Suggesting that a rookie wide receiver, yet to take a regular season snap let alone hit the practice field adorned in NFL regalia, could potentially take the place of a future Hall of Famer is questionable at best - and yet, it's hard to look at the Houston Texans and neophyte pass-catcher Jaelen Strong and not see an absolute plethora of possibilities.
Strong, 6-foot-2, 217-pounds, entered the 2015 NFL Draft to questions about the precision of his route running and his overall speed. Widely viewed as a likely late first-round pick thanks to his prodigious college production and the impact he provided from Day One at Arizona State, Strong fell all the way to the Texans in the third-round.
While that tumble probably hurt Strong's ego, it may prove to be the perfect situation for the former Sun Devil.
"They lost Andre Johnson this offseason and had a need for another big receiver to line up opposite of DeAndre Hopkins," writes Charlie Campbell of Walter Football. "With Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington operating out of the slot and rotating into the game, Houston should employ a steady rotation of receivers aside from Hopkins. Even if Strong isn't an immediate starter, he should figure quickly into the Texans' offense. With his ability to win 50-50 passes and his reliable hands, Strong is a real asset on third downs and in the red zone. In the longer term, Strong and Hopkins could be Houston's leading outside receivers with a speed threat working out of the slot."
Johnson, now a member of the Indianapolis Colts, is the Texans all-time leading receiver, having amassed 1,012 receptions for 13,597 yards and 64 touchdowns in a 12-year career which began as the second ever draft pick of the expansion Houston franchise.
Replacing him is not possible - in fact, it's probably more accurate to say that the more agile Hopkins will do his best to replace Johnson, not Strong - but there's no player on the Texans roster as well equipped to line up on the outside across from Hopkins, the new de facto No. 1 wideout in Houston, as Strong.
"He has extremely strong hands. He reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald in body frame only. When the ball is in his hands, he's a horse. He high points the ball as good as anybody in the country," NFL Draft Analyst Mike Mayock said in the wake of the Texans decision to select Strong.
If the Texans can get at least adequate quarterback play out of Ryan Mallett or Brian Hoyer, Strong and Hopkins should be able to thrive - their bigger bodies and strong hands mean that, even if they're unable to gain separation or even if a pass isn't directly on target, there's still a good chance they'll be able to come down with it, presumably aiding Mallett or Hoyer and making the Houston offense as a whole more consistent.
Strong's NFL future has yet to be written, but playing under Bill O'Brien and alongside Hopkins, Strong should have a great opportunity to impact the Texans franchise from day one, much like the future Hall of Famer whose legacy he'll do his best to live up to.
