Texans boost poor rush defense with solid draft

It's almost impossible to ace the NFL Draft, but each year someone comes close -- and this year that someone was the Houston Texans. Nearly everywhere they looked they found value with their choices, with pass rusher Connor Barwin in the second round and multi-purpose tight James Casey in the fifth two examples.

"We feel like we were very fortunate," said general manager Rick Smith. "But we're clear about where these players fit on our team and what they can do for us. In a couple of instances we got some versatility, but we also got a group of leaders who add toughness, athleticism and speed to our team. I like this group."

Glover Quin from New Mexico can play inside and outside as a defensive back. (Getty Images)

I do, too. The Texans went into the draft looking to bolster the league's 22nd-ranked defense, and they succeeded -- with three of their first four picks, including first-rounder Brian Cushing, on that side of the ball. They wanted to another running back, too, to complement starter Steve Slaton, but they failed there and so what? They still have Chris Brown, and maybe he's the answer.

Besides, they found a couple of running backs Monday in Tennessee's Arian Foster and Oregon's Jeremiah Johnson, both of whom were signed as undrafted free agents. Foster is a big back with deceptive speed. Johnson is short and shifty and a good receiver out of the backfield. Maybe one of them sticks. But if he doesn't it doesn't change my opinion. The Texans circled the bases when it was their turn last weekend.

"What we try to do is let the process run itself," said Smith, "and we felt good about the picks we made."

Now let him explain why. The floor is yours, Rick:

First round

Brian Cushing, LB, USC (15th overall)

"First of all we love him as a football player. We love his intensity. We love his competitiveness. And we love his versatility. He's a guy who can play all three positions and someone who adds an element to our group and our defense. That's what we liked, and that's what was so great about getting him at 15. We had talked to some clubs about a trade before the draft, and we talked about scenarios where we might want to move back if we didn't like anybody else up there. But those options never materialized because Cushing was someone we identified all along. We felt good about him at that spot, and we were excited when he was there. I know some people say he can't play all three downs, but I don't agree with that. I think he's shown that he has pass-coverage skills, and if you watch the tape you can see he understands route concepts, and he understands underneath zone play. So I do think he could potentially be a nickel linebacker."

Second round

Connor Barwin, DE, Cincinnati (46)

"We were just hoping he would be there. We had him rated as a late first [rounder] and thought he would go late in the first or early in the second. He's a guy who is an unbelievably explosive athlete. We see him as a defensive end, and we're going to have him put his hand down and rush the passer -- which will give us a chance to move Antonio Smith inside in our nickel-rush situations. That was a need for us. We felt like we needed to help our pass rush. That's why we signed Antonio in free agency, and for us to have an opportunity to get this guy at that pick made us really excited. He's going to be dynamic football player. Did we ever consider a trade here? No. As the thing was unfolding, we were wondering if he was continuing to be there. We felt great that he was and turned the card in quickly."

Third round

Antoine Caldwell, C/G, Alabama (77)

"I look at him as a versatile swing guy who can play guard or center. We were looking at a couple of running backs we liked in this round, but those guys came off the board. So at that point we look for value. Our room absolutely fell in love with Antoine Caldwell during the draft process. He's a very good athlete, and he fills a need for us. We were very fortunate last year in the sense that we did not miss any time with our starting offensive line group. But on game day if you have a versatile offensive player who can back up a couple of different positions it allows you to dress some other people. He graduated with two degrees and he did it in three-and-half years. He was a team captain, and he's an explosive and versatile player. We really like him and think he's going to be a pro for a long time."

Fourth round

Glover Quin, DB, New Mexico (112)

"A lot of people had him rated at free safety, and I think that's due in large part to the fact that he's a physical guy with good size. But we think he has the skills to play outside [at cornerback]. More importantly, for our team right now he's a guy who can go inside and play the nickel. He's physical enough. He can tackle. And he has enough athletic skill to cover a man. So that's where we think he may have his best opportunity to help us early."

Anthony Hill, TE, N.C. State (122)

"We felt like there were two blocking tight ends in this draft. Richard Quinn [of North Carolina] was one. Anthony Hill was another. It just depends whom you talk to, but you can argue that this guy was the best blocker. I will say this: There's a lot of talk this year about teams moving to the 3-4 defense, and when you play those defenses if you want to run the football you better have some guys on the edges who can block. This young man is one of those types of players and athletes. We were very, very fortunate to get him."

Fifth round

James Casey, TE, Rice (152)

Texans coach Gary Kubiak needs to find a place for the elusive Casey. (US Presswire)

"This is another situation where we talked about being surprised that a guy was still on the board. When we selected James Casey we had him targeted as someone who was still there, but we had a deal in place if he wasn't. Having taken a tight end with our second fourth-round pick, this was not necessarily a need situation. But when you talk about versatility, work ethic and character, as well as someone who adds value to your team, he was too good to pass up. Obviously, being here in Houston we watched him grow and develop as a player and as a man, and I felt real good about that decision and real fortunate that he was still on the board. I'm not sure where we play him, but I don't think we limit him. You can't decide what he's going to be. You just let it unfold and give him opportunities to go out there. Gary [Kubiak, the Texans' head coach] is a very creative offensive mind, and this guy has the ability to do a lot of things. For us to try to paint him into one position or another would be a mistake -- and I don't think we're going to do that. We'll put him out on the field and see what he can do."

Sixth round

Brice McCain, CB, Utah (188)

"He's explosive and runs a 4.3 [40-yard dash]. He's over 40 inches in the vertical jump, too. But he's 5-9 and 180 to 185 pounds. So he's a smallish, but he has good ball skills, good cover skills and explosive speed. He reminds me a little bit of a guy we took in Denver when I was there but who has passed [on], and that is Darrent Williams. That's who I kept thinking about when I watched this kid. I like him for depth at the position because he's another guy who can go inside. He's a physical defensive back who can go in there and tackle even though he's little. So he gives us another option at the corner."

Seventh round

Troy Nolan, S, Arizona State (223)

"He has good size and he's a very good athlete who started two years there after coming from a junior college. He was very productive, and this is a position where we'd like to add some depth. We were looking at potential running backs in the sixth and seventh rounds because there were some backs still on the board. But we just liked what both Nolan and McCain at those positions and what they could do for our team better than any other guys who were left on the board."