11. 3-4 DE JJ Watt B

Again, I would have gone Amukamara and if I were to go with a 3-4 end, I had Cameron Jordan rated higher on my board. However, I don’t mind this pick. Watt fills a need opposite Mario Williams and is one of the best available.

42. RLB Brooks Reed A

Rush linebacker was, believe it or not, a bigger need for them than cornerback. Their only real rush linebacker was Connor Barwin, a 2009 2^nd round pick who missed all of the 2010 season with an injury. Brooks Reed fits the range well and fills a giant need.

60. CB Brandon Harris A

This could be the steal of the first two rounds. Harris may be short and lack ball skills, but everyone said the same thing about Devin McCourty and a year later McCourty is a Pro Bowler as a rookie. Harris is going to be a great cornerback at the next level. He was a shutdown cornerback all last year until one bad game against Michael Floyd and Notre Dame in their bowl game. He is going to have some trouble with bigger receivers like Floyd was at the next level, but at the same time he held first round pick Jonathan Baldwin to 3 catches for 21 yards and he’s 6-4. Harris lacks athleticism and ball skills, but he makes up for that with hustle and instincts.

127. CB Rashard Carmichael A

Two cornerbacks were needed and Carmichael is a great value in the late 4^th. They may have needed something like a safety or a nose tackle before a 2^nd cornerback, but there’s no denying Carmichael’s value in the late 4^th. I had a 2^nd round grade on him.

144. S Shiloh Keo A-

Keo fits the range decently and fills a huge need at safety. He may lack athleticism and that may limit him from being a starter at safety, but there’s no denying his hustle and heart. He’ll be a great special teamer, worst case scenario.

152. QB TJ Yates B-

Backup quarterback wasn’t a huge need, but they don’t really have a solid backup and Matt Schaub has had injury problems in the past so this makes some sense. It was a little bit of a reach though, but I do like Yates as a backup long term.

214. OT Derek Newton B

They don’t really have a swing tackle behind their starters and Newton is a good value in the 7^th round. A nose tackle and maybe another safety or wide receiver were needed above a backup swing tackle, but no major argument from me here given his value.

254. RLB Cheta Ozougwu A-

They need to get two rush linebackers in this draft given how thin they were at the position. There were better rush linebackers available, but it’s not a huge reach.

Overall:

This was one of my favorite drafts. Their first 4 picks all filled needs and only Watt, in my mind, was even a minor reach. I also like the selection of Keo in the 5^th round and overall I didn’t hate any of their picks. All of them made sense. I think next year is the year that Houston finally breaks out and makes the playoffs. There’s no questions about their offense, with Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, and Andre Johnson. Their defense has always been the problem. In this draft, they spent their first 5 picks on defense and all 5 of them fit the range and made sense. They’ve also added defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, a member of the THCEC club (Terrible Head Coach Excellent Coordinator, including Mike Nolan and Josh McDaniels, among others). I think their defense will be a lot better next year and I think they’re a potential Super Bowl team next year.

Grade: A