The Texans moved up in both rounds of Friday's draft to get their players, creating a flurry of activity. They landed Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney early on Day 2 after a trade with Cleveland.
"As the second round began to unfold, Benardrick was sitting there and it was pretty clear that he was the highest rated guy left on the board," general manager and executive vice president Rick Smith said Friday night. "We felt like we needed to get aggressive."
The Texans swapped their second round pick with Cleveland, improving from 51st to 43rd overall. In the process, Houston also gave up its fourth- and sixth-round picks (116th and 195th overall) but earned back a seventh rounder (229th overall).
The seventh rounder didn't last long, as the Texans flipped to the New York Jets in a trade to improve their position in the third round. Houston swapped picks with the Jets to improve from 82nd overall to 70th overall. They also traded wide receiver DeVier Posey and their third-, fifth-, and seventh-round picks (82nd, 152nd, and 229th overall) to add wide receiver Jaelen Strong from Arizona State.
"I think it's a good opportunity for DeVier," Smith said. "For whatever reason, his career just hadn't really materialized the way that I think he had hoped while he was here. We had talked with him prior to the draft and we had communicated to him that we would try to find a situation that was a good one for him. He feels really good about it and I'm sure if you talk to him he will articulate that to you, so we felt good and put him as a part of that package to go up and take Jaelen."
Heading into the final day of the draft, the Texans have just three compensatory picks remaining in the fifth and sixth rounds (175th, 211th, and 216th) as well as their original seventh-round selection (235th overall).
"So far, for two days, I think we've done a decent job of executing," Smith said. "We've got a big day tomorrow. Our guys understand that, but we do think that our football team is better by the moves that we've made so far."
The final day of the 2015 NFL Draft takes place Saturday, May 2 with Rounds 4 through 7 taking place.
