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Dan Kadar of our sister site, Mocking The Draft, has released his grades for every one of last night’s first round selections. Here is what he had to say of the Texans’ pick of Notre Dame speedster Will Fuller.
21. Houston Texans - Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
It was clear the Texans needed to get a receiver opposite star receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The addition of Fuller will take some of the pressure (and attention) off him. Fuller can open up the whole field thanks to his speed and route running. This is a little early for me, though, and I have Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson rated higher. Fuller also has some drop issues. If he can get that figured out, however, it won't matter.
Grade: B-
Kadar hits the nail right on the head here. DeAndre Hopkins is already the unquestioned alpha dog in this offense, and Lamar Miller is a dangerous enough running back to suck safeties into the box as it is. The Texans do not need Will Fuller to be an every-down target in this offense. What they do need from Fuller, however, is to be the fastest man on the field and make defenses think twice about keying in on everyone else.
All it takes to open up the field for Hopkins, Miller, and Jaelen Strong is just one or two deep shots per game – that’s it. As soon as opposing defensive coordinators see Fuller effortlessly get open 40 yards down field, whether he makes the catch or not, this offense will suddenly have a brand new dimension that we haven’t seen in Houston in…well, ever. This was not a pick to get a receiver that can put up gigantic numbers. This was a pick that will help the rest of the team put up gigantic numbers.
A B-minus grade is certainly understandable considering that Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson were technically the higher-graded players, but as far as scheme fits go, there were few weapons in this class that fit Houston’s needs like Big Bill Fuller. Consider me thoroughly stoked.