The Houston Texans had seven draft picks in their 2015 class. Here's a closer look at how they've contributed.
2015 draft class:
Starters: Benardrick McKinney has started three games at inside linebacker. He has missed the past two with a concussion, but he's establishing himself as the Texans' choice next to veteran Brian Cushing. Kevin Johnson is not a full-time starter, playing behind Kareem Jackson and Johnathan Joseph, but he has started four games this season.
On the cusp: Although Johnson has been the Texans' third corner, they drafted him to eventually step into the role of a starter and make the transition seamless when it's necessary. The Texans, like most teams in today's NFL, need three starting-caliber corners, and Johnson is starting to play like one with more consistency. His development has impressed his coaches and teammates.
Undrafted free agents they like: Tackle Kendall Lamm has played an important role for the Texans, often as an extra blocker when the offensive line is healthy. When it's not, which has been the case frequently this season, he has filled in at tackle. Safety Kurtis Drummond recently was called up to the active roster. He forced a fumble on special teams against the Tennessee Titans just before the Texans' bye week.
My take on class: In both the second and third rounds, they traded up to fill what seemed like positions of dire need, taking McKinney andJaelen Strong. Since then, though, it has become clear that the Texans are strong enough at receiver that it wasn't imperative to get immediate contributions out of Strong. He wasn't active for three of the Texans' first four games and the Texans have shown favor to fifth-round pick Keith Mumphery. McKinney has proved to be a solid player who improves steadily. Johnson has proven himself to be the right call. Most of the critiques of that pick were that it wasn't a needed position for the Texans. Christian Covington has also contributed positively. They had other holes that might have benefited from the draft -- like the hole at running back that became even more glaring with Arian Foster's latest injury. That's something they should address early in next year's draft. Though it hasn't produced full-time starters yet, this is a much more productive class than the Texans' 2014 or 2013 classes. Grade: B
Mel Kiper’s take on class: Mumphery has been the pleasant surprise for a class that just hasn't shown much so far. Johnson looked really good a few times early on, but has experienced some typical growing pains, which was not unexpected, given how hard it is to transition at cornerback. McKinney has started but missed time. The biggest question is whether Strong can play more than a bit part? We know he has physical talent, but he just hasn't won the reps.