HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans addressed both sides of the football during the second day of the NFL draft.
They drafted Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham in the second round and University of Texas running back D'Onta Foreman.
"We feel like we added two good players," general manager Rick Smith said. "It was a productive night. Zach is athletic and rangy with cover skills. Very productive in a big conference. A good character guy and highly decorated. Foreman adds balance to the offense. A powerful runner who has good feet, vision and quickness."
Foreman won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back, declaring early for the NFL draft.
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"He came to our local pro day and worked out," Smith said. "A lot of times, some of the higher-projected prospects shy away from the local workout. He wanted to compete, got into the drills and showed us he was ready, willing and excited to be a Texan."
Texans head coach Bill O'Brien likes to run the ball. Only Seattle has more rushing attempts than the Texans in O'Brien's first three seasons.
"He was a very productive inside runner that broke a lot of tackles," O'Brien said of Foreman. "He ran to the perimeter, too. He was a productive runner on first and second down, tackle to tackle runner. That was impressive.
"He was the guy we had ranked the highest at that point. Rick made the decision to do it, and I was all for it."
The Texans have a 1,000-yard runner in Lamar Miller.
"Being able to spell Lamar when Lamar needs that," O'Brien said about the role he envisions for Foreman. "All running backs need a little rest every now and then."
O'Brien was impressed with Cunningham's versatility and the way he led the Southeastern Conference in tackles. Cunningham was an All-America. He could play inside or outside linebacker.
"He's a versatile guy who can do both," O'Brien said. "Versatility is key for us. Zach was a very productive tackler at Vanderbilt. He can help us in a number of different ways. Starting out, I know he can help us on special teams.
"He can play in our base defense. He can play on third down. He's a versatile player and a tough kid. He's got to get bigger and stronger. He's a rangy guy that's athletic."
