If you don't remember the past you are doomed to repeat it
The 11 worst draft picks in Texans history
Apr 22, 2019, 7:28 am
Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images
These are the worst 11 draft picks in the Texans history. I took into account players drafted after these selections and investment in the picks if there were trades involved.
David Carr - 1st overall - 2002
The Texans should've gone with Julius Peppers who is headed to the hall of fame and let a veteran take the beating instead of Carr. They stuck with him through a few years and potentially could have had Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Aaron Rodgers (2005) or even any of the quarterbacks in 2006. The ripple effects are crazy off of this so let your imagination run wild. We will always have that first game though huh David?
Bennie Joppru - 41st overall - 2003
It made sense to start finding weapons to pair with David Carr in an effort to get the most out of the Texans quarterback. Andre Johnson was a terrific selection in the first round, one of the best in franchise history. Joppru was less than terrific. He would never catch a pass in the NFL. Right after him went Pro Bowl safety Ken Hamlin and in the next round Jason Witten was selected by the Cowboys. Not to pile on, but the Texans ended up with this pick in a deal with the Patriots. New England ended up with Eugene Wilson and Dan Klecko while Houston got Joppru and Seth Wand with their selections. His Pro-Football Reference page lists his defensive stats since he never recorded any offensive stats.
Tony Hollings - 2nd round - 2003 supplemental draft
No clue what the Texans were thinking here. He was a defensive back that moved to running back and played a few games before getting hurt. Hollings had been ruled academically inelgible so the Texans saw fit to burn a pick on him in the supplemental draft. He would rush the ball 49 times for 149 yards in a Texans uniform in three years. The Texans sacrificed a selection in round two the following draft for him. Running back Julius Jones and Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders, who ended up on the Colts and tortured the Texans, went around where the Texans would have selected the following year.
Jason Babin - 27th overall - 2004
Maybe the worst pick the Texans ever made considering the cost. The Texans traded second, third, fourth, and fifth round picks and got Babin and a fifth back. Just horrible levels of investment. He would record 13 sacks in three seasons with the team before becoming a journey-man defender. He would find success with the Titans and Eagles later in his career. He had, uh, interesting tattoos.
The Jaguars have released Jason Babin. Probably because they got tired of looking at those godawful tattoos. pic.twitter.com/sLrVh4NZhM
— PeytonsHead (Retired) (@BigHeadBS) June 19, 2014
Amobi Okoye - 10th overall - 2007
Rick Smith's first pick as the Texans general manager. This pick is here because of who went right after him. Okoye was decent at times for the Texans but certainly not what you would expect from his draft slot. He was also 19 years old when he was selected by the Texans. Houston was picking at 10 after a trade with Atlanta that landed them Matt Schaub. Here are four players that went in the next five selections after Okoye: Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch, Darrelle Revis, and Lawrence Timmons. I want you to sit and think about the possibility of Demeco Ryans and Patrick Willis playing together and realize the Texans took someone who was 19 instead. The story got sad but has a happier ending for Okoye.
Brandon Harris - 60th overall - 2011
J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed was one hell of a start to the 2011 draft class and I will listen to arguments they were so good this pick shouldn't matter that much. Alas, the "No Fly Zone" shut few people down. The deal sent New England a third and a fifth which they used on Stevan Ridley and Marcus Cannon.
Sam Montgomery - 95th overall - 2013
2013 was one of the worst drafts in Texans history. DeAndre Hopkins and Ryan Griffin were the bookends to an otherwise rough group. Montgomery though, highlighted the disappointment. He was a member of the infamous group of LSU players called out by coaches and didn't even make it through the season. He was cut after he allegedly was smoking weed in his room at a road game.
Les Miles tough love motivation: pic.twitter.com/cGHQqWlX
— SDSNation (@SDSNation) December 28, 2012
Xavier Su'a-Filo - 33rd overall - 2014
It should've worked but it might have been doomed from the start. The pick wasn't traded in an effort to move up for a quarterback and then when the Texans stayed put they didn't select Derek Carr. Joel Bitonio went two selections later to Cleveland and made the All-Rookie Team in 2014 and was an All-Pro in 2018. Please enjoy him allowing the sack but recovering the ball.
Louis Nix - 83rd overall - 2014
Aggression was a big thumbs up for the move but Nix failed to pan out as a NFL player. He had a knee surgery end his 2014 before it even really started and he didn't even stick on the team in 2015. The Texans sent the top selection in the fourth and fifth rounds to Philadelphia to select Nix. Again, the pick made sense it just didn't work.
Kevin Johnson - 16th overall - 2015
His time with the team just wrapped up and more than a few players after him have been consistent NFL players. Marcus Peters was picked two slots after Johnson and there is no debate he is better. The Texans usually shied away from players like Peters but Byron Jones, who was also a first round defensive back selected, has been a very nice player for the Cowboys. Johnson meanwhile suffered a multitude of injuries that stymied any chance at developing on his limited success.
Jaelen Strong - 70th overall - 2015
Seattle destroyed the Texans moments before this pick was made. The Seahawks traded up right in front of the Texans to pick Tyler Lockett who has been fantastic for them. It feels like the Texans panicked and moved up to draft the lanky Strong. He had mild success as a rookie against the Colts but frequent trips to the Bill O'Brien doghouse doomed Strong. The investment wasn't huge to move up and get him, DeVier Posey and two later round picks, but where the Texans were as a franchise they needed a hit to keep trying to push forward. Strong's failure to develop led directly to Will Fuller's selection the following year.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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