Texans guard/center Antoine Caldwell, a third-round draft pick out of Alabama in 2009, spoke to the Houston media about his former teammate Kareem Jackson this afternoon in a conference call.
"You're going to get a fiery guy, a competitor, super intelligent," Caldwell said of the Texans' 2010 first-round pick. "I think what kind of set him apart in the draft and the reason why we kind of got him is because of how physical he is. I think he's probably the most physical corner in the draft."
Caldwell was one of eight players in Alabama history to serve as a two-time captain. He was the first Crimson Tide player ever to graduate in less than three years. He praised Jackson's work ethic, saying it's what allowed him to start 12 games as a freshman in 2007.
"A lot of guys when they're new and they're freshmen that come in, they don't really know what to expect, so sometimes maybe they lack the work ethic or staying late or doing the extra that you need to do," Caldwell said. "He never had a problem with any of that and he kind of just stepped right in. And of course, since he was so smart and could catch on so quickly, he was able to play right away."
Jackson might be called upon to start immediately for the Texans as a rookie. Judging by Caldwell's comments, and Frank Bush's remarks yesterday about Jackson **being the most NFL-ready corner available** when the Texans picked at No. 20, he should be up for the challenge.
