2015 NFL Draft Round 3: Texans Select Jaelen Strong

The pick is in!

With the 70th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft (via a trade with the New York Jets), the Houston Texans select…

The Texans were able to snatch up Strong by trading wide receiver DeVier Posey, a 3rd-rounder (82nd pick), a 5th-rounder (152nd) and their 7th-rounder (229th).

That’s quite a bit to give up for a prospect but the Texans feel that he’s quite worth the shifting of assets.

Gracing the crowds of many in the past two seasons that he starred with the Arizona Sun Devils, he will be a favorite of many Texans fans.

If having the body for an NFL-type position was the only requirement to be successful, Strong would be shoo-in in terms of flourishing with the Texans.

You’ll love his 6’2″, 217-pound frame with 9″ hands, 32 1/2″ arm length and 42-inch vertical but what you may not like is that he hasn’t quite found a way to harness all the weapons he has to succeed.

There are concerns of his route running skills, speed and his ability to separate when going man-to-man but it’s up to Bill O’Brien and the rest of his staff to see if they can shore up those deficiencies.

They really needed another wide receiver to shore up Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington which were both acquired via free agency this past winter.

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I do think he will make a healthy contribution to the Texans’ roster but it may not be immediate as we do have some vets already in place.

This almost certainly means that Damaris Johnson is the odd man out and it will be a matter of time before he’s cut.

Color me interested in what previous picks Kevin Johnson and Benardrick McKinley can do but color me EXCITED in regard to the potential that Strong wields.

He is versatile enough to where he could be used on kick returns and that’s honestly were we’ll see most of him but that all depends how all of the other receivers perform when training camp starts.

But it’s his speed that concerns me if the Texans would be able to use him there.

Here’s the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain adding some humor to his premonitions:

Texans traded up with Jets. It better be to get WR Jaelen Strong or I'm quitting. Tonight. Like right now!
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) May 2, 2015

I’m sure he’s relieved that he didn’t have to actually make good on the tweet that he made.

ESPN’s Tania Ganguli tweeted out a good quote from Strong in regard to wrist injury he sustained causing his precipitous drop to the Texans’ laps:

The Texans gave him 2nd-round grade and deemed his wrist okay in a visit this past Wednesday.

Strong caught 82 balls for 1,165 yards — 14.2 yards per catch — and 10 touchdowns in 12 games for ASU in 2014.