By Mohamed Bafakih
It came with little surprise the Houston Texans would be selecting a Spartan at some point of the 2018 NFL Draft.
So on Day 3, Round 7, Pick 222 overall, the Texans added cornerback Jermaine Kelly to cap off their draft class.
The 6-foot, 190-pounder visited the organization early April and shared photos of his time at the facility on Instagram — while also snapping a photo with soon-to-be teammate J.J. Watt.
(via Instagram – @jermaine_kelly3)
“There is truly something special going on over there [Houston],” Kelly stated. “It was awesome to get a glimpse of what it would be like to play for this dominant organization.”
Additionally, Kelly will be joining former Spartans Tyler Ervin and David Quessenberry. Ervin was drafted by the Texans in 2016, while Quessenberry was picked up by them in 2014 and made his return to the field last year after a battle with cancer.
Though Kelly wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, he was able to turn heads at San Jose State’s Pro Day on March 23 following a senior year which included 12 pass breakups and a pick-six — the only defensive touchdown of 2017 for SJSU.
“A lot of scouts told me I really made a name for myself,” he said following the workouts. “I really trained hard … and I’m happy I got to showcase it.”
He was the lone SJSU prospect to be selected in this year’s draft. However, cornerback Andre Chachere was also picked up by the Texans as an undrafted free agent.
Other Spartans acquired via free agency include: Frank Ginda — the NCAA tackles leader from a year ago — who is headed to the Arizona Cardinals, punter Michael Carrizosa to the Cleveland Browns and offensive lineman Chris Gonzalez to the Minnesota Vikings.
Follow Mohamed on Twitter @MohamedABafa