Tytus Howard was the choice for the Texans in the first round of the NFL Draft, and it wasn't a hard choice.
But Houston was glad the Alabama State product was there, and general manager Brian Gaine explained why Howard was the pick.
"He passed each test – in terms of the process of scouting – with flying colors," Gaine said. "What I mean by that is if you just think back to the fall season, how he played during the fall, had starts both on the left side and the right side, goes to the Senior Bowl and plays well."
Howard, who played both tackle positions in college, is also capable of playing the guard spots as well. But what he did on the field in the fall and in Mobile in January wasn't the only impressive part of Howard's resume.
"Goes to the combine and excels," Gaine said. "Did very well in the interview process, the private workout settings that we had with him, the Pro Day settings. Made a very favorable impression in terms of the intangible profile, the person, the character matched with the physical ability and the physical traits. We felt like he checked all the boxes."
Howard is just the second offensive lineman in team history to get chosen in the first round, joining Duane Brown, who the Texans picked in 2008.
Houston has a pair of second round selections on Friday, at 54 and 55, as well as a third-rounder at 86th overall.
