The Houston Texans made a surprising selection with Texas A&M Aggies fullback Cullen Gillaspia with pick 220 overall in Round 7 of the 2019 NFL draft Saturday. As has been the general theme with the Texans this year, in Gillaspia they added height and size. A somewhat baffling pick given their need for a third-down running back and a fourth wide receiver, given their offensive injury woes in the last few years. However, what the nearby Katy, Texas, product offers is yet more protection for quarterback Deshaun Watson. after two seasons of Watson getting hammered by defenses, the Texans have not only brought in two giant offensive tackles, but an experienced blocker in tight end Darren Fells from the Cleveland Browns, and now with Gillaspia filling up the vacant fullback slot, that’s another big man to block for Watson when needed, and potentially help create holes for the struggling run game. Speaking immediately after the draft, Bill O’Brien said in the press conference at NRG Stadium that they see Gillaspia as a fullback, but both he and Brian Gaine made a point to emphasize that he will add a lot to special teams. The Texans could look to Gillaspia as a potential offensive weapon at times, with 5 receptions and 5 rushes to his name during his senior season. He also has experience returning kicks and punts, although his time on special teams was primarily taken up by tackling given that for his first three years in college he was a linebacker. This takes us to the final reason why Houston likely chose him, Gaine’s favorite word: Versatility. With experience in so many different areas on the field, he has a good shot at making the final roster because he can be used just about anywhere if needed. Versatility is highly regarded by the Texans as is evident with both of their offensive tackle selections and their tight end pick. Overall, this pick is a smart move because while he isn’t yet a specialist in one specific spot, he will give Watson yet more protection, and can also fill holes in multiple different positions if needed. Grade: B<doc-sep>COULD NOT BE HAPPIER TO STAY IN THE HOMETOWN. READY TO GET TO WORK. #HTINEEEEEE — Cullen Gillaspia (@CGillaspia) April 27, 2019 Fellow walk-on, welcome to Houston @CGillaspia! — JJ Watt (@JJWatt) April 27, 2019 HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's going to be an exciting football season for one Texas family.The Houston Texans selected former Texas A&M 12th Man Cullen Gillaspia in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.The Katy native said he 'could not be happier' in a Tweet Saturday.ABC13 sports reporter David Nuno spoke to Gillaspia who said he looked up to J.J. Watt, Brian Braman and Brian Cushing growing up.Texans superstar Watt also took to Twitter to congratulate the Katy native.<doc-sep>With the 220nd pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Texans select Cullen Gillaspia in the seventh round. Yes, fullbacks are still a thing I guess. Gillaspia is a fullback from Texas A&M who wasn’t invited to the combine, but participated in the Aggies’ Pro Day. If you missed Jay Prosch, here’s someone who can fill that hole in your heart. And with that pick the Texans are probably done drafting players for the day. They should be getting ready to start the phones to add as much undrafted talent as possible.<doc-sep>Here are five takeaways from the third and last day of the NFL draft: Gillaspia ready to gig 'em The Aggies should love the Texans using their last draft choice – 220th overall – on fullback Cullen Gillaspia. He walked on at Texas A&M and became the 12th Man. He'll reach legendary status in College Station because he's the first 12th man to be drafted by an NFL team. Gillaspia, 6-2, 235, grew up in Katy and played at Katy Taylor. During a conference call with Houston media, he said the Texans are his favorite team. Coach Bill O'Brien said he expects Gillaspia to stand out on special teams. Gillaspia was asked about his favorite Texans player, and he mentioned former linebacker/special teams star Bryan Braman. In 2011, Braman was a bouncer in College Station when the Texans signed him as a free agent. He played four seasons with the Texans and left for Philadelphia, where he won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles during a seven-year career. The Texans would love to get that kind of production out of Gillaspia. Don't sleep on last day of the draft There are a lot of reasons fans should have paid close attention to the last day of the draft. There are the last four rounds as well as a run on undrafted free agents. The Texans didn't have a fourth-round draft choice. In the fifth through seventh rounds, they selected Texas defensive end Charles Omenihu, Central Michigan cornerback Xavier Crawford and Gillaspia. Last season, the Texans had seven starters drafted in the fourth through seven rounds: running back Lamar Miller (fourth), left tackle Julién Davenport (fourth), slot receiver Keke Coutee (fourth), left guard Senio Kelemete (fifth), defensive end D.J. Reader (fifth), tight end Ryan Griffin (sixth) and right guard Zach Fulton (sixth). If right tackle Seantrel Henderson (seventh) had not suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the first game, he would have been the eighth. As for undrafted free agents, the Texans got significant contributions from nose tackle Brandon Dunn (2014), kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn (2016), punter Trevor Daniel (2018), snapper Jon Weeks (2010), special teams star Johnson Bademosi (2018), center/guard Greg Mancz (2015), returner DeAndre Carter (2015), inside linebacker Dylan Cole (2017) and linebacker Brennan Scarlett (2016). Three players they signed as free agents in March – safety Tashuan Gipson (2012), tight end Darren Fells (2013) and cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun (2016) – also entered the league as undrafted free agents. Williams' fall hard to figure There weren't many running backs more productive last season than Texas A&M's Trayveon Williams, who rushed for 1,760 yards, averaged 6.5 yards a carry and scored 18 touchdowns in the toughest conference in the country. He also averaged 10.3 yards on 27 catches, scoring another touchdown. Williams, 5-8, 206 with 4.51 speed, played at C.E. King High School. He entered the draft ranked third at his position by ESPN. He was expected to go in the fourth or fifth round, but 14 running backs were drafted before him. He went to Cincinnati in the sixth round and will play behind veterans Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard. There shouldn't be many rookies reporting to their offseason program with a larger chip on their shoulder after feeling slighted in the draft process. It won't be surprising if Williams proves a lot of teams wrong and rewards the Bengals' faith in him. Butler could be a steal for Arizona With the first pick in the fourth round of Saturday's draft, Arizona selected Iowa State receiver Hakeem Butler in what could be a big-time coup for the Cardinals and new quarterback Kyler Murray. Butler (6-5, 227), who played at Fort Bend Travis High School, is a huge target who had 60 catches for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior last season. His 22-yard average per catch was outstanding. Butler was expected to go in the second round but didn't get drafted Thursday or Friday. The Cardinals didn't waste time selecting him about two seconds into the fourth round. Not only does Butler get to play with Murray, the first overall pick, but he gets to learn from Larry Fitzgerald, one of best receivers in NFL history who's destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A quarterback to join basketball family Rockets' CEO Tad Brown is excited about the start of the conference semifinal series with Golden State, but now he's got another type of ball that'll be prominent in his family. In June, Brown will have an NFL quarterback joining his family – Auburn's Jarrett Stidham, drafted in the fourth round by New England on Saturday. When Stidham left Stephenville, he went to Baylor to play for Art Briles and excelled as a freshman. He met and fell in love with Kennedy Brown, a freshman soccer player from Kingwood. Tad Brown is her father. Brown and Stidham have been together ever since even though he left Baylor, ended up at Auburn and excelled for two seasons before leaving for the NFL as an underclassman. They'll be married in June and moving to the Foxborough, Mass., area. Talk about pressure, if everything works out, Stidham could be groomed as the possible replacement for Tom Brady, who'll be 42 when the season begins.<doc-sep>
For the first time in NFL history, Texas A&M football’s 12th Man has been selected in the NFL Draft and it’s a glorious moment. Most NFL fans know what the term “Mr. Irrelevant” means. It’s the term given to the last pick in the last round of the NFL Draft. Most often, that player doesn’t make a name for himself in the league. Occasionally that player turns into a regular start. Texas A&M football fans may have just been given our own version of Mr. Irrelevant when the Houston Texans literally drafted the 12th Man in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. For those who don’t know, the 12th Man is a tradition that started back in the early 20th century. Long story short, Texas A&M students stand for every moment of every game in case they are called upon to join the football team, such as E. King Gill did so many years ago. It eventually led to a new tradition for the football team. Jackie Sherrill started putting only walk-ons on his kickoff coverage team and it turned out to be a brilliant strategy. The unit was Top 5 in yards allowed on returns for five straight seasons. R.C. Slocum altered the tradition a bit, putting one walk on with the unit who would wear the No. 12. That player leads the Aggies out onto the field every Saturday. The 12th Man is staying home baby! The movie script keeps writing itself @CGillaspia @HoustonTexans pic.twitter.com/SzXOcGOlzb — Billy Liucci (@billyliucci) April 27, 2019 Cullen Gillaspia spent four years as the 12th Man, including 38 consecutive games played. He was turned into a fullback for Fisher (after spending his first years mostly on special teams) and shined as the lead blocker for Trayveon Williams’ record-setting season. One thing you may not know about Gillaspia though — he’s incredibly fast for his size. Players used to say he was one of if not the fastest player in pads on the team. His shuttle and 3-cone drill times from Texas A&M’s Pro Day would have been near the best if he was invited to the NFL Combine. The Texans are getting a guy who could definitely line up at fullback if they want, but will absolutely be a weapon on special teams. Thanks and Gig Em, Texans.