I've been very busy and haven't been able to watch any of the Texans' preseason games or anything related. Simultaneously and on purpose, I haven't listened to any of the "content" coming from the media people. Basically, I have no real idea of how the Texans' rookies have looked. After a pair of preseason games, I thought this might be a good time to assess what some of you have seen, in preparation for the season. This information might be scattered around in the various individual preseason threads, but honestly I think the the performance of the newest Texans is an important enough subject for a thread of its own. I apologize to anybody who thinks this thread is redundant or superfluous. Let me know what you've seen with your own two eyes from these guys. I am not particularly interested in who you think the Texans should have drafted instead (I watched the draft, and the particulars of draft night are in the past - I'm interested in the performance of players on the team), and I don't really care what Pancakes heard some assistant trainer say, unless it relates to something you saw with your own two eyes. Below is a list of the Texans' draftees. Fill in your impressions of anybody you've seen play at practice or in preseason games. I know some of the listed guys haven't been on the field yet. Also, metaphorical bonus points for adding any UFA's from this year that you've seen and think either should or will make the team. [rquoter] Round 1, Pick 27 (27 overall): WR DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson - Round 2, Pick 25 (57): SS D.J. Swearinger, South Carolina - Round 3, Pick 27 (89): OT Brennan Williams, North Carolina - Round 3, Pick 33 (95): OLB Sam Montgomery, LSU - Round 4, Pick 27 (124): OLB Trevardo Williams, Connecticut - Round 6, Pick 8 (176): OT David Quessenberry, San Jose State - Round 6, Pick 27 (195): WR Alan Bonner, Jacksonville State - Round 6, Pick 30 (233): DT Chris Jones, Bowling Green - Round 6, Pick 33 (201): TE Ryan Griffin, Connecticut - Bonus Points for any UFA's that you are impressed with - [/rquoter] Let me know what you've seen...
Undrafted Rookie Free Agents of note not listed OLB Willie Jefferson OLB Justin Tuggle RB Cierre Wood CB A.J. Bouye Kicker/Punter Andrew Shapiro RB Dennis Johnson WR Alec Lemon RB Ray Graham WR Uzoma Nwachukwu FB Zach Boren Obviously there are more but these are the guys that were at least making noise in camp or preseason games. He's not a rookie, he was playing in the last training camp until near the end, so while injured he is still a second year player.
Round 1, Pick 27 (27 overall): WR DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson - Flashes of playmaking ability, a bit raw but should produce. Might lose his #2 spot for a while with the concussion and Posey getting back/Jean playing well Round 2, Pick 25 (57): SS D.J. Swearinger, South Carolina - Big hitter, looks promising but hard to tell about his pass coverage without seeing coaches tape Round 3, Pick 27 (89): OT Brennan Williams, North Carolina - Incomplete Round 3, Pick 33 (95): OLB Sam Montgomery, LSU - Incomplete. Could be a wasted pick. Round 4, Pick 27 (124): OLB Trevardo Williams, Connecticut - 2 sacks last game late, a lot to prove though Round 6, Pick 8 (176): OT David Quessenberry, San Jose State - Hard to judge OL through TV broadcast but I think he's been raved about a bit as a solid guy so far Round 6, Pick 27 (195): WR Alan Bonner, Jacksonville State - Incomplete Round 6, Pick 30 (233): DT Chris Jones, Bowling Green - ??? Round 6, Pick 33 (201): TE Ryan Griffin, Connecticut - I'm high on him. Better blocker than Graham and seems to be a good route runner with decent hands. Bonus Points for any UFA's that you are impressed with - Tuggle and Jefferson will probably battle for a roster spot and practice squad. Wood runs well but have heard his pass pro leaves a lot to be desired. Dennis Johnson's only shot is if he shines in the return game these next two weeks, but I think he's destined for p-squad.
Oh... I forgot impressions. This is probably going to be long... Willie Jefferson: Very good pass rusher, he essentially seems to be what the Texans wanted 4th round pick Travado Williams to be in a pass rusher project to bring in on 3rd downs. Is very likely to make the team because I doubt Wade would want to let him go especially if T. Williams and Montgomery are progressing as slowly as some reports and their placement in preseason game line ups indicate. Justin Tuggle: Probably the surprise of camp, of all our OLBs he seems to be the only one to have shown similar to Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin in actually doing various linebacker duties besides pass rush well. I honestly think he probably has more trust in coverage then any of the other rookies at this point. But at the same time is likely on the outside as far as the numbers game goes for linebackers due to not being the physical talent of Jefferson nor being a draft pick. Don't know how good he is on special teams but there is a outside chance that he could take Brahman's spot if he has shown flashes. Cierre Wood: Would probably be our 3rd RB if he played special teams better or Karim wasn't a vet and played Special teams. Seems like he might not practice well because as good as he has shown himself in games the coaches aren't really talking him up much. Practice Squad is his best bet although I can see him cut as well given if he isn't practicing well I don't see why the coaches would still want to keep him around. A.J. Bouye: Seems pretty good in his preseason games and had a small buzz in camp. If Carmichael really is let go like many suspect due to poor preseason showings at CB, Bouye is a likely replacement and seems to have size to possibly be a decent back up for the outside CB position that many are worried about due to the sizes of McCain and Harris suiting slot receivers more then WR that go deep. Andrew Shapiro: Honestly, he gets a lot of reps due to the coaches not wanting to over use Bullock or Lechler. Reminds me of the kid we had a few seasons ago that had his season ended due to injury (which he later sued the makes of Reliant Stadium's turf over) and suspension due to being caught with drugs after that... which was reduced but due to not having a team afterward it torpedoed his career as why sign a punter that has to miss 2-3 games. Won't make the team but maybe practice squad so Lechler isn't always doing kicks/punts in practice. Dennis Johnson: Was hyped in camp as the standout RB, willing and capable of doing everything. Has had trouble showing that in games. Part of it might be the fact that our 1st and 2nd offensive line units haven't been doing great in creating running lanes for any of our running backs. But noticably he also makes rookie mistakes like fumbling, dancing in the backfield and just not waiting for the holes to open. Unlike the other rookie RBs he seems to play special teams so he is likely to land on Practice squad if they don't get fellow RB Wood to start falling in line with what they want. The rest have shown flashes but are no doubt practice squad players at best if not cut.
I'd like to add lemon to this. He's a solid run blocker and has really nice hands. I think he lands a practice squad spot.
Who is #27 on the defense? I saw him all making plays or in on a lot of plays during the Miami game. Last name is McClain.
