The team drafted Tom Savage, 6.5", 230 lbs., out of Pittsburgh. Savage, a senior, threw for 2,958 yards on 238-for-389 passing for 61.2 percent. He had 21 touchdowns against 9 interceptions last season. He also rushed for 3 touchdowns.
Savage had an interesting journey into the NFL. He played at three different schools, with his last stop at Pittsburgh. Savage began at Rutgers, but after a rough sophomore season, he fell out of favor. He then transferred to Arizona and had to sit out the 2011 season. The coaching staff changed, and Savage again was without a job. He tried to transfer back to Rutgers, but the NCAA denied his request.
Savage found himself without a school, and for five months was in football limbo. Savage's father was not going to let him sit around at home, so he entered in construction. On a conference call today, Savage said "I know what I don't want to do after football, that's construction. It was brutal on me. I grew up as a man and I am excited to get this opportunity."
"He's an honest guy," said Texans Coach Bill O'Brien. "I think he's grown up in his years in college. I think he's honest about that. I think he's got a good arm. I think he's an accurate passer. And he's smart. He's an articulate guy."
Savage is known for his big arm, and with consistent reps, could turn into a big time quarterback.
The Texans selected DE Jeoffrey Pagan out of Albama, FB Jay Prosch from Auburn and RB Alfred Blue from LSU in the sixth round. Blue, 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds, played in 40 games for the Tigers. He rushed for 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns, catching 16 passes for 107 yards. Pagan, who stands 6 feet 3 inches and weighs 310 pounds. He had 34 tackles and 2 sacks, four QB hurries and a blcoked kick. Prosch started 11 games at halfback for Auburn last season.
Houston took CB Dre Hall out of Vanderbilt with the first pick of the 7th round. The Texans stayed in Tennessee with the ith the final pick in the draft, taking Lonnie Ballentine from Memphis.
Facts on Tom Savage, provided by Houston Texans
-- Enrolled at three different schools: Rutgers, Arizona and Pittsburgh, appearing in a total of 31 games, earning 28 starts
-- Completed 430-of-757 passes (56.8 percent) for 5,690 yards, 37 touchdowns and 19 interceptions
-- Scored four times rushing, finishing with 5,371 yards in total offense
-- Started 15 of 18 games played at Rutgers and threw for 2,732 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 192-of-368 attempts (52.2 percent)
-- In 13 starts for Pittsburgh, completed 238-of-389 throws (61.2 percent) for 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and scored three times rushing to record 2,750 yards in total offense
2013
-- Completed 238-of-389 passes (61.2 percent) for 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions
-- Scored three times rushing and produced 2,750 yards in total offense
-- His 21 touchdown passes ranked third in the Atlantic Coast Conference
-- His 2,958 passing yards rank fifth on Pitt's single-season list
-- Produced one of the finest single-game passing efforts in school history in Pitt's 58-55 win at Duke, as he completed 23-of-33 passes for 424 yards and tied an ACC record with six touchdown passes. His yardage total was the most by a Pitt quarterback since 1997 and ranked fourth in school history
-- Threw only three interceptions over his final nine games of the season
2011
-- Transferred to the University of Arizona and did not play in any games under NCAA guidelines
-- Later transferred to Pittsburgh
2010
-- Started the team's first four games and appeared in a total of six contests
-- Finished with 43-of-83 passes (51.8 percent) for 521 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions
2009
-- Earned Freshman All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America and was named the team's Offensive MVP
-- Appeared in the final 12 games, starting 11 contests, as he set Big East Conference freshman season-records with 14 touchdowns and 2,211 yards passing
-- Ranked sixth on the school's single-season passing list
-- Threw seven interceptions and completed 149-of-285 chances (52.3 percent) while also rushing for a score
-- Longest completion was an 81-yard scoring strike to Tom Brown with 22 seconds left vs. Connecticut, gaining 236 yards on 13-of-24 tosses with three touchdowns, as he became the first true freshman quarterback in school history to win a Big East road game
High school
-- Attended Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield, Pa.) High School, starting his last three seasons at quarterback for head coach Dan Algeo
-- Closed out his three-year career as a starter with 190-of-426 passes completed for 2,547 yards and 20 touchdowns
-- Played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the Big 33 Football Classic
-- In his junior season, he threw for more than 803 yards with eight touchdowns on 72-of-136 attempts (52.9 percent) in six games
-- As a senior, he passed for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns
-- Received ESPNU Top 150 as the 10th-best high school quarterback
Personal
-- Communications major
-- Older brother, Bryan, played quarterback at Wisconsin (2004-05) and Hofstra (2007-08)
-- Son of Linda and Tom Savage
