It's that time of year again. The time when NFL teams gather under the big NFL Christmas tree and start opening presents to see what kind of goodies they will get to try and help them win the ultimate present, the Lombardi trophy. Yes, I'm talking about the annual NFL Draft.
Our Houston Texans have used the draft the last couple of years to help them break a barrier they hadn't in their short history, and that was to make the playoffs. For the first time, the Texans are drafting to not only maintain that playoff status, but to get deeper into the post-season as well. The price of being a playoff team though, means it takes awhile before you even get to make your first pick.
The Texans have to wait until the 26th overall pick and they get it started once again on the defense. It's the 8th time in 11 drafts the Texans 1st pick is a defensive player and 2012 has them taking Illinois DE Whitney Mercilus. Mercilus 
will add to the OLB position vacated by Mario Williams. Mercilus led the nation in sacks last season with 16. He also forced 9 fumbles and had 22˝ tackles for loss. He's one of those high motor guys the Texans have been collecting the last couple of years and has speed to get around the edge. He also has a knack for knocking down passes much like JJ Watt. The talking heads knock on Mercilus is that he is a one year wonder. He had just 2 sacks in the 2 years prior to last season. Other "one year wonders", Connor Barwin who had zero sacks before his senior year because he was a TE. I'm guessing Wade Phillips will be able to help him shed that "one year wonder" tag.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were without a 2nd round pick after 
trading theirs to Denver. So Tampa made a deal with the Texans. The Texans give up their 2nd round pick, along with their 7th rounder, and the Bucs give them their 3rd and 4th round picks. And with that Tampa 3rd round pick, the Texans take Ohio State WR DeVier Posey. A somewhat controversial pick by many, Posey was suspended for 10 games this past season for violating NCAA rules, rules about players and money, which some of those rules are insane anyway. When Posey did play, he was pretty good. In '09-'10, Posey led the Buckeyes with 113 catches for 1,676 yards and 15 TD's. Even with the time he missed last season, he finished his college career with the 6th most catches in Ohio State history.
The Texans second 3rd round pick, from the Eagles in the Ryans trade, gets spent on an offensive lineman. The Texans take Miami-Ohio guard Brandon Brooks. Don't let his 348 lb. weight fool you. This behemoth is a physical freak as his 4.99 40 would attest. That kind of speed, with the weight behind it should prove effective in the Texans blocking scheme, especially when he gets to the 2nd level.
With the DeMeco Ryans trade to the Eagles 
and the deal with Tampa Bay, the Texans find themselves with 3 picks in the 4th round. With their first 4th round pick, the Texans stay on the o-line and select Georgia center Ben Jones. Jones was named to Georgia's all decade team and is a Leon Farmer Award recipient, which is dedicated to strength and conditioning. Jones possesses a prototypical NFL frame for the position as well as relatively good athleticism and technique. He absorbs some big punches against quicker, powerful d-linemen and after a short step back is able to hold his ground well. He has been recognized throughout his career for leadership and toughness and very likely could be the center of the future for the Texans.
With the Texans 2nd pick in the 4th round they hopefully 
send a message to those of us who have been eagerly/desperately waiting for, and that message is ADIOS to Jacoby Jones. With a WR drafted in the 3rd round already, the Texans likely seal the deal picking up Michigan State WR Keshawn Martin in the 4th. Martin had 127 catches for 1,714 yards in his career with the Spartans but the thing that indicates that Jacoby is likely gone is the fact that Martin is 2nd all-time in Michigan State history in punt return yards. He returns kickoffs as well. As a receiver, Martin is able to create in the open field and has the acceleration to out-run defenders.
Pick number 3 in the 4th round has the Texans 
finally jumping back to the defensive side of the ball as they take Nebraska DT Jared Crick. Crick is coming off an injury plagued senior season. A torn pectoral muscle (the same injury that ended Mario Williams season last year) put Crick out in October. He wasn't healed enough to do any bench presses at the Combine in February. Crick is not an elite pass rusher but he did have 9˝ sacks in each of the 2 seasons prior to last year. His sacks come with relentless effort and not so much his quickness, and with the likes of Barwin, Reed, and Mercilus getting after the QB, it should play right into Crick's strengths. Crick will fight through double teams and he doesn't over-extend against mobile quarterbacks.
With K Neil Rackers signing with Washington in free agency, the Texans were in the market for a kicker. And for the first time in Texans history they select a kicker in the draft. The Texans 5th round pick goes on the highest rated kicker in the draft, Texas A&M and former Klein high schooler, Randy Bullock. Bullock hit on 29 of 33 FG attempts last season (88%), which is pretty impressive in the NFL, nevermind college where the angles are a lot more difficult. Bullock's 127 points last season was one short of the all-time Aggie record set in 1927.
Having traded away their 7th round pick in the Tampa Bay deal, the Texans final pick in the 2012 draft comes in the 6th round. With that they go with their 3rd o-lineman of the day with Purdue T Nick Mondek. Mondek is purely a depth pick and should be nothing more than a backup battling with the likes of Andrew Gardner and Derek Newton on the depth chart.
That wraps it up for the 2012 Draft for the Texans but that's not where adding players stops. After the draft, anybody who wasn't drafted, including me, is a free agent and can sign with any team they want and/or who wants them. Known in the business as UDFA's (undrafted free agents), this is where the Texans picked up a guy by the name of Arian Foster a few years ago. And the Texans get busy immediately after this draft signing a boatload of these UDFA's. Now hitting on a guy like Foster is a rarity so most of these guys may never make the team but it's still a chance to get players into camp, get a better look at them, and maybe find someone who can contribute.
The most notable UDFA signing in these 
parts is the local kid, University of Houston's QB Case Keenum. I am very surprised Keenum didn't get drafted. I mean he's only the all-time NCAA leader in passing yards (19,217), completions (1,546) and TD passes (155). But he didn't get drafted and is now a Texan, who will likely be their 3rd string/scout team QB (the role Yates started with last season). The Texans added 20 more UDFA's including WR's Mario Lewis-Grambling State, Dwight Jones-North Carolina St, RB's Jason Ford-Illinois, Jonathan Grimes-William&Mary, Davin Meggett-Maryland, DB's Desmond Marrow-Toledo, Jerell Jackson-Missouri, Eddie Pleasant-Oregon and LB's Shawn Loiseau-Merrimack and Greg Williams-Pittsburgh.
And don't forget some of the guys that were on IR last season who will be back in the mix. CB Roc Carmichael, ILB Darryl Sharpton, and WR's Lestar Jean and Trindon Holliday.
So that's how the Houston Texans reload for 2012 to try and break more barriers this season. A little deeper in the playoffs and maybe some championships. Now, we only have to wait 3˝ months before we get to see all of these guys play. :-(
