NFL Draft: Houston Texans choose reclamation with Isaiah Coulter in 5th

The Houston Texans have reclamation in mind for Rhode Island’s Isaiah Coulter, the 171st pick in the 5th round of the NFL Draft. What does he bring?

The Houston Texans are just about done with the NFL Draft and it has come at the price with a whirlwind of suspense, twists and turns as well as some heady decisions that hopefully will allude to the betterment of this team.

Over the past three days, the Houston Texans have selected Ross Blacklock, Jonathan Greenard, Charlie Heck and John Reid which all should be able to make an impact in short order after some apprenticeship with the veterans that precede him.

This hasn’t been too bad of a draft but a comprehensive grade will have to be given once we have an idea on who the Houston Texans have selected for this draft class.

It truly has been a successful production on television with the virtual draft, allowing us to get an inside view of what it’s like in the war room with the head coaches and GM’s working or in the Houston Texans‘ case, Bill O’Brien.

Once things get back normal as things hopefully ease out of this pandemic, it will change forever how we work and I’m positive the NFL will incorporate this in future drafts as well. There’s nothing like having a large crowd to watch but I bet this virtual thing will be incorporated moving forward.

But anyway, the Houston Texans have made a selection with their fifth-round pick and they’ve used it on Rhode Island wide receiver Isaiah Coulter, which appears to be a reclamation project to get him to succeed at the pro level. He encompasses a lot of raw talent but he hasn’t quite put it together just yet.

He had a successful campaign with the Rams, with seven career games where he netted 100+ yards with his speedy, energetic and athletic frame. He can play either on the outside or inside and it’s his versatility that has brought him here. I don’t think he will be seeing the field that much this season with such a crowded, veteran-loaded receiving room but he’ll be interesting to watch develop as time moves along.

What else does he do well? Let’s run through it guys.

The tangibles

Coulter is a 6-foo-2, 198-pound wideout with 31.75-inch arms and nine-inch hands. He was able

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to nail his 40-time in just 4.45 seconds which certainly goes to show he’s not a stranger to being a speed demon. He’s got a motor like none other and he will have no problem pushing that pedal to the floor when asked upon.

But the biggest thing about Coulter is that he hasn’t been able to harness that talent to come into a blended, yet refined package that would make his value second to none. He’ll be in the film room studying a bunch as O’Brien’s system will introduce a lot of new routes that may have not been necessarily something he worked through at Rhode Island.

He appeared in 12 games with 11 starts for the Rams and was selected to the Colonial Athletic Association’s second-team for his performance this past season. Coulter was a junior so he decided to strike while it’s hot and try to get himself into the NFL. He has successfully done that and now it’s time to prove that he belongs.

What are the experts saying? Let’s look.

What the experts are saying

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:

"“Raw but talented X receiver with NFL-caliber length, speed and athletic ability. He runs a limited route tree and doesn’t show enough attention to detail in his route work, but he’s loose and fluid with the ability to get that area corrected. He lets coverage off the hook when he doesn’t burst and separate like he’s capable of, but he has access to plenty of juice when needed. While improvement should be expected, learning to play with better catch aggression and ball-tracking is not a given. Coulter is an explosive, high-upside talent with functional-starter upside, but a lower floor.”"

Joe Marino of The Draft Network:

"“Rhode Island wide receiver Isaiah Coulter made his share of big plays in college and looked like he belonged with the best of the best giving his performance against Virginia Tech. Coulter brings exciting hands, ball skills and body control to the table. With that said, Coulter has a big adjustment ahead of him to the next level and his lack of separation quickness and modest functional strength will present new challenges to be productive. Coulter has developmental appeal but he has an uphill climb ahead of him.”"

Now, let’s see what he can do — roll ’em, please…

Roll the tape

The bottom line

Coulter is definitely an intriguing prospect, especially with his innately-given talent and his thirst to always try to go out and make a big play. That’s an important trait to have going into the pros but he’ll have a heck of a learning curve that I’m sure that he will work to flatten during his tenure with this team.

Like I said previously, the receiving room is crowded with veterans like Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb, Kenny Stills and even Keke Coutee. It’s extremely doubtful we’ll see him that much this season. But there’s no question we will get a preview during the preseason where he will have a chance to strut his stuff.

Coulter is a great project that the Houston Texans want to see through and I’m hopeful for his success with this team in whatever that may be in whatever they ask him to do, possibly on special teams.

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Welcome to Houston Isaiah!

Coulter caught 132 balls for 1,855 yards — 14.1 yards per reception — along with 12 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Rams.

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