One day after his squad lost its third straight home game - an embarrassing feat that took Gary Kubiak 71/2 seasons and a halftime mini-stroke in the third game to pull off - Texans rookie coach Bill O'Brien talked about his first-year players.

"We've got a good rookie class," O'Brien said on 610 AM. "They're working extremely hard. Some guys play more than others, but in some ways each one of them has really contributed to us, and that's good."

Really contributed? That's good?

Those rookies must be lighting it up in practices, which are closed to media, because their game contributions have been minimal.

When it comes to the NFL draft, premature evaluation is a serious enough condition to have its own WebMD entry, so treat this as an early warning, not a declaration.

It is difficult to draft 10 players and have as little production from a group of rookies as the Texans have had thus far this season.

Bill Belichick once said stats are for losers. Numbers can be twisted to fit almost point you want to make.

More Information Comparing draft classes In 2006, the Texans had a new coach (Gary Kubiak) and the No. 1 pick in the draft. How that class compared with this year's, which was chosen under similar circumstances: 2006 Rd./no. Player Pos. Rookie year notables 1 (1) Mario Williams DE 41/2 sacks, 16 starts 2 (33) DeMeco Ryans MLB 31/2 sacks, 16 starts 3 (65) Charles Spencer T Broken leg in 2nd game 3 (66) Eric Winston T Started 7 games 4 (98) Owen Daniels TE 5 TD catches in 12 starts 6 (170) Wali Lundy RB 680 rushing/rec. yards 7 (251) David Anderson WR Caught 1 pass in 9 games 2014 Rd./no. Player Pos. Rookie year notables 1 (1) J. Clowney DE Slowed by injury; 0 sacks 2 (33) Xavier Su'a-Filo G Has made 1 start 3 (65) C.J. Fiedorowicz TE 2 catches in 5 starts 3 (83) Louis Nix DT On injured reserve 4 (135 Tom Savage QB No. 3 quarterback 6 (177) Jeoffrey Pagan DE 7 tackles in last 3 games 6 (181) Alfred Blue RB Shined in 1st start at Clev. 6 (211) Jay Prosch FB Played every gm.; 3 starts 7 (216) Andre Hal DB Played every game 7 (256) Lonnie Ballentine DB On injured reserve

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But the Texans' rookies have so few numbers that it would take some work to misrepresent them.

These rookies have accounted for two touchdowns (a pass reception and a punt block return by Alfred Blue), zero sacks, zero interceptions and zero fumble recoveries.

A couple hundred times prior to the draft, O'Brien reminded media the Texans had the first pick in all seven rounds. It was supposed to be to their advantage.

At this point, the Texans have little to show for all those valuable picks.

It was paramount the Texans leave the three-day draft with key pieces to the franchise's future.

If they did, we have seen little evidence of it.

The 2006 Texans, which like this year's squad was coming off a two-win season and owned the No. 1 overall pick, offers an excellent draft comparison.

There are many parallels. From new coaching staffs with different philosophies, to team needs, to positions drafted, the Texans practically repeated history with the 2014 draft.

The early returns suggest Charley Casserly and Kubiak did a far better job in 2006 than Rick Smith and O'Brien did last May.

This isn't about the future of the Texans' rookies - I'm no soothsayer. It is about their production, or lack thereof, through the first 11 games of their NFL careers.

Carolina on their mind

With the first pick in both drafts, the Texans took a freak of a defensive end from Carolina who was supposed to revolutionize the game.

In 2006, North Carolina State's Mario Williams played much of his rookie season with plantar fasciitis, but he never missed a game as he battled his way to a solid though not spectacular rookie campaign.

South Carolina'sJadeveon Clowney, already slowed by offseason sports hernia surgery, has played in only four games because of surgery following a knee injury in the first half of the season opener.

He has been all but invisible, with his biggest flash coming in a preseason game. He suffered a concussion in practice a few days later and missed the remainder of training camp. When Clowney gets healthy, he should deliver. But he might not be healthy until next season.

From Clowney on down, this year's crop of Texans rookies pales in comparison to the 2006 class.

At the top of the second round in '06, the Texans drafted a player with a first name no other NFL player ever had. In that spot this year, they drafted a player with a last name no other NFL player ever had.

In '06, linebacker DeMeco Ryans, a future Pro Bowler, was second in the NFL in tackles, led the Texans in quarterback pressures and passes defended, and was named the Associated Press NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year.

This year, guard Xavier Su'a-Filo rarely has seen the field.

The Texans were a less talented team in '06, which opened up more playing opportunities for the youngsters, but that doesn't explain away the difference in production between the two classes.

Were they rookies now, Williams, Ryans, offensive tackle Eric Winston (66th pick) and tight end Owen Daniels (98th) would all be starting and contributing on this year's Texans.

Instead, Clowney and Su'a-Filo have been mostly invisible, tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz, the 65th pick, has more whiffed blocks than catches (two), and nose tackle Louis Nix, the 83rd pick, never played a down and was placed on injured reserve.

Even the most notable contributor numbers-wise among the Texans' rookies isn't as impressive as his counterpart eight years ago.

Wali Lundy, a sixth-round pick in '06, and Alfred Blue, a sixth-round pick this year, each had 120 carries through 11 games. Lundy had 462 yards to Blue's 436 and four rushing touchdowns to none. Lundy also had better receiving numbers, with 30 catches for 178 yards to Blue's nine receptions for 76.

Blue should have a better career - 2006 was Lundy's only NFL season - but right now, the numbers are what they are.

Setting the bar low

Quarterbacks earned much of the focus prior to the draft because of the Texans' desperate need for one. They needed one in '06, too.

Casserly took the best athlete in Williams, then went on to pick a group of players who would become the core of the team's development in the coming years. Captains, leaders, Pro Bowlers.

The Texans also decided against using an early pick on a QB this year.

If they came away with key players, future leaders and big-time contributors who will help turn the franchise around, they are doing a good job of disguising them.

"We got a good class of kids, and they'll continue to get better," O'Brien said.

They can't get much worse.