The Houston Texans didn't see much impact from any of their selections in the 2014 NFL Draft.
First-round pick Jadeveon Clowney underwent microfracture surgery after seven games, second-round pick Xavier Su'a-Filo appeared in 13 games, starting one, third-rounder C.J. Fiedorowicz made only four receptions for 28 yards, and the team's second third-round selection, nose tackle Louis Nix, failed to appear in a game before being placed on injured reserve after Week 3.
The draft class as a whole was unable to offer much in the way of immediate impact, and while it's said to take at least three seasons to truly evaluate an incoming class, the initial returns in Houston were not promising.
While Clowney and the rest of the prospects still have the backing of Texans head coach Bill O'Brien and GM Rick Smith, Nix has, according to a report from Tony Pauline of Draft Insider, already fallen out of favor and has the franchise seeking a nose tackle in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Nix, like Clowney, was a fantastic NFL prospect in terms of size and ability, coming out of Notre Dame last year. Questions about his work ethic and conditioning dogged him throughout the draft process, another unfortunate characteristic shared with Clowney, but the Texans still thought highly enough of his moldable skill set to make him a third-round selection.
"Houston is looking for big, strong, physical playmakers," NFL Draft Analyst Mike Mayock said of the selection. "Nix is a prototypical 3-4 nose tackle. At 350 pounds, he's extremely stout. He should probably play at 330, because he can get tired and when he gets tired he loses the leverage battle."
A projected first or second-round pick, Nix fell due to a lack of momentum entering the draft as well as a torn meniscus in his left knee, which required season-ending surgery. After undergoing a second arthroscopic procedure on the knee prior to training camp with the Texans, he never seemed to return to full health and was subsequently placed on IR, forcing the team to sign veteran Ryan Pickett.
With the 16th selection in the first-round of April's 2015 NFL Draft, the Texans could target a player like Danny Shelton of Washington or Eddie Goldman of Florida State, both big, strong, athletic tackles built to hold the point of attack.
There will be options in free agency as well, where a player like Terrance Knighton, formerly of the Broncos and Jaguars, could provide a significant upgrade over Pickett and the already-out-of-favor, Nix.
