Houston Texans’ 2012 Draft Selections
Key FA additions: RB Justin Forsett, LB Bradie James
Key FA losses: DE Mario Williams, T Eric Winston, TE Joel Dreessen, LB DeMeco Ryans, CB Jason Allen, G Mike Brisiel, WR Jacoby Jones, QB Matt Leinart, FB Lawrence Vickers
Analysis: For the first time in this franchise’s existence, the Texans were “the hunted” instead of “the hunters” when it came to free agency.
I don’t think they handled that role particularly well.
Maybe there is more to it than we know, but the release of Winston was one of the most peculiar moves that happened during the free-agency process. The Texans had the best O-Line in the league last year and after letting their whole right side of their line go, the production is more than likely going to take a dip. Matt Schaub hasn’t been the best when it comes to being the standard of perfect health. Keeping Schaub upright should have been their biggest priority.
The Texans like to throw to the Tight Ends and Backs a lot. With the loss of Joel Dressen there wasn’t much lost. Tight End James Casey will more than be enough to fill in at Tight End. Casey has the chance to become a star in this offense. In the age of athletic Tight Ends it’s a perfect situation to walk into. The pick up of Justin Forsett will pay dividends. He will contribute as a change of pace back and while he wont see many touches with Foster and Tate in the backfield, look for him to contribute not only on offense but on special teams.
On defense, the switch to the 4-3 front was the writing on the wall for former 1st overall pick Mario Williams. Williams didn’t play much this past season but having to replace him with a rookie is a downgrade. While rookie Whitney Mercilus will be a solid contributor, Williams was a game changer and a key piece of the defense. Will the Texans defense be as good as it was last season, probably so but a few more upgrades could have made this team a Super Bowl contender in the AFC. Expect a small step back on defense and a huge step back on offense.
| Round | Pick | Position | Player | College |
| (1) | 26 | DE | Whitney Mercilus | Illinois |
| (3) | 68 | WR | DeVier Posey | Ohio State |
| (3) | 76 | G | Brandon Brooks | Miami (Ohio) |
| (4) | 99 | C | Ben Jones | Georgia |
| (4) | 121 | WR | Keshawn Martin | Michigan State |
| (4) | 126 | DT | Jared Crick | Nebraska |
| (5) | 161 | K | Randy Bullock | Texas A&M |
| (6) | 195 | T | Nick Mondek | Purdue |
Grade: C-
-Freddie Perdue
