It can be tough finding contributors in the seventh round. But if the Texans do it right, they might wind up a future sacks champ.
The last pick the Texans have this year is at 233 overall. It's a selection they acquired from the Bengals as part of the trade for quarterback Ryan Finley. Houston owns eight picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, starting in the third round with the 67th overall choice.
Over the years, the 233rd player chosen has faced long odds of making it big in the NFL. In League history, there have been 78 total selections at that spot, and 37 of those players actually suited up in a game. More than half never make it to the field for a regular season contest. Only a dozen players taken at 233 started more than 10 games in their careers.
But there have been some success stories at 233.
DE/DT Clyde Simmons - The Eagles plucked Simmons out of Western Carolina in the 1986 Draft, and he played in 236 games over the next 15 NFL seasons. He started 185 of those, and rang up 121.5 sacks from 1986 through 2000. In 1992 he led the League with 19 sacks, and he posted double-digit sack totals in three other seasons as well. Simmons also picked off three passes, and took two of them back for touchdowns. The 2-time All-Pro forced 25 fumbles and recovered 14 more. He's far and away the most productive player ever taken 233rd overall.
RB Justin Forsett - The Cal Bear went to the Seahawks in the 2008 Draft. He split time that season with Seattle and the Colts, and then averaged 5.4 yards per carry the next year with the Seahawks. In 2012 he made a memorable impact on the Texans, as he never stopped running on a play in a Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit. With the Texans trailing, 24-14, in the middle of the third quarter, Forsett picked up a good chunk of yardage before appearing to go down. But the whistle never blew, and Forsett never stopped, as he popped up and scampered for an 81-yard touchdown run. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz threw a challenge flag, which wasn't allowed on a scoring play, and the referees had to award the score to the Texans. That rule has since been changed by the NFL. But Forsett's got the Texans back into the game, which they'd eventually win in overtime.
His finest season came in 2014 with Baltimore. Forsett went to the Pro Bowl after picking up 1,266 yards with eight touchdowns.
For his nine-year career, Forsett was good for 4.7 yards per carry.
DT Lawrence Guy - Guy was chosen by the Packers out of Arizona State in 2011. He never played that season, and made his debut in Week 7 of 2012 as an Indianapolis Colt. Guy also spent time in San Diego and Baltimore, before latching on with the Patriots in 2017. He's started 60 games with New England the last four seasons, and has 79 starts and 129 games played for his career. With 13.5 sacks and 363 tackles, Guy's been an impact player now for the last nine years.
S Marlon McCree - The Kentucky Wildcat was chosen in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Jaguars, and he wasted little time in making an impact. McCree started 11 games that first season as a pro, including the first 10 of the season. He wound up appearing in 114 contests, with 16 career interceptions and 451 combined tackles. He spent part of 2003 and all of 2004 with the Texans, and also played for the Panthers, Chargers and Broncos. 2008 was his final NFL season.
CB Jalen Mills - An Eagles seventh-rounder out of LSU in 2016, Mills started 49 of 63 games the last five years, and has a combined five interceptions in that span. A starter on the Super Bowl champs in 2017, Mills has 40 pass breakups and 283 total tackles in his career. He signed with the Patriots in the 2021 offseason.
