The Jacksonville Jaguars could use Rick Smith’s draft track record.
Before Rick Smith became their general manager in 2006, the Texans were in a state of disarray. Houston had just won 18 games in four seasons. It’s true the franchise was in its infancy and lacked talent at most position groups but they were not very good at winning games regardless of the reason.
Nevertheless, Smith got to work right away and drafted defensive end Mario Williams in 2006’s draft. At the time, he was questioned for passing up USC running back Reggie Bush and Texas quarterback Vince Young. In retrospect, that was the first of many bright decisions he made at the helm of the Texans’ front office.
The same year, Smith selected tight end Owen Daniels, linebacker DeMeco Ryans, and right tackle Eric Winston. All of them went on to become core players for Houston. He didn’t stop there and in 2007, he acquired Matt Schaub, who went on to be the team’s quarterback for six years, via trade.
Throughout Smith’s tenure as the general manager, the Texans also drafted All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt, safety Glover Quinn, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and their current franchise quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Not only does he know how to identify talent, but to draft it as well.