The bye week is a great time to make assessments.
One area where the Houston Texans have to be pleased with themselves is their rookie draft class. Aside from completely nailing the top pick and landing the franchise’s starting quarterback for years to come, general manager Nick Caserio and assistant director of personnel and college scouting director James Liipfert identified a cast of contributors.
Not only does the Texans class provide competition at certain positions, but the rookies also have shown dependability as game day contributors.
Here is a look at the Texans’ draft class through the first six weeks of the regular season.
Round 1 (No. 2 overall) — QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Stroud’s 1,660 passing yards are fourth-most in the league but aren’t really the impressive part of his game. Stroud has shown he can be careful with the football and also make good decisions. Typically young quarterbacks have to rein in their playmaking ability as part of their development. With Stroud the growth stems from his ability to protect the football. Giving up 13 sacks is also a testament to Stroud’s decision-making.
Grade: A
Round 1 (No. 3 overall) — DE Will Anderson, Alabama
Trench play is not as readily understood as skill positions; there are no points to be had from giving or avoiding blocks at the line of scrimmage. Therefore, what stats can be recorded usually don’t describe the impact of a particular player.
Consider Anderson among that number. Through six games, Anderson has 24 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, 1.0 sack, and a blocked field goal.
Offensive coordinators have learned early not to overlook Anderson, and the beneficiary of such attention has been defensive end Jonathan Greenard. The former 2020 third-rounder leads the team with 3.5 sacks, which no doubt have come from the attention Anderson commands. Nevertheless Anderson will have to develop other ways to affect the game.
Grade: B-plus
Round 2 (No. 62 overall) — C Juice Scruggs, Penn State
The Texans have not seen Scruggs since the preseason.
Grade: Incomplete
Round 3 (No. 69 overall) — WR Tank Dell, Houston
The former Houston Cougar asked for the Texans to come get him, and they did. Dell has had an immediate impact with 19 catches for 324 yards and two touchdowns through five games, three of which he has started. The 5-10, 165-pound target was going to be a part of the Texans’ plans at some point, but Dell has been a key part of the offense’s youth movement.
Grade: B
Round 4 (No. 109 overall) — DE Dylan Horton, TCU
Defensive coordinator Matt Burke has been able to find snaps for the former TCU product. Horton has collected seven combined tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and a fumble recovery through six games. So far, Horton has been on 122 defensive snaps, but still sees time on special teams with 33.
Grade: C-plus
Round 5 (No. 167 overall) — LB Henry To'oTo'o, Alabama
The former Alabama product has collected unofficial rookie of the week honors through his first six games. Aside from cornerback Steven Nelson’s 401 snaps, no one else has been on defense more than To’oTo’o with 349 snaps. The linebacker has collected 45 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and two pass breakups through six games, five of which he has started. The rookie is tied with linebacker Denzel Perryman for the most missed tackles with eight.
Grade: B
Round 6 (No. 201 overall) — C Jarrett Patterson, Notre Dame
The philosophy for the Texans’ offensive line has been to plug and play, and Patterson has done well to blend in. Pro Football Focus has the offensive line as the 15th-best in the NFL entering Week 7, and that could not be possible if Houston’s rookie center was struggling.
Grade: B-minus
Round 6 (No. 205 overall) — WR Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State
The former Iowa State wideout is getting his chances on offense with a catch for nine yards and two carries for 15 among his 45 snaps on offense. Where Hutchinson has really been utilized is on special teams with 73 such snaps.
Grade: C-plus
Round 7 (No. 248 overall) — S Brandon Hill, Pittsburgh
Hill is currently a part of the team’s practice squad and has not yet had any game action.
Grade: Incomplete
