Without a first and second-round pick, how does the Texans draft strategy change in this year's NFL Draft?

"I think once you get into the middle of the second round all the way through the third, fourth and down the road there, you really have to put your due diligence into the tape, the school visit, bringing them on campus, the Combine interview, how much football does he know, if there were some character questions in the past or some medical questions, you get them answered here or things like that," head coach Bill O'Brien said on Texans Radio. "It's not like it requires more work, but it's a little bit more time-consuming than the first-rounders."

Players selected in the first round are generally not a surprise, though where they end up may change on Draft Day, according to O'Brien. The NFL Scouting Combine is currently underway at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis where all 32 teams are conducting evaluations of over 300 prospects. The interview portion will be essential in determining whether a player is potentially a good fit for the Texans.

"The opportunity to come here and to evaluate the players on a personal level, the interview portion, the medical portion equally as well, but it's a chance to get to know these guys to know exactly what you're getting when they come into the building," general manager Brian Gaine said Wednesday. "For the most part, we want to get to know who they are, we want to get to know what their support system is and we'd like to talk about football as much as we can, but we need to know everything we can to find out about these players so when they come into our building that they're a good fit for us in the locker room, in the weight room, in the training room, in the meeting rooms and on the practice field."

The Texans, with eight picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, will not make a draft selection until the third round (68th overall). Houston traded spots with the Cleveland Browns last year to draft Deshaun Watson with the 12th overall pick. The Browns also have Houston's second-round pick following the Brock Osweiler trade.

Below are the Texans' eight selections, by round and overall pick.
3rd Round (68th overall)
3rd Round (80th overall, from Seattle)
3rd Round (98th overall, compensatory)
4th Round (103rd overall)
6th Round (177th overall)
6th Round (211th overall, compensatory)
6th Round (214th overall, compensatory)
7th Round (222nd overall)

The 2018 NFL Draft takes place Thursday, April 26 through Saturday, April 28.

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