Ladies and gentlemen, we have our front seven now. With the 42nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, your Houston Texans selected Arizona defensive end/outside linebacker Brooks Reed. Join me after the jump where I shed some light on the newest Texan.
Want another reason to like him? During the 2011 Senior Bowl, Reed had a good showing against new Indianapolis Colt offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo - racking up a sack and two tackles for a loss in a quarter. Reed's not much of a run stopper, but his job will be to get after the quarterback.
What this tells me about Wade Phillips' vision is two things: 1) He wants players who give effort and work hard. No lazy players are going to be tolerated. 2) He wants to build the front seven up with attacking, aggressive players. His MO has always been improving the pass rush, and the effort is going there. I like this pick and like the plan. The pass rush will be the key to this defense.
Next up for the Texans, a safety? Maybe? Please? More on Reed to come.