Houston Texans select former Texas RB D'Onta Foreman 89 overall in 2017 NFL Draft

With the 89th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans have selected former Longhorns running back D’Onta Foreman.

The 2016 Doak Walker Award winner for college football’s premier running back, Foreman headlined the Longhorns offensive attack last season and shouldered the load to the tune of 2,028 yards and 15 touchdowns on 323 carries. Foreman finished his junior campaign ranking second in the nation in rushing yards behind San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey (2,133) and led the nation in rushing yards per game with 184.4.

As the season progressed, Foreman tied legendary Longhorns running back Earl Campbell’s school record with his 11th straight 100-yard rushing performance against West Virginia before ultimately setting the new record at 13 straight 100-yard games to finish the season. Additionally, Foreman fell just 96 yards short of Ricky Williams’ single season school rushing record of 2,124 set back in 1998, which Foreman may have eclipsed had he not missed the UTEP game due to injury.

Despite his historic season to cap off a three-year collegiate career, Foreman was still widely regarded as a second-tier running back in the 2017 class, behind talents such as LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey.

Although his name was still called after players like Joe Mixon and Kareem Hunt, Foreman boosted his draft stock significantly with an impressive showing at the Longhorns Pro Day in March, clocking a 4.45 40-yard dash, 33 reps on the bench press and arriving at 6’1, 234 pounds — down 14 pounds from his listed 248 pounds while at Texas.

Here’s what Pro Football Focus had to say about the former Texas standout:

“Foreman is a bigger running back, but he runs with the finesse of a smaller back. Despite his size, he has very good lateral agility and can make defenders miss. He has good vision to find cutback lanes even if he’s not always patient. Foreman could improve on delivering contact to defenders instead of absorbing it so often, as well as moving piles better. He was an effective pass blocker in college but transitioning to NFL pass protection will be an adjustment. Between that and rarely being utilized as a receiver, he may just be an early-down player early in his career. If he can be a little more physical and aggressive with the ball in his hands, he could be a highly productive runner right away.”

Among Foreman’s professional comparisons are Steven Jackson and Jonathan Stewart.

During his three seasons at Texas, Foreman rushed for 2,782 yards and 20 touchdowns.