Experts Thoughts on Cullen Gillaspia

https://texanswire.usatoday.com/2019/04/27/instant-analysis-texans-special-teamer-fb-cullen-gillaspia/

This article was published on the State of the Texans

With their final pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans selected Cullen Gillaspia out of Texas A & M. Gillaspia was the famed 12th man for the Aggies football team and is the first 12th man to ever get drafted.

According to Texans Wire, last season, Gillaspia “10 games and caught five passes for 52 yards and also carried five times for 33 yards and a touchdown.”. He is clearly an effective fullback that can both catch and run the ball. This selection helps mend the damages made to the Texans running corps as Alfred Blue leaving to the Jaguars. Gillaspia can eventually develop into an Alfred Blue-type player and a bruiser on special teams. However, his inexