Got a question about the Texans? Life in general? Drew Dougherty's your guy. He's been with the Texans since 2009 and is chock full of meaningful, as well as generally useless, information. Fire away by clicking HERE!
Jon Clark: Dear Drew, With the Draft behind us so many people are highlighting the Derek Stingley, Jr. pick. At pick 37 I think Jalen Pitre may be the steal of the draft. Do you agree and do you think he will be a day one plug-in starter?DD: I'm really excited about the entire crop, but yes, I love what the Texans did early on with the secondary. General Manager Nick Caserio and the scouting department put in years worth of work for every Draft, and for them to feel strongly enough to take Stingley at 3 is enough for me. I can't wait to see how much he strengthens the defensive backfield.
As for Pitre, I agree: he’s a fascinating talent. The folks over at Pro Football Focus had Top-30 grade on Pitre, and after watching what he did at Baylor, it's easy to see why. He's everywhere. He always seems to be around the ball. Pitre also does it playing in different spots. I think he'll be a nice piece to Lovie Smith's defensive puzzle, and able to cause problems for opposing offenses in a variety of ways. I'm very excited about Pitre.
Caserio didn't hand out any starting jobs after the Draft, and these rookies will have to earn their positions. But based on what they've said, what's been said about them, and where they were selected, they'll be gunning for a lot of playing time early. I could see many of these draftees starting in 2022.
Cody Cormier: Dear Drew, With the addition of the Kenyon Green and hopefully a healthy LaremyTunsil, how well do you project the Texans offensive line to rank in the league for run and pass protection?
DD: I think the offensive line is going to be better in 2022. I thought so before the Draft, and I think even more so after the Draft. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton is going to run a scheme that I believe will be more advantageous for the big guys up front.
I also think you need to throw free agent signee A.J. Cann into the mix for optimism. He's a veteran, he's familiar with new offensive line coach George Warhop, and he's played in multiple systems. Tytus Howard is presumably back at right tackle, with Justin Britt at center.
I'm very excited about what we might see from the offensive line moving forward.
Taylor Rolls: Dear Drew, When will the rookies numbers be announced?
DD: Probably late next week, when rookie minicamp gets going.
The Rauch Daddy: Dear Drew, Should I stash Dameon Pierce on my fantasy team this year? Also, what's your most memorable draft night experience with the Texans?
DD: I don't know much about fantasy, but I know this: I'm pretty stoked by the Pierce addition. His college highlights show a ferocious competitor. He's a rugged ball-carrier, a punishing pass-protector when he has to block, and a pretty darned good option as a receiving threat out of the backfield. I loved his excitement about being picked, and Caserio pointed to Pierce's high energy as one of many reasons the Texans picked him. I can't wait to see how he fits into the mix in the Texans run game.
As for my most-memorables, I'll go with 2014. It was the first NFL Draft to which I traveled. The Texans had the first pick, so I went to New York City with The Great Jay McDevitt and we were inside Radio City Music Hall covering Jadeveon Clowney's first moments with the Texans. Walked all through the bowels of that famous building with Clowney and saw him navigate the night of his Draft.
It was also cool meeting guys like J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and DeAndre Hopkins at the airport in Houston the morning after they were picked. I put a microphone on each guy and shot them riding in the limo from Bush Intercontinental to NRG Stadium. Those were pretty memorable times.
Leonard Cook: Dear Drew, Is Kyle Allen the backup quarterback or will they look further?
DD: Allen's the backup, but I wouldn't be shocked if another quarterback is added to the mix in the months to come.
Pamela Kennedy: Hi Drew, who decides on the music prior to Gameday start? It would be great to get the crowd juiced up with AC/DC's "Thunderstruck". We need to get the crowd rocking early!
DD: What about "Tops Drop" by Fat Pat? Love the intro to that one.
But yes, "Thunderstruck" is still played at kickoff and after touchdowns, and you'll continue to hear it a bunch in 2022.
David Hyde: Dear Drew, Do you think Davis Mills will exceed expectations this year based off what we saw at the end of last year and who we drafted this year?
DD: I'm not sure who's expectations you're referencing. But I doubt anyone's are higher than Mills. He's a supremely confident guy, and very detailed. I think his own expectations are very high, and I think you're going to see him build upon what was a solid start to his career. I know very early this offseason he was already up in the offices working with Hamilton and the coaches on the offense installs.
Adrian O. Jackson: Dear Drew, Do you think with this year's draft picks, the Texans are ready for the playoffs and Super Bowl?
DD: That's always the goal, but it would be quite a leap to go from four wins in 2021 to that sort of success in 2022. But hey, Head Coach Lovie Smith has repeatedly pointed to what the Bengals were able to do from 2020 to last season.
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