the Texans absolutely needed a receiver, and they got a good one. I've heard from some around the league who had Jaelen Strong graded much higher than where the Texans took him, which was 70th overall. The trade with the Jets for the pick that landed Strong shipped off DeVier Posey, who likely would have been released at some point if the Texans couldn't find a place for him. This trade was necessary and a good move.
Riskiest move: In order to trade up for inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney, the Texans gave up a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick. It wasn't an especially high price to pay to move up eight spots, but forgoing a fourth-round pick is a bit risky. It's not a round where you'll get sure starters, but it is a round where you can build solid depth.
Most surprising move: First-round pick Kevin Johnson was surprised to hear his name called with the 16th pick. He had no indication the Texans were interested, save two meetings at the combine. Johnson's name was associated with the Texans' selection in the days before the draft, but the Texans kept their interest mostly under wraps. Their information came from sources other than personal meetings. I did think corner was a possibility with that first pick as a future need. The Texans have two starting corners on their roster, so as things currently stand, Johnson will now have the luxury of time as he won't be under pressure to dive right in and be a starter from day one.
File it away: When the Texans fired Gary Kubiak late in the 2013 season, there was a sense around the building that a major rebuild wasn't necessary. In truth, while the Texans did have certain building blocks in place, they also had some serious deficiencies in their roster and certain areas in which the personnel didn't match what the new coaching staff wanted. Nowhere is that more apparent than with what's happened to their group of receivers, which has undergone an extreme makeover. The player synonymous with Texans receivers for the past 12 seasons is gone, but it's more than that. With the trade of Posey, only two receivers who saw playing time under Kubiak remain on the roster. And that number could decrease after the summer to just DeAndre Hopkins.
My take: Every general manager insists he doesn't draft for need, but sometimes doing so in the right places is worth it. The Texans filled needs more clearly this year than they did in last year's draft, and traded up to grab players they saw falling. Without having seen them play a single down, it's impossible to know if those were the right moves. But based on the prospects' histories, they are good players. A tentative thumbs-up to the Texans' 2015 draft.
