If Justin Reid had been drafted a year earlier, the Texans would'nt have been able to see him during OTAs.
But he wasn't, so now he'll be available to practice for the next two months.
Reid, who played collegiately in the PAC-12 at Stanford, will join fellow Cardinal alum Peter Kalambayi and the rest of the draft picks, free agents and tryout players this Thursday at NRG Stadium for the start of rookie minicamp. But before a rules change last October by the NFL, all PAC-12 rookies had to wait until mid-June before they could start work with their pro teams.
"They have the ability to take care of their profession and still go through and see their graduation," Texans general manager Brian Gaine said. "It's a delicate balance between both. But with the new rule it's been able to accomodate both."
The PAC-12 is on a quarters system, which means their graduations are sometimes a month later than most other colleges. The original rule was enacted so it would prevent athletes from skipping classes to work out with their NFL teams. That changed in mid-October, and Gaine is glad he'll get to see Reid and Kalambayi.
"It's a unique thing that helps us now, in terms of the players being here when we need them be," Gaine said.
The rookies check in on Thursday, and will work on the field on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
