The Texans drafted their first defensive player of the 2016 NFL Draft on Day 3. Houston selected West Virginia safety K.J. Dillon (6-0, 210) with its first pick of the fifth round (159th overall).
In 2015, Dillon stepped up when starting safety Karl Joseph (selected in the first round by Oakland) suffered a season-ending knee injury. Dillon finished the 2015 season at West Virginia with 55 tackles, 7.5 for a loss, two interceptions and eight pass break-ups.
"We did a lot of work on the West Virginia safeties, both those guys, and we liked both those guys and really Dillon was a player who really took over that secondary when the other young man went down and he's just an aggressive player," general manager Rick Smith said. "He's got some dual ability to come down in the box and also play in space. He's got some coverage ability, really competitive high energy type of player so we really like his skill set and his playing temperament."
Dillon, who earned second team All-Big 12 accolades last year, played in 48 career games and started 29 games during his four seasons at West Virginia (2012-15).
In the first and second rounds, the Texans moved up and added two players out of Notre Dame. Houston drafted wide receiver Will Fuller with the No. 21 overall pick and center Nick Martin 50th overall. The Texans selected wide receiver Braxton Miller in the third round and running back Tyler Ervin in the fourth.
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 21 | Will Fuller | WR | Notre Dame |
| 2 | 50 | Nick Martin | C | Notre Dame |
| 3 | 85 | Braxton Miller | WR | Ohio State |
| 4 | 119 | Tyler Ervin | RB | San Jose State |
| 5 | 159 | K.J. Dillon | S | West Virginia |
| 5 | 166 | D.J. Reader | NT | Clemson |
The Texans took West Virginia S K.J. Dillon in the 5th round with the 159th pick.
