While the Houston Texans entered the 2014 NFL Draft with a massive need at the quarterback position, they did not select one with the first overall pick. Instead, they went with the supremely gifted Jadeveon Clowney, who is one of the most talented players to enter the draft in recent memory. Clowney is a special player, and regardless of position need, passing on him would have been foolish.
With talented passers like Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppollo on the board to start the second round, Houston taking a QB seemed like a sure thing. However, they passed on the position again to help solidify their offensive line by selecting Xavier Su’a-Filo.
Two rounds later, the Texans finally decided to take a QB, when they selected Tom Savage with the 135th overall pick.
Savage was one of the hottest names on the board heading into the draft. After a sub-par college career which saw him landing at three different universities, Savage seemingly rocketed up draft boards late in the process due to teams falling in love with his powerful arm. There were even rumors that Savage could sneak into the first round, because so many teams were intrigued by his upside. Obviously that did not happen, but the upside still remains, and the Texans landed a very interesting QB prospect at a nice value.
At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Savage certainly looks the part, as he has the size that teams are looking for in the quarterback position. His most impressive feature is his arm strength. He will instantly have one of the strongest throwing arms in the NFL as soon as he enters the league. Savage uses his arm well, showing great ability to hit any pass on the field, including drilling the ball into tight windows.
Savage also shows impressive poise in the pocket, which is even more important in today’s game with teams loading up on pass rush specialists. Also, while he will never be mistaken for Colin Kaepernick or Russell Wilson, Savage does have underrated mobility, and can take off when necessary.
Unfortunately, Savage has plenty of negatives as well, including lack of accuracy on his passes. He repeatedly struggled to hit his targets in college. Whether it was deep, short, or anywhere in between, Savage often missed his intended receivers by a wide margin. This is obviously something that he must work on.
After transferring twice, Savage lacks game experience compared to most quarterbacks who are entering the draft. This alone makes him unlikely to see the field anytime soon. While his transfers could explain his mediocre production in college, they may have also stunted his growth.
While he certainly is not ready to see the field yet, the Texans might have something here in Savage. The talent is obvious, he just cannot be expected to contribute right away. Head coach Bill O’Brien has a ton of experience coaching the quarterback position, and he will surely bring Savage along slowly. There's no better coach to help Savage clean up his game. If anybody is going to make this guy reach his potential, O’Brien is the man for the job.