As a senior at LSU, Trindon Holliday averaged 18.1 yards on punt returns.
This* article is part of our 2010 Path to the Draft coverage presented by FOX Sports Houston*.
With two picks in the sixth round, the Texans drafted Colorado State guard Shelley Smith and LSU return specialist Trindon Holliday. A round later, they added Pittsburgh tight end Dorin Dickerson to complete their 2010 draft.
Smith will provide depth at a position that was hit with the injury bug last year, while Holliday and Dickerson are two of the most compelling picks in this year's class.
Holliday (5-5, 159), a track star with blazing speed, is described in his LSU bio as "the fastest player to ever play college football." He has the credentials to back that up.
He was clocked at 4.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in February. That would have been a record, but Holliday had to settle for an official electronic time of 4.34.
He won the NCAA 100-meter sprint title in June 2009, with a time of 10 seconds flat. That was the fourth-best time in the world last year and the fastest time for a football player in history.
Holliday averaged 18.1 yards per punt return in 2009. That was the second-highest avearge in the nation. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry, 24.7 yards per kickoff return and 15.0 yards per punt return in his four-year LSU career.
"I think we got a returner that can change the field for us," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said of the 197th overall pick in the draft. "We think he can do wonders for our football team."
Dickerson (6-1, 222), picked 227th overall, ran a 4.47 40 and posted a 43.5-inch vertical at the combine. Some scouting services rated him as a third- or fourth-round talent.
He will play wide receiver for the Texans, lining up behind Andre Johnson. As a tight end, Dickerson had 49 catches, 529 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2009. He also played wide receiver, kickoff returner, outside linebacker, fullback and H-back at Pitt.
"When he's had a chance to go outside and play, with his length, he's done some good things," Kubiak said. "We've got a long way to come with him, but he's going to be a great project for us."
Smith (6-4, 300) was a three-year starter at Colorado State. He was selected 10 spots before Holliday at No. 187 and is the only offensive lineman in the Texans' 2010 draft class.
New Texans offensive assistant Marc Lubick was on the Colorado State coaching staff in 2009. Smith will see plenty of other familiar faces when he arrives in Houston with former Colorado State players David Anderson, Joel Dreessen, Mike Brisiel and Jesse Nading already on the roster.
"I got a chance to play with a number of those guys, and I'm looking forward to seeing them and playing with them," Smith said. "I think that'll make the transition a little bit easier."
Follow Nick Scurfield on Twitter at ****twitter.com/NickScurfield*** or find him on the "I'm A Texan Club" at _***imatexan.com/profiles/NickScurf/***_.*
