Houston Texans 2014 NFL Draft Grades

Posted By Chris Ransom

Houston Texans: Jadevon Clowney, DE/OLB, South Carolina

Houston Texans Day 1 Draft Grade: (A-) Clowney has been phenomenal for Houston so far. The top pick cut down his weight from 277-pounds to 266 lbs. He is looking like a natural as a pass-rusher and run-stopper. One thing head coach Bill O’Brien worked on with this defense was coverage. He wants the linebackers and the defensive backs to be naturals in coverage on certain passing situations like third and long. Clowney’s coverage has improved vastly under Bill O’Brien’s scheme. Houston has to win and Clowney has to produce before you give the Texans an A or A+ grade for drafting Clowney.

Houston Texans 2014 Day 2 Picks

Team	Round	Overall Pick	Player	Position	College
	Round 2	33rd Overall Pick	Xavier Su’a Filo	LG
	Round 3	65th Overall Pick	C.J. Fiedorowicz	TE
	Round 3	83rd Overall Pick	Louis Nix	NT

Houston Texans Day 2 Draft Grade: (B-) Houston made some solid day 2 picks. Adding Xavier Su’a Filo as a left guard to replace Wade Smith was brilliant. Houston found a starter to solidify the offensive line. Bringing back former right tackle Eric Winston to compete with Derek Newton for the starting right tackle job, solves Houston’s issue at right tackle for the short term giving the Texans’ an offensive line that should do well opening up running lanes for Arian Foster while protecting the quarterback. C.J. Fiedorowicz was supposed to be a sleeper because he displays impressive route running. He can barely hold his own with backup tight end Ryan Griffin. Fidorowicz could be a third-string tight end in Houston. Louis Nix should still be a steal starting at nose tackle. His knee surgery makes you question how well he will perform in Houston. That is why Houston gets a B- grade instead of a B grade after seeing some of these players regress. Not taking a quarterback until day 3 also impacts this team in a negative way.

Houston Texans Day 3 Draft Picks Slideshow

Houston Texans Day 3 Draft Grade: (C-) Houston passed on A.J. McCarron and Zach Mettenberger for Tom Savage. Savage is listed as a third string quarterback behind Ryan Fitzpatrick and Case Keenum. Houston addressed needs by taking Pagan and Ballentine. The Texans’ failed to add a right tackle or a 3-4 middle linebacker to compliment Brian Cushing. Houston had a horrible day 3 draft. The Texans barely avoid a D grade because they drafted for need on day 3.