DeAndre Hopkins traveled out to Los Angeles to the 2013 Topps Rookie Premier Event to mark the opening of football cards season. Hopkins joined 35 rookies from the 2013 NFL draft class to sign football cards and memorabilia for the trading card manufacturers and others. This is a two-day function that ended at the Rose Bowl to take more actions shots for the card company in their uniforms.   Here are some Snap Shots from the Event   Wow! Chillin’ with @nukdabomb and talkin about that #Texans offense at the @nflplayers #RookiePremiere! #WhosNext twitter.com/ToppsFB/status… — Topps Football (@ToppsFB) May 17, 2013   @deandrehopkins…

On Monday, the Houston Texans open their 2013 OTAs and more football news to come out before training camp opens. The Texans have 10 practices that make up OTAs on the following dates: May 20th- May 21st, May 23rd (Practices 1-3) May 27th- May 29th (Practices 4-6) June 3rd – June 6th (Practices 7-10) A new season is upon Houston and, with rookie mini-camp in the books, the Texans will introduce their veterans into the mix with the rookie group. There are few story lines that will be worth a follow heading into this week.   OTAs  Injuries Ed Reed (Hip),…

Rookie wide receiver Alan Bonner took some time out with us during rookie mini camp to discuss how his first days as a Houston Texan were going. We asked Bonner how his adjustment to an NFL wide receiver was going, about his relationship with DeAndre Hopkins and what it meant to be a small school player (Jacksonville State) in the NFL. Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

On the first day of rookie mini camp, we caught up with second round draft pick safety D.J. Swearinger. Impressive the entire three days, we talked to Swearinger about his leadership, his promise to South Carolina before he signed, what it means to be with Sam Montgomery in Houston and much more.     You can follow Patrick on Twitter.  He is the Editor of State of the Texans.   Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Thankful for the opportunity and privilege to join the @houstontexans #Texans #timetogettowork — Tyler Horn (@Tyler63Horn) May 15, 2013   The Houston Texans have announced the signing of center, Tyler Horn. Horn is a first year player out of the University of Miami and is 6-4 and 305 lbs. Horn signed with the Atlanta Falcons after the 2012 NFL draft, but was waived on the final cuts heading in the season. In October, Horn was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad and he finished the 2012 season with the Titans. Horn was a veteran invited to rookie mini camp last weekend and ended…

Rookie offensive tackle Brennan Williams is an imposing figure at 6-6 and 316 lbs. and looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle. Williams will be working at right tackle and we had the chance to catch up with him on the last day of rookie mini camp. We talked about his knee injury scare, how the offensive zone schemes from North Carolina and Houston compare, and how he is looking forward to working with Duane Brown.   Listen to Williams.    You can follow Patrick on Twitter.  He is the Editor of State of the Texans.   Podcast: Play in new…

Alan Bonner was an unknown name to the Houston Texans fan base before being drafted in the 6th round out of Jacksonville State. There was little information on Bonner prior to him being taken by the Texan so we had to find out more. We talked to Al Muskewitz from the Anniston Star who covers Jacksonville State football for the Star. We asked Al what he saw in the newest Texans wide receiver.   Digging Deep   When you watch Bonner play, who does he remind you of? I don’t know that I can say because I really don’t watch much…

RB/KR Deji Karim @kingkarim36 has signed with the Houston #Texans…congrats to Deji, well deserved! — Jason Bernstein (@JB_XAM) May 14, 2013   The Houston Texans have signed free agent running back Deji Karim to a deal. Karim was invited to rookie mini camp this past weekend on a tryout basis that resulted in an offer being made. He is 5-8 and 209 lbs. and in his 4th season in the NFL from Southern Illinois. He was selected in the 6th round of the 2010 NFL Draft (180th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars and played last season with the Indianapolis Colts. Karim…

During mini camp, we had a chance to catch up with rookie defensive tackle Chris Jones. We talked to the newest Houston Texans defensive lineman about how mini camp was going, signing his new contract, his new position coach in Coach Bill Kollar, the approaching OTAs and representing Bowling Green in the NFL. See what Jones had to say.   You can follow Patrick on Twitter.  He is the Editor of State of the Texans.     Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Houston Texans inside linebacker Darryl Sharpton has still not be cleared by doctors according to defensive coordinator Wade Phillips in his interview on Sports Radio 610 in Houston. Big takeaway from the Wade Phillips interview was that ILB Darryl Sharpton hasn’t been cleared for offseason work. — Seth Payne (@PayneNFL) May 13, 2013   Sharpton was injured in the a regular season game versus the Indianapolis Colts in a December 30th loss on the road. It was a hip injury that marked the third time in his three-year span he has ended his season on the injured reserve. He was supposed to…

The three day mini-camp wrapped up and the Houston Texans were able to look at and evaluate 56 players. The Texans had draft picks and 23 rookies already signed to deals who looked to be safe moving out of this phase of the Texans off season. We were able to take in four of the five practices and get a good look at this new group of rookies who are going to join the veteran part of the team for OTAs and training camp. *Disclaimer: We left offensive and defensive lineman off until pads are put on but we are high on Brennan Williams and David…

In this edition of Digging Deep, we look at defensive tackle from Bowling Green, Chris Jones. An interior pass rush for the Falcons, he was named the “Monster of the MAC” for his high motor and intensity on the football field. We talked to Orange and Brown about the newest Texans’ defensive player.     Digging Deep   What can you tell us about Chris Jones and what he meant to Bowling Green State University? Chris Jones was an absolute warrior for BG. He committed to Coach Gregg Brandon who was fired after the season. Schools came after him but he stuck…

It is only a movie, but this is not a good look.   Arian Foster in a Browns jersey? Sorry, Cleveland fans–it’s just for his upcoming movie “Draft Day” twitter.com/BleacherReport… — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 12, 2013  

The Houston Texans finished up their three-day mini camp for rookies, first year players and veteran tryouts. The three days was a crash course for these players and gave them a small sample size of life in the NFL, but it was a good start for some rookies.   Day Three Notes – The day belonged to rookie quarterback Collin Klein, who started his camp off slow. Today he stood in the pocket tall and threw the ball with confidence which included some nice deep balls. He still has some trouble putting zip on footballs in the middle of the field,…

Day two is in the books for the Houston Texans rookie mini camp. Only one day remains on the start of the Texans 2013 football season, and there has been plenty of bright spots during this two-day stretch. Head Coach Gary Kubiak was absent from the first practice to attend his son’s graduation from Rice University, but was there for the second practice. Players looked fatigued during the first practice and the humidity was taking a toll on some players on the field. The second practice was short and crisp and the players looked more in tune with the practice. Day one…