The Houston Texans were very deliberate with their small, concentrate, five-pick draft class, and they felt receiver was a need.
In the fifth round, to complete their class, the Texans drafted receiver Isaiah Coulter from Rhode Island. Even though Houston was already stacked at receiver heading into the draft with Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks, Will Fuller, and Kenny Stills, the Texans liked the potential Coulter displayed.
Through two weeks of training camp, Coulter has lived up to those expectations.
“He’s got really good ball skills,” offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said. “He’s a long athlete. He can run. Being able to go up and get the ball is one of the reasons why he’s here.”
Coulter caught 72 passes for 1,039 yards and eight touchdowns for Rhode Island last season. One of his biggest games of the season was against Virginia Tech when he caught nine passes for 152 yards.
The 6-3, 190-pound wideout has been working with receivers coach John Perry to learn the playbook and adapt to the speed of the pro game.
“He was an intriguing prospect because he’s talented,” said Kelly. “He’s got a lot of talent. He’s got a lot of work to do but he’s out there, and again, he’s in there with Coach Perry learning the ins and outs of the offense and the ins and outs of the wide receiver position. We’re just going to look for him to continue to develop as camp goes on.”
It wouldn’t be out of the question for Coulter to see playing time for Houston in the regular season if injuries necessitated his activation. In 2018, Vyncint Smith, who was an undrafted free agent from Limestone College, played in seven games for Houston, starting in one of them, and delivering five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Coulter’s focus in August should be on acclimating to the NFL, which could lead to playing time in the regular season.
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