The Houston Texans have had their fair share of draft successes in the past five years. Quarterback Deshaun Watson was an easy pick in 2017, and the Texans also cultivated great value out of third-round safety Justin Reid in 2018.
No one is perfect, and Houston has also had their share of misses in the same span. What is considered the biggest draft mistake the Texans have made in the past five years?
According to Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus, the Texans’ biggest mistake was giving up a king’s ransom — two first-round picks and a second-rounder — for Miami Dolphins tackle Laremy Tunsil.
This has nothing to do with Laremy Tunsil and everything to do with their complete misappropriation of value. Trading two first-round picks only to break the bank for a starting left-tackle is objectively bad business. The fact that the latest first-rounder turned into No. 3 overall this year should serve as a cautionary tale when dealing future firsts.
The Tunsil trade is a cautionary tale of what can happen when a coach gets too much input on personnel acquisition. The trade with the Dolphins occurred at the end of preseason in 2019, and general manager Brian Gaine was fired on June 7. If the Texans had a real general manager in place, and not a five-man general managing council with vice president of football administration Chris Olsen as interim GM yet O’Brien having considerable influence over the team, maybe the trade doesn’t happen.
Coach Bill O’Brien thought his coaching abilities would be strong enough to compensate for any loss of draft picks. Do those picks really matter if they are in the twenties? Of course, O’Brien was wrong, and now the Texans are missing big pieces that would be instrumental in accelerating a retooling under new general manager Nick Caserio and coach David Culley.
A distant second would be the decision to draft receiver Will Fuller. In terms of consistency, Fuller has hardly lived up to his first-round billing. However, his big-play ability is profound enough to keep him from being considered a bust.