The Texans 2014 draft class, selected by the team of Rick Smith and head coach Bill O'Brien, was a success, according to founder, chairman, and CEO Bob McNair.
"I was really pleased," McNair said of the Texans 2014 draft class. "We really got some good players that filled our needs, but we were able to get them on the basis of being the best value at that point in time."
After wrapping up the NFL Draft less than 48 hours earlier, following months of evaluation, everyone seemed to be in good spirits as they enjoyed an afternoon of golf and raised money for charity at the 12th annual Houston Texans Charity Golf Classic at River Oaks Country Club.
On Thursday night, the Texans drafted Jadeveon Clowney with the first-overall pick, a fellow Gamecock that McNair calls "phenomenal." McNair has high hopes for the 6-foot-4, 228-pound former Pitt quarterback, Tom Savage, whom they secured in late in the fourth round with their compensatory pick.
"He's got the attributes that could align as he develops to become a good NFL quarterback," McNair said. "That's what we were looking at. He's big, he's strong, and he really only played two years in college. He's got a lot to learn but he was a guy that Bill (O'Brien) and Rick (Smith) liked early on."
The Texans made just one trade, swapping their first pick in the fourth round with Philadelphia's 19th selection in the third round to grab nose tackle Louis Nix III. McNair was full of praise for Smith, who moved up into the third and gave up a fifth-round pick, for the player they graded a second-round prospect.
"That was really a good move because we brought in a couple of guys at nose tackle and think they're going to be pretty good, but I think Nix, he was the best nose tackle there in the draft," McNair said. "He has a chance to be outstanding and be the type of player that Romeo (Crennel) was looking for. I thought that was really a smart move on Rick's part."
McNair also has full confidence in O'Brien's intelligence and no-nonsense approach to evaluating and coaching players. This week, the team will also announce its list of undrafted free agents who will join rookies in their three-day minicamp which starts Friday.
"We're going to be a solid team," McNair said. "We still have a lot of work to do. These guys coming in are still rookies, but we did a lot to strengthen our offensive line and running the ball is important to us. I think we're in much, much better shape there. I think that our defense is going to be outstanding. You put those things together and you can be a very competitive ball club."
