The Texans selected North Carolina offensive tackle Brennan Williams with the 89th overall pick in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Williams (6-6, 318) was a two-year starter at right tackle at North Carolina. He played in a pro-style offense and was teammates with Texans quarterback T.J. Yates as a freshman and sophomore. He will compete for the Texans' starting right tackle spot as a rookie.
"He's a big man; he's got long arms, two big things that you look for," Texans offensive line coach John Benton said. "He's really a pretty good athlete from that standpoint, but I really liked his play-style. I thought he fit what we did. He's aggressive.
"He's a finisher. You see all kinds of guys all along the line. Some are perfectly content to keep their guy out of the play and as long as that happens, then that's the baseline and they're pretty happy. Brennan likes to put people in the ground and wear them out over the course of the game."
Derek Newton, who started 14 games at right tackle in 2013, is coming off of knee surgery as the Texans approach the start of OTAs on May 20.
"We've got kind of an up-in-the-air situation with Derek Newton being injured," Benton said. "We're not quite sure when he'll be able to come back. Ryan Harris probably figures into the mix a little bit. We'll put Brennan in there right off the bat and compete, and we can only get better through that competition."
Williams missed the final four games of his senior season with a torn labrum, but Benton said he has been cleared medically.
Williams' father, Brent, was a defensive lineman in the NFL for 11 seasons (1986-96) for the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets. He had 45.5 career sacks.
"I've got a mean streak and an aggressiveness that I don't think a lot of people have," Williams said. "It probably comes from having a pretty good chip on my shoulder from the get go. I'm from (West Roxbury) Massachusetts and we don't exactly put out a lot of Division I talent, so I've kind of been looked down upon for most of my career. Even now, I've got something to prove, and I look forward to getting in and cracking some heads."
Texans 2013 draft picks
Round 1, Pick 27 (27 overall): WR DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
Round 2, Pick 25 (57): S D.J. Swearinger, South Carolina
Round 3, Pick 27 (89): T Brennan Williams, North Carolina
Round 3, Pick 33 (95) (Compensatory selection)
Round 4, Pick 27 (124)
Round 5, Pick 27 (160)
Round 6, Pick 27 (195)
Round 6, Pick 33 (201) (Compensatory selection)
Round 7, Pick 27 (233)
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