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.
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After finishing up with the Guardians the Astros have a rather important series for early May with the Seattle Mariners heading to town for the weekend. While it’s still too early to be an absolute must-win series for the Astros, losing the series to drop seven or eight games off the division lead would make successfully defending their American League West title that much more unlikely.
Since their own stumble out of the gate to a 6-10 record the Mariners have been racking up series wins, including one this week over the Atlanta Braves. The M’s offense is largely Mmm Mmm Bad, but their pitching is sensational. In 18 games after a 4-8 start, the Mariners gave up five runs in a game once. In the other 17 games they only gave up four runs once. Over the 18 games their starting pitchers gave up 18 earned runs total with a 1.44 earned run average. That’s absurd. Coming into the season Seattle’s starting rotation was clearly better on paper than those of the Astros and Texas Rangers, and it has crystal clearly played out as such into the second month of the schedule.
While it’s natural to focus on and fret over one’s own team's woes when they are plentiful as they have been for the Astros, a reminder that not all grass is greener elsewhere. Alex Bregman has been awful so far. So has young Mariners’ superstar Julio Rodriguez. A meager four extra base hits over his first 30 games were all Julio produced down at the ballyard. That the Mariners are well ahead of the Astros with J-Rod significantly underperforming is good news for Seattle.
Caratini comes through!
So it turns out the Astros are allowed to have a Puerto Rican-born catcher who can hit a little bit. Victor Caratini’s pedigree is not that of a quality offensive player, but he has swung the bat well thus far in his limited playing time and provided the most exciting moment of the Astros’ season with his two-out two-run 10th inning game winning home run Tuesday night. I grant that one could certainly say “Hey! Ronel Blanco finishing off his no-hitter has been the most exciting moment.” I opt for the suddenness of Caratini’s blow turning near defeat into instant victory for a team that has been lousy overall to this point. Frittering away a game the Astros had led 8-3 would have been another blow. Instead, to the Victor belong the spoils.
Pudge Rodriguez is the greatest native Puerto Rican catcher, but he was no longer a good hitter when with the Astros for the majority of the 2009 season. Then there’s Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado’s hitting stats with the Astros look Mike Piazza-ian compared to what Jose Abreu was doing this season. Finally, mercifully for all, Abreu is off the roster as he accepts a stint at rookie-level ball in Florida to see if he can perform baseball-CPR on his swing and career. Until or unless he proves otherwise, Abreu is washed up and at some point the Astros will have to accept it and swallow whatever is left on his contract that runs through next season. For now Abreu makes over $120,000 per game to not be on the roster. At his level of performance, that’s a better deal than paying him that money to be on the roster.
Abreu’s seven hits in 71 at bats for an .099 batting average with a .269 OPS is a humiliating stat line. In 2018 George Springer went to sleep the night of June 13 batting .293 after going hitless in his last four at bats in a 13-5 Astros’ win over Oakland. At the time no one could have ever envisioned that Springer had started a deep, deep funk which would have him endure a nightmarish six for 78 stretch at the plate (.077 batting average). Springer then hit .293 the rest of the season.
Abreu’s exile opened the door for Joey Loperfido to begin his Major League career. Very cool for Loperfido to smack a two-run single in his first game. He also struck out twice. Loperfido will amass whiffs by the bushel, he had 37 strikeouts in 101 at bats at AAA Sugar Land. Still, if he can hit .225 with some walks mixed in (he drew 16 with the Space Cowboys) and deliver some of his obvious power (13 homers in 25 games for the ex-Skeeters) that’s an upgrade over Abreu/Jon Singleton, as well as over Jake Meyers and the awful showing Chas McCormick has posted so far. Frankly, it seems unwise that the Astros only had Loperfido play seven games at first base in the minors this year. If McCormick doesn’t pick it up soon and with Meyers displaying limited offensive upside, the next guy worth a call-up is outfielder Pedro Leon. In January 2021 the Astros gave Leon four million dollars to sign out of Cuba and called him a “rapid mover to the Major Leagues.” Well…
Over his first three minor league seasons Leon flashed tools but definitely underwhelmed. He has been substantially better so far this year. He turns 26 May 28. Just maybe the Astros offense could be the cause of fewer Ls with Loperfido at first and Leon in center field.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via YouTube: stone cold stros - YouTube with the complete audio available via Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.