The Texans selected fullback Jay Prosch of Auburn with their sixth-round compensatory pick, No. 211 overall. Prosch, 6-foot-1 and 256 pounds, was brought into Reliant Stadium for a visit this offseason. Head coach Bill O'Brien and general manager Rick Smith want tough, versatile players. Prosch appears to fit both criteria and could possibly be used in multiple roles.

"During my visit, I met with the running backs coach, tight ends coach and we sat down and talked about what type of things I'd be doing in their offense," Prosch said in a conference call Saturday. "Everything that I saw were things that I felt extremely comfortable doing and really got me excited about it."

Prosch transferred from Illinois, where he played two seasons, to Auburn in 2012. He moved to be closer to his mother, Iris, when she in the final stages of brain cancer. She passed away shortly after, but Prosch continued playing because he knew it was what she would have wanted. She was always supportive of her son playing football  and he used it as motivation after she passed away.

Receiving a call from the Texans just one day before Mother's Day was definitely bittersweet for Prosch.

"She would be extremely proud," Prosch said. "She was already proud of me, just for playing at Illinois when I first got there. She's always been proud of me and she would be ecstatic and just happy for me I think."

Prosch earned All-American first-team honors from The NFL Draft Report in 2013. Following his transfer to Auburn, he started 18 games where he posted 30 touchdown-resulting blocks, scored two touchdowns on 12 rushing attempts, and caught 10 passes for 114 yards for a score. Prosch offers versatility at his position but considers blocking to be his biggest strength.

"Just being a hard nose, tough guy and basically crushing people," Prosch said. "Also, I think I can execute extremely well and move as well and that's something I'm looking forward to expanding on in my career as an NFL football player."

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