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NFL Draft 2017 Rounds 1-7: Houston Texans Report Card

By Brian K. Patterson

Apr 28, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith (left) and Texans first round draft pick Deshaun Watson (middle left) and vice chairman D. Cal McNair (middle right) and head coach Bill O'Brien (right) pose for a picture during a press conference at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith (left) and Texans first round draft pick Deshaun Watson (middle left) and vice chairman D. Cal McNair (middle right) and head coach Bill O'Brien (right) pose for a picture during a press conference at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Texans
Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns running back D’Onta Foreman (33) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas defeated Notre Dame 50-47 in double overtimeMandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

RB D’Onta Foreman | Round 3 | 89th Pick

D’Onta Foreman was another pick that caught me off guard.  It’s one I support wholeheartedly because we all know that Lamar Miller was run into the ground last season.  His health was holding on for dear life despite his record production that he had for his career.

Foreman certainly addresses this issue as we all know Alfred Blue hasn’t been what we thought he’d be.  But for 6th-rounder, Blue has certainly exceeded expectations but as with any winning team, the stakes are high and measures have to be taken in order to meet those stakes.

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Foreman is an explosive back with a 6th gear that will put your head on whiplash and the bonus is that he’s a hometown hero, a native of Texas City.  I suspect they’ll plug him in immediately to help Miller.

Although he has some ball security issues, I’m hoping those get worked out as he transitions to the pro game.  One can make a case that behind Leonard Fournette, he was the 2nd-best back available in this draft.

We’ll have to see if it’s home run but I think Smith hit one thus far.

Putting up 2,028 yards and 15 touchdowns in one season is a nice start in the right direction.

Overall Grade: A-

OT Julie’n Davenport | Round 4 | 130th Pick

A relatively unknown player outside of the scouting world, Julie’n Davenport will be brought in to help shore up the issues we may have at the tackle position on the offensive line.  This pick is sort of gamble because he did go to a small school at Bucknell U.

He did not face any elite talent but from the tape I saw of him, he did a good job of protecting Bison quarterback Matt Muh.  He’s a decorated player, earning just about every award you could think of in his conference or organization as a tackle.

He also comes from a family with a military background — his father was a marine and is now a police sergeant — so you know the discipline to learn will be there.  He has sick arm length for a player of his position so he’ll be able to wrap up his assignments with ease.

Although he played left tackle at Bucknell, Bill O’Brien expects that he’ll be able play on both sides.  He’s a solid project that I think will eventually pan out for the Texans, just not overnight.  He’ll be interesting to watch.

Overall Grade: B

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