May 10, 2013; Houston, Texans, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Sam Montgomery (57) works out at Methodist Training Facility at Reliant Stadium . Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

While Tennessee Titans fans have been consumed with their own team’s draft, it’s important to note that the other teams in the division got some new players as well.  This is the first of a series where we take a look at what the competition has been up to, specifically how their draft went.

This week we start with the Houston Texans who are now at the top of the division and currently the team to beat.  The Texans look like they got a couple of steals on paper, but there are also a few character concerns on the roster now as well.  In order to help look at what the Texans have done in the draft, I turned to our friend  Ryan Clark, the Editor at The Toro Times, for an interview.

*Draft pick summary and analysis courtesy of NFL.com.

TS- When a team is as good and well rounded as the Houston Texans, it’s hard to upgrade positions.  Do you see any of the rookies starting opening day?

Ryan – There’s a lot of guys that can start for the Texans in Week 1, but a lot will have to prove themselves in training camp. The main guys to keep an eye on are of course DeAndre Hopkins, but also D.J. Swearinger and Sam Montgomery. The Texans are desperate for someone to fit in with Brooks Reed and Whitney Mercilus at the outside linebacker spot, so he’s the one to watch. He has to transition from defensive end though, which will take time.

TS- There was a lot of talk on draft day about DeAndre Hopkins and his trashing of the hotel room at the combine.  Are Texan fans worried about his attitude/ maturity at all?

Ryan – There’s a few people out there that will knock Hopkins’ attitude, but since the details are murky about the whole hotel incident, most are just excited about what he brings to the field. There’s nothing to say Hopkins played a huge role in trashing the room, and outside of that he’s a pretty clean player.

TS - The Texans’ defense is already stellar, do they have room for D.J. Swearinger and Sam Montgomery?  How soon do you see Swearinger getting on the field with Ed Reed signed as well.

Ryan – I see Swearinger sharing the workload. Reed will be the starter, but his recent surgery leaves a lot of questions. Swearinger was brought in to learn from Reed and develop into a soon to be star, so I expect him to see a good deal of field time.

TS – How confident are you in the Texans’ locker room to handle players like Montomery, who had a reported poor work ethic, and Hopkins?

Ryan – I’m confident Gary Kubiak can handle troubled or unmotivated players, since he has a good supporting cast around him. Just about everyone who is a current starter on the team is focused on winning, and if Montgomery came in with a poor attitude, it wouldn’t be tolerated. The Texans don’t have a great deal of experience with handling divas though, so this will all be kind of new.

TS – The Titans have been extremely busy this off season and should be much improved.  Do the Texans see them as any kind of threat this coming year? The Colts?  Or are you comfortable feeling the division is in the bag?

Ryan –  I’ve said since free agency began that the Titans aren’t to be taken lightly. There’s a lot of new faces in Tennessee, and even though both games last season were a little one-sided, I think most Texans’ fans are now wary of Chance Warmack and the Titans increased protection on the offensive line. The division is far from in the bag. All three teams had a fantastic draft, and look a lot different than they did three months ago.

It will be interesting to see if Montgomery pans out for the Texans.  Swearinger and Montgomery both were on a lot of Titans’ fans radar during the draft.  As a fan of an opposing team, you hate to see them stock up with quality prospects to take over for quality vets.  Good teams with a winning attitude and a good veteran locker room can usually handle good football prospects that may have been red flagged for character concerns. It will be interesting to see if Kubiak and the Texans are at that level now.

I was a little surprised when Ryan told me that Texans’ fans were wary of Chance Warmack.  That has to be the first time in draft history that an offensive guard has made opposing fans nervous.  When looking at the Titans through another fan’s eyes, you probably felt good going into a game last year knowing they had a sieve for an offensive line.  The Titans’ weak link.  No longer having that to exploit, opposing teams will have to look elsewhere in their game planning.

Overall the Texans seem to have gotten a good haul in the draft, and if Hopkins comes along fast, he could give the AFC South fits while trying to double team Andre Johnson.  Swearinger and Montgomery could start day one for a lot of teams in the league as well.  Titans’ fans will find out in the second week of the season who’s rookies will contribute the most in the beginning when they visit the Texans.

