Just so sad being a Houston sports fan. Another wasted pick in the first round, and we have to throw away a late round where Smith actually has a history of doing well. Fuller isn't very shifty, and as a receiver, he doesn't catch very well. He also doesn't return punts or kickoffs, so what value does he really add to the team? He's nothing but a speed decoy, and you give up a first round pick just for that? I'd bet that he will never be as good as Lockette as a speed threat, and as happened so many times to this franchise before, we get outsmarted during the draft by letting the Seahawks to scoope in at the last second to steal Lockette away. Had we gotten Lockette, we would have gone after Doctson, so imagine what our WR corps would have been with Hop, Lock, and Doct. Instead, now we are stuck with Fuller and Strong.
Guy has some killer speed. If he gets ahead of his defender he's gone. Looks to be able to track the deep ball well. Hand look kind of small though. If he can double as a returner this pick was a homerun
People don't look at the big picture. Less safety help on Hop. Less guys go sit in the box. One guy who can legit run by any DB in the league. Home run pick for the Texans. Offense will be very good.
CBS Sports: (Grade: B)They needed to add speed and stretch the field. He´s not as good as some other receivers, but he can fly. It makes sense. Yahoo: The Texans flipped a 2017 sixth-rounder to slide up a spot and guarantee they got the speed option they wanted. There were more complete receivers on the board, such as Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson, but the Texans wanted a vertical threat to complement DeAndre Hopkins. Now, with Hopkins, Fuller and Lamar Miller, the Texans have game-changing playmakers. Helps out Brock Osweiler tremendously. Grade: B- USA Today: Houston pops up one place, ensuring the acquisition of Fuller, who had the fastest 40 time (4.32 seconds) of any wideout at the scouting combine. He won't necessarily catch a lot of passes in 2016, but Fuller will immediately stretch defenses, opening up space for Pro Bowl WR DeAndre Hopkins to operate while unloading run-heavy boxes for speedy RB Lamar Miller. But when Fuller does get behind the deep safety, new franchise QB Brock Osweiler has the arm to take advantage of his new burner. FOX Sports: Likely the best deep threat in the draft as it relates to speed and the ability to threaten the defense down the field. Fuller, though, showed inconsistent hands and he is very slight, which will show up against strong press-coverage at the next level. If he can clean up his pass-catching ability and put on 10 pounds, he could be very dangerous, allowing teams to take the top off of any defense. -- Joel Klatt ProFootballTalk: Fuller’s arrival continues the offensive overhaul that’s gone on in Houston this offseason. He’ll join quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller as new faces in an offense that was short on pizazz outside of DeAndre Hopkins last season. Fuller’s game had plenty of pizazz when he was in South Bend. He’s got all the speed you could want in a wideout and is a threat to score every time he has the ball in his hands. He sometimes has problems getting the ball in his hands, but will likely have plenty of chances to take the top off defenses with Hopkins gathering attention elsewhere. SI: GRADE: A- Adding Fuller to a receiver corps already blessed with DeAndre Hopkins is a force multiplier for the Houston offense. While Hopkins is the do-it-all guy, Fuller is a pure speed burner who will take the top off any coverage. He's not physically dominant, he'll drop passes and he needs work with the full route tree, but he's going to help this offense a ton. Factor in the free agent additions of Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller, and Bill O'Brien has himself a pretty formidable offense all of a sudden. ESPN: What he brings: Averaging more than 20 yards per catch in 2015, he has elite top-end speed and is the top vertical receiving threat. He also shows an adequate feel as a route runner and is an underrated runner after the catch. His best value will come in a heavy vertical passing game with a strong-armed quarterback. However, though he can deliver a big play down the field at any point, teams must also be ready for some drops as he does not appear to be a natural-hands catcher and has the highest drop percentage of any receiver in this class (8.6 percent). How he fits: After signing QB Brock Osweiler in free agency, the Texans needed to infuse speed at receiver to complement his big arm. Fuller fits the bill here as he ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the combine and is the top vertical threat in this class. He should have plenty of one-on-one opportunities to manufacture big plays due to the attention WR Deandre Hopkins will garner lining up on the opposite side. -- Kevin Weidl Rotoworld: Texans traded up to select Notre Dame WR Will Fuller with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2016 draft. They sent a sixth-round pick to Washington to move up one spot. Fuller (6'0/186) spent three years in South Bend -- two as a starter -- capping his career with 144 catches for 2,512 yards (17.44 YPR) and 30 TDs. Fuller confirmed his blazing deep speed in Indy by running 4.32, but also showed his limitations with a disappointing 33 1/2-inch vertical while measuring in with short arms (30 3/4") and tiny hands (8 1/4"). A small, finesse burner, Fuller has a place in the NFL as a "go-get-it" lid lifter, but his hands were an issue with 21 drops the past two seasons, and Fuller projects as a long-term low-volume target. He's likely to be a better real-life than fantasy player, especially opposite target hog DeAndre Hopkins in Houston.
Will Fuller NFL.Com Reaction to Texans Selection https://www.nfl.com/now?icampaign=nflnow-hp_traffic_driver
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Still can't believe I got the call to wear the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash">#Texans</a> Blue and Red. Next stop: Houston!… <a href="https://t.co/Rtq1c1ULsl">https://t.co/Rtq1c1ULsl</a></p>— Will Fuller V (@Will_Fuller7) <a href="https://twitter.com/Will_Fuller7/status/725894708413657088">April 29, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I seem to remember there were several individuals who were against the Texans picking Watt and how Nick Fairley would be a multiple Pro-Bowler. The consensus was for the Texans to get faster at the WR position, and that's what they accomplished. I'll wait until he starts playing with Brock to really start judging the pick. Plus, I think his Twitter avatar is cool. https://twitter.com/Will_Fuller7
A few years ago, Minny traded up to 32 to take Teddy Bridgewater when the Texas had the 33rd pick. Probably were afraid someone else was going to take that pick.
Good point, we had to make sure someone didn't trade up ahead of us and take someone we didn't want again.
I'm surprised to see so many people not happy with the pick. 15 TD last season is what's basically the ACC. That put him at tied for 5th in the country and he was 3rd last year. It was a huge need position. Speed can be overrated with receivers but it's still valuable.
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Not at all, if he did "fall" then they'd have just passed on him again. They weren't anywhere near as high on him as the segment of the fanbase that was calling him the next coming of Aaron Rodgers or Joe Montana.
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="6" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BExQi1tobAB/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Still can't believe I got the call to wear the #Texans Blue and Red. Next stop: Houston! @tidenfl #OurColors #ad</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by Will Fuller (@will7fuller) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-04-29T03:49:10+00:00">Apr 28, 2016 at 8:49pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
The more I think about offensive philosophy I am starting to warm up to this pick..... Brock has to have time to throw it. The colts did something similar to this last year and paid for it.
Right, which is why you don't take him 1, but 33? Relatively low risk for a QB. Xavier Su'a-Filo has been ok but will probably end up being a solid lineman.
