Who Is Treston Decoud?

When the Texans selected Treston Decoud I had no idea who he was. When I went to watch Draft Breakdown videos of him I still had no idea who he was. There was only one available short video of him. All I knew was that he played off and on and at different schools, and was very tall—much taller than the other members of the Texans’ secondary.

But thanks to Aaron Wilson, and spending the weekend with newspaper reading grandparents, I now know more about Treston Decoud. The link to the full article is here, but some highlights include:

Why he wasn’t able to participate in rookie minicamps, or organized team activities

Under the collective bargaining agreement, Decoud and other players from Pac-12 schools on the academic quarter system who don't finish until after minicamps are over can't participate in any activities with their respective teams following the rookie minicamp.

In Decoud's case, he missed all of the organized team activities and a full-team minicamp. Oregon State concludes its academic calendar Saturday. The Texans closed their final minicamp Wednesday, with coach Bill O'Brien canceling their final day Thursday.

"I really don't know too much about it, but you've got to abide by the rules," Decoud said. "I'm sure the other guys like Christian McCaffrey feel the same way I do. I just want to get on the field and get some reps. Training camp will be tough - I know that.

"I'm a smart guy, so I'm not really concerned about that. Once I get in there, the coaches will walk me through and catch me up on everything. It's the NFL. You have to be ready at all times. I'll be ready. I want to make sure when training camp comes, I have no excuses."

His Louisiana childhood

An only child, Decoud leaned on and supported his mother, Chandrika, while living with her in a trailer as she battled breast cancer.

Dealing with financial hardships, Decoud recalled going months without electricity or water.

"We used to eat hot sauce sandwiches if we didn't have any food to eat," Decoud said. "We got by however we could. I used to look forward to those school lunches and breakfast. I couldn't wait to get in there to eat."

Decoud dealt with all the frustrations and difficulties by excelling in sports. He was an all-district selection at four positions in football at Lakeshore High School in Mandeville, La. He also qualified for the state track and field championships as a sprinter during his junior and senior years.

The adversity he dealt with during his NCAA career

Decoud contemplated quitting the sport when he was declared ineligible by the NCAA after going through spring football, but his mother convinced him to stick it out.

"I thought it was over for good," Decoud said. "I was really down, but my mom told me that I had to stay on my path."

Today, his mother is free of cancer and her son is a full-fledged NFL player.

"That was definitely one of the toughest things I had to deal with," Decoud said. "I transferred to be close to her and then I went to junior college and she got a little sick again. I kept battling and she kept battling.

"Thank God she's 100 percent now. It's just a blessing. She's 100 percent better. She's working. Everybody is good in my family."

It’s a great article. You should read the entire thing, and learn more about the Texans’ most unknown 2017 draft pick.