Flicken, Schenkies, Awards & Co. » Martinas Rankin Color Rush Jersey

While it’s usually premature to rank a year’s draft haul prior to season’s end Martinas Rankin Color Rush Jersey , you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t think new Houston Texans new general manager Brian Gaine didn’t provide an immediate upgrade over drafts of recent memory. While Gaine was incredibly handicapped by decisions former GM Rick Smith made, having no first or second round pick didn’t stop the Texans from landing some premiere talent and immediately adding starters. Let’s take a look at what’s come to pass so far in H-Town:Round Three: Justin Reid, SafetyTaking the field in place of the temporarily absent Andre Hal, Reid has immediately put his name in the Defensive Rookie of the Year hat. He’s started eight games so far, delivered 60 total tackles (48 solo), forced and recovered one fumble, corralled three interceptions (including one he ran back for a 101-yard touchdown), and made clutch play after clutch play. Reid, along with Tyrann Mathieu, Kareem Jackson and the triumphantly returning Andre Hal, is part of the best safety corps the Texans have ever had, bar none. Round Three: Martinas Rankin, Offensive LinemanThe jury is still out on Rankin, who suffered a broken foot in preseason practice, and then took over for Julien Davenport for a few games at left tackle Kareem Jackson Color Rush Jersey , with fairly disastrous results. It’s never easy to evaluate a mid-round offensive lineman early on, so Rankin might still produce, but so far he’s provided more questions than answers. It’s premature to use the label “bust,” but if there is one in the draft class, Rankin is it right now.Round Three: Jordan Akins, Tight EndIt’s been so long since the Texans have had a solid tight end, it almost seems like a myth that they ever did. Now, not only do they have one, but two, affectionately known as the “Jordan Twins.”Akins, along with sixth rounder Jordan Thomas, have provided a glimpse of what Houston’s offense can do with quality tight end play. Let’s just call Akins TE1 for the next decade.Round Four: Keke Coutee, Wide ReceiverCoutee has been nursing a hamstring injury all season, but when he’s been moderately healthy, he’s shown flashes of record-setting brilliance a la Will Fuller V. Once next season rolls around and Coutee Benardrick McKinney Color Rush Jersey , DeAndre Hopkins, Fuller, and Demaryius Thomas all take the field with a clean bill of health, Houston’s passing attack is going to be lethal.Round Six: Duke Ejiofor, Defensive EndIt’s almost a clich茅 at this point that Houston will land a studly defensive lineman and/or linebacker in each draft. Ejiofor has a motor like J.J. Watt, a slipperiness similar to Whitney Mercilus of years past, and an uncanny nose for the ball like Jadeveon Clowney. All that from a third day draft pick.Round Six: Jordan Thomas, Tight EndAs mentioned earlier, Thomas has managed to contribute far more than one would expect from a sixth-round tight end. With 14 catches and four touchdowns (including two against the Dolphins), Thomas has already proven he deserves to be TE2 over incumbent Ryan Griffin.Round Six: Peter Kalambayi, LinebackerHere’s where Gaine finally seemed to slide into roster depth territory. Kalambayi hasn’t seen much action but seems to be a solid bench guy Houston can pull onto the field to spell starters when necessary and late in games where they have a comfortable lead.Round Seven: Jermaine Kelly, CornerbackIt’s hard to grade Kelly at all, as he hit the Injured Reserve list on September 3rd. But, if he’s the only guy Gaine drafted who doesn’t contribute in any meaningful way in 2018, you really can’t knock Gaine at all. It’s hard to state this is the best draft in recent memory Jordan Akins Color Rush Jersey , but it is tempting to say that. As with all drafts, looking back requires time and distance to really see them in full context.Armed with a much better suite of draft picks in 2019, Gaine should be able to properly stock the offensive line and add more depth in other areas. As of this moment, the Texans have at least one pick in every round (with two in the second).Based on their current season trajectory, they will pick in the bottom portion of each round. However, considering what Gaine pulled out in the third round and beyond last year, Houston should be sitting pretty next summer.What do you think? Are you ready to anoint Brian Gaine as the best general manager in Texans history? Lamenting the loss of Rick Smith? Don’t care either way as long as the Texans destroy the Colts this week? Running back D’Onta Foreman ended his collegiate career at the University of Texas with a 2,028 yard season, arguably operating as the only real weapon in the Longhorns offense in 2016. When he was still on the board for the Houston Texans to pick in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, it seemed almost too good to be true. For Foreman and many others, the Houston native was living the dream, playing for his hometown team and presented with the opportunity to be a key component in an offense run by one of the most electric quarterbacks in H-Town history, Deshaun Watson. While Foreman got off to a slow start, his size and shiftiness served him well, as he gobbled up 4.2 yards per play in his rookie season. He really seemed to be the perfect compliment to the Lamar Miller / Alfred Blue running back room - a big back who didn’t shy away from contact yet had the uncanny ability to make tacklers miss. While 4.1 yards per carry isn’t Hall of Fame quality DeAndre Hopkins Color Rush Jersey , doing so behind the worst offensive line in the NFL as a rookie was pretty impressive. Unfortunately, D’Onta Foreman tore his Achilles last November. Anyone who has ever paid attention to the Houston Texans’ running game is all too familiar with this injury after what happened to Arian Foster. A few weeks ago, the Texans brought Foreman back to practice and have until December 6th to activate him to the 53-man roster.Foreman says he’s ready to play again.But head coach Bill O’Brien disagrees, most likely due to input from the team’s medical staff.With Lamar Miler lighting the world on fire, Deshaun Watson more than eager to take all the yards the defense will let him and Alfred Blue still happily pounding the A-Gap for 3.4 yards a carry (just enough to be considered a positive run), the Texans do have the luxury of being patient with Foreman. Still, the clock is ticking.December 6th is just a week away. If Houston does activate Foreman, someone will have to exit the 53-man roster to make room. With the injury bug ready to bite at any moment, it’s easy to understand the hesitancy of Texans’ leadership in this situation. An Achilles tear is a huge deal.Bringing Foreman back too soon could jeopardize or end his career, and removing a contributing player from the current roster to roll those dice could be a fool’s errand. Yet if Foreman really is good to go, having his fresh legs for December and January might help make the difference between a deep playoff run and an early exit. What do you think? Should Houston put Foreman back on the shelf until 2019 or should they throw him at the A-Gap on December 9th when Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts come to town to challenge Houston for the AFC South crown?