You can find me on Twitter  @gunnelsj

March 19, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak answers questions from reporters during the annual NFL meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

We posted the first 2013 NFL Draft Spying article on the Jacksonville Jaguars the other day. Today we look at another AFC South team in the Houston Texans. Editor of FanSided’s Texans blog Toro Times, Ryan Cook, gives us the low down on what the Texans are looking like after free agency and what they’ll be looking for in the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft. Let’s dig in.

What positions are the Texans targeting in the first round of the draft?

This one’s easy, the Texans need a wide receiver, straight up. Replacing lost free agent Kevin Walter and finding someone to take the pressure off Andre Johnson is a must, but it’s also about finding another target for Schaub down the stretch. Johnson turns 32 this year, and there’s too much receiver talent in the early rounds to consider taking someone later on.

Are there any players the front office seems to covet at this point?

The Texans have done most of their spending. They’ve sured up guys like Brice McCain but added some experience in Ed Reed and Greg Jones, while leaving some cap space to play with later on. The only players the Texans seem to be interested in right now are draft prospects – based on their meeting with Tyrann Mathieu last week. Don’t expect many big signings before the draft.

Did the Texans fill any major needs through free agency? What were they?

The Texans have filled two big needs early. Ideally, general manager Rick Smith would have liked to hold on to Glover Quin, but signing Reed replaces his absence quite well. It’s obvious to say that Reed is a slight downgrade from Quin due to age, but Wade Phillips seems to like him. Reed should also help out the younger guys in the secondary, just like fullback Greg Jones should help keep Matt Schaub off the turf and set up some more rushing lanes for Arian Foster. He also has some receiver capabilities.

What was the Texans best free agent signing?

Ed Reed was the best signing, but Brice McCain was the most important. Last season he only had one interception and 24 tackles in the two games he started, but proved he can be a reliable replacement if guys like Johnathan Joseph fall injured again. There’s not a lot of depth at corner for the Texans, so bringing McCain back was big.

Which needs still exist after free agency, heading into the draft?

Aside from finding a wide receiver in the first round, adding both an inside and outside linebacker in the second or third rounds is big priority. The Texans lost Connor Barwin to free agency, and there were a lot of issues covering tight ends and receivers on shorter routes last season. Brian Cushing isn’t guaranteed to be his old self after coming off ACL surgery either.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Texans MLB Brian Cushing comes back off his torn ACL. I had forgotten about that injury this past season. We’ve all seen the Titans WR Kenny Britt struggle to come back from it, as well as DE Derrick Morgan. We’ve also seen the freak recovery of Adrian Peterson. Who knows how Cushing will fare.

As for the Texans WR need, I hope they don’t find another Andre Johnson. There definitely doesn’t appear to be an Andre Johnson in this draft, but who knows.

15 days until the 2013 NFL Draft.

You can find me on Twitter @JustinLStewart

Credit: Justin Stewart/Titan Sized

There’s a little over two weeks left until the 2013 NFL Draft and teams around the AFC South are tidying up and bringing in future draftees for visits. News isn’t exactly pouring out right now, but here’s some of the better ones from the past few days:

• The guys over at Black and Teal released a 3-round mock draft the other day and have the Jacksonville Jaguars taking CB Dee Milliner with the 2nd overall pick, the Tennessee Titans taking WR Cordarrelle Patterson with the 10th pick, and (the surprise pick) the Houston Texans taking QB Matt Barkley. That’s definitely an mock.
• Are you a total babe? Well, I’ve always thought the Houston Texans had some of the most gorgeous cheerleaders in the NFL and they’re having their annual tryouts. 35 ladies will make the “final roster,” if you will.
• Toro Times looks at what the Texans have left in cap space and some of the vets they could still be looking to add to the roster before the draft. With just under $4 million, it might be a tough squeeze to add much more.
• I don’t mean to toot our own horn here, but Joshua Huffman wrote up a great piece the other day about the Titans trading back into the later end of the 1st round. He looks at pick values and what the Titans options are. It’s definitely worth the read.
• No one is really sure whether the big, secret free agent that Jim Isray was talking up on Twitter early in free agency was WR Darius Heyward-Bey or not, but I would hope not. The Indianapolis Colts got DHB for a good deal, and he’s got some upside, and having Andrew Luck throwing to him could be the thing that gets him over the hill. The Raiders certainly didn’t present the best scenario.

There’s a brief glimpse at what’s been going on around the AFC South this past week.

You can find me on Twitter @JustinLStewart