If the Texans do it right at pick 183, they'll get a player like Bo Jackson.
Actually, they won't. There’s only one Bo Jackson, and 30-plus years after he bent all our minds, it's still can't believe he existed - but we'll get back to Bo in a moment.
Houston has 11 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, and three of those 11 are sixth-rounders. The first of those three is the 183rd overall selection.
In NFL history, 87 players have been drafted at that spot since 1939. 34 of them never played a snap in a regular season contest. Of the 53 who did, 19 would go on to start 32 games or more in their careers. Five players picked 183rd would wind up starting at least 100 games.
Now, Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson didn't fall into either of those latter two camps. He appeared in 38 games for the Los Angeles Raiders, with 23 starts. Playing All-Star-level baseball for the Royals in between 1987 and 1990 meant he missed the first chunk of the NFL season the four years he was a pro. A nasty hip injury in a playoff win over the Bengals ended an NFL career that saw him average 5.4 yards per carry and score 18 career touchdowns.
Jackson was the first overall pick by the Buccaneers in the 1986 NFL Draft, but he decided to play baseball instead. The next year, the Raiders picked the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn in the seventh round at 183 overall.
Aside from Jackson, the 183rd pick was well-represented locally. From Cy-Fair High School, and then Texas A&M University, offensive lineman Cody Risien turned in a fine career that lasted from 1979 through 1989. He spent all 11 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, starting 10 games at right guard as a rookie, before settling in and locking down the right tackle position for the rest of his time as a pro. In all, he started 140 regular season games, was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and 1987, and was a key component of some excellent Browns teams of the 1980's.
Two years after the Browns found a treasure in Risien at 183, the Steelers struck gold when they plucked linebacker David Little in the seventh round out of Florida. He was an important part of the Pittsburgh defense from 1984 through his final season of 1992. In a dozen seasons with the Steelers, he started 126 games, went to the Pro Bowl in 1990, picked off 10 passes and recovered 11 fumbles.
The only other time in franchise history the Texans picked at 183, they selected Texas offensive lineman Kasey Studdard in 2007. The sixth-rounder would play four seasons for Houston, starting 14 games in 2009 and appearing in 11 others.
The NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 28 in Las Vegas. The Texans will host a Draft Party for fans that evening at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston.
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