Bill O'Brien has already talked about 2020 being a veteran kind of year. A big part of that is because of the lack of an offseason program. This puts a premium on rookies who have a reasonable chance to come in and contribute sooner rather than later.
Normally, we'd soon have a gigantic rookie camp taking place at the Houston Methodist Training Center, complete with extra tryout players. Then we'd transition into full squad practices. None of this is happening. Not for now, anyway.
So the Texans went for players who could best and most quickly live up to being dependable, tough and smart pros. When you look at the five man class, they appear to have a group that has the goods to be up for the task.
The defensive front rotation already looked pretty deep, but second rounder Ross Blacklock should be a nice addition to the mix. And competition makes everyone better.
The same could be said for Jonathan Greenard, who has an opportunity to fortify the edge rush crew.
Charlie Heck is a coach's son who will have no problem understanding what's expected of him as he becomes a pro. And cornerback John Reid is someone Bill O'Brien has studied since he's been in high school.
Add Rhode Island wide out Isaiah Coulter to the group and you have players with a lot of potential, and the smarts and drive to make the most of it.
Familiarity seemed to be a theme in choosing the five players. Everything from O'Brien's relationship with Florida coach Dan Mullen to the fact that URI coach Jim Fleming worked at O'Brien's alma mater, Brown, in the early 90s.
The biggest aspect of the draft, for now, is that it's yielded known commodities for the Texans. Laremy Tunsil, Brandin Cooks, Duke Johnson and Gareon Conley were all acquired with picks from 2020. The team is already better off with these players while we wait for dividends to be paid on those selected this weekend.
The early 'grades' of the class look good from the pundits but none of that matters. It's all about on-field performance and contributing to a winning culture that can help propel the Texans to where they've never been before.
The important thing is for these players to start fast, show improvement and continue adding to their game. This is just the beginning.
