Now that we've had a chance to let the 2016 NFL Draft sink in a bit, the Battle Red Blog staff is ready to weigh in with it's way too early thoughts on the best/worst picks of the Texans' latest draft class.

Chris:

Best: I'm generally pretty skeptical post-draft, but I actually liked a lot of picks this season. My "favorite" was Braxton Miller, but I'll go ahead and say the best pick was Nick Martin. There may have been better centers in the draft, but I love that he's versatile and by all accounts is a tough, smart, hard-working guy who I'm hoping/thinking won't have the "ramp-up" issues that one XSF had for Houston. I didn't watch a lot of college ball this year, but I went and looked at some online tape of the Irish (not just Martin's highlight reels) and I liked Martin's hand usage quite a bit. Bit of a mean streak, too. I can get behind this pick for sure, even if there's not much less-sexy than a 2nd-round offensive lineman selection. Worst: I hesitate to say Will Fuller, but Will Fuller. I don't hate the pick at all; I just don't buy that he was better than the other two WRs who went right after him (especially Josh Doctson). I understand that there's a specific need for a WR with deep speed on this team, but when you pick a skill position in the FIRST ROUND, I think it should be flat-out the best one. Pretty luxurious pick for a team with back-to-back 9-7 seasons. If it was, say, a third or fourth rounder, sure - go for the guy with tremendous speed upside. I hope I'm wrong but I very, very much cringe at the considerable amount of tape that shows Fuller letting the ball come to his body *COUGH --Nate Washington--- COUGH HACK COUGH BLEED BLEED COUGH BLEED DIE*

Tim:

Best: Nick Martin. Braxton Miller is the most exciting player the Texans picked, but at this moment, he appears unlikely to be a guy who anchors his position group for the next eight to ten years. Of all the draftees in this Texans' class, I think Martin's the only one who can win a starting job immediately and not relinquish it for a decade. While I understand the distaste for taking a center in the second round, I can get behind it. Worst: Tyler Ervin. I would have preferred Kenneth Dixon or Devontae Booker. That said, I understand Ervin's appeal as a running back in O'Brien's offense, and I'm intrigued by the possibility he could make an impact in the return game. If the comparisons to Darren Sproles are even somewhat accurate, I'll love this selection in no time.

BFmf'D:

Best: Nick Martin - Not at all a sexy pick, but you must do two things in football: get to the other QB and keep yours clean. Martin does the latter. Worst: Will Fuller - A luxury pick with a tremendously high opportunity cost.

Kollmann:

Best: Braxton Miller - I came around to the Will Fuller selection eventually after thinking it over, but Braxton Miller was a pick I was on board with from the very first minute. There is nothing this kid can't do. He projects to be our hyper-athletic slot receiver right out of the gate, but he also can be a running back, return man, wildcat quarterback, and everything in between. Bill O'Brien is a creative offensive coordinator, so I really cannot wait to see all the ways that Miller is used next season. Believe it or not, he is legitimately an offensive rookie of the year candidate with O'Brien calling plays for him. Worst: K.J. Dillon/D.J. Reader - I don't actually hate the Dillon or Reader picks to be honest. In fact I think they were good moves to get some safety and defensive tackle depth with upside. If I absolutely have to have a worst pick, I guess it would be them simply because I would have preferred to draft Derek Watt at this spot instead.

MDC:

Best: Braxton Miller. Look, I hate him. I will always hate him. That's just how things go. At the same time, I respect him, because in thirty years of watching Michigan football, I've never been more afraid of any player than I was of Miller. There are faster players. There are stronger players. But I've never seen another player versus Michigan who was so consistently able to turn what should have been a small gain (or even a loss) into a massive play. In fact, if you watch this video you'll quickly notice that his success as a passer was due almost entirely to the fact that everyone was deathly afraid that he was going to keep the ball. He wasn't using pump fakes and tons of play action to freeze linebackers; he just rolled out and, inevitably, someone would fall down, blow coverage, or otherwise overreact to the mere thought of Miller in the open field. Now? Now he gets to operate in a scheme where (in theory) Will Fuller is forcing safeties to stay back and DeAndre Hopkins is doing those ridiculous things that he always does. Miller will consistently find himself defended by nickel corners at worst, and he'll have a lot of space in which to operate when the ball is in his hands. I can never like him, but at least now I can enjoy the fear he'll bring to other teams, rather than worrying yet again about him ruining my day. Worst: Nick Martin. It's not that I think Martin will be bad, per se. It's that Houston traded up to get Martin when they could have stayed put and taken Max Tuerk or even taken Graham Glasgow later after nabbing someone like Vonn Bell in the second. Martin has never seemed markedly better than other interior linemen/centers to me, so I certainly don't get the trade up at all. But I also think that taking him in the second round--with or without the trade up--makes little sense in context.

Zeeshan:

Best: Braxton Miller will add another dimension to this offense. I personally thought he was underutilized at Ohio State; 43 rushing attempts for 261 yards and 25 catches for 340 yards. He should be great at jet sweeps as well. Reader: Big nose tackle that will eat up space. Desperately needed one and he gets to learn from Vince Wilfork, who was great himself. Worst: Will Fuller. Just worried if he can be physical enough with corners. His drops are concerning but hopefully they can be improved. I hope he's better than just a guy that is fast. He will always be compared to Doctson and Laquon readwell just like DeAndre Hopkins was with Tavon Austin and Cordarrelle Patterson. Tyler Ervin: Better talent on the board with Booker and Dixon still there when we picked Ervin. If Lamar Miller goes down, I don't have any faith in Alfred Blue or Ervin carrying the load. However, many smaller backs are being used all over NFL back fields like in New England and the Detroit. Ervin compared really favorably to Akeem Hunt, Sproles, and Dexter McCluster. I hope he can become our Dion Lewis.

Capt. Ron:

Best: I'm torn between Braxton Miller and Nick Martin. Miller is a wildcard gamble that brings quite a bag of creative game-planning options for the Texans, while Martin could become the anchor of this offensive line for many years like Chris Myers did. The risk with Miller is that his dominance at the college level may not translate to the NFL while he completes his transition from QB to WR. The risk with Martin is being selected high in the draft for pedigree, but never matching his brother's ability. Worst: I didn't understand the Tyler Ervin pick at first, when you consider that Dixon and Booker were available. However, after some consideration, I can see Ervin potentially being the speedy return specialist that Houston has been searching for the last couple of years, and he can rotate in for third-down duty as needed or run a new hybrid "edge" role near the slot. I'm not at all cool with them giving him Arian Foster's #23 jersey so soon, but then again, I think it is dumb to retire football numbers when there are only double digits to work with for each team.

Matt Weston: