Houston Texans Undrafted Free Agents With A Chance

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Oct 17, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; San Diego State Aztecs running back Chase Price (22) carries the ball against San Jose State Spartans cornerback Cleveland Wallace III (6) during the third quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

The Texans will also have a cornerback position open heading into training camp. The Texans normally keep six cornerbacks on the 53 man roster. The first five are relatively set with Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson and Kevin Johnson set as the top three, A.J. Bouye as the clear number four and Charles James as an extra nickel corner and special teams player.

That leaves one spot that they need to fill between now and the end of training camp. They could try to fill it with a veteran free agent still as there are still some available or grab a player that another team cuts during camp. But they are bringing in three cornerbacks that had late round draft grades on them. Whichever performs best out of the three has a reasonable shot at a roster spot, all three have a shot at the practice squad.

Cleveland Wallace – CB – San Jose State

5’11” – 188

Wallace has the frame of an NFL corner with a tall, lean body and long arms. He runs a 4.59 40 with a 35″ vertical and a 10’3″ broad jump so he is a good athlete. Wallace has a fluid transition to turn and run with receivers, with good acceleration and good playing speed. He plays primarily off man coverage and then shadow them downfield.

Though the 40 is not exceptional, Wallace plays faster than his 40 would indicate and shows excellent reactions in coverage to stay with faster receivers. He’s a smart player as well playing the eyes of receivers and quarterback with quick hands to break up passes downfield. Wallace had 3 of his 5 career interceptions in 2015 and is a willing tackler who flashes physicality but needs to show more consistency and aggressiveness.

Oct 2, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls wide receiver Jenson Stoshak (88) is unable to make a catch as FIU Golden Panthers cornerback Richard Leonard (3) defends the play during the second half at FIU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Richard Leonard – CB – Florida International

5’8″ – 175

Leonard was a cornerback and a returner at FIU. He runs a 4.39 40 with a 35″ vertical and a 10′ broad jump. Leonard was first-team All-Conference USA with 5 interceptions, 7 pass breakups and 4 fumble recoveries.

He had a 25.7-yard kick-return average, 23.8-yard punt-return average with one touchdown. Though shorter than most NFL teams prefer at the position (5-9, 189), there’s no doubting Leonard’s quickness, closing ability and competitive fire. He’s elusiveness as a returner which should add to his value and a chance to make the team on special teams.

Duke Thomas – CB – Texas

5’10” – 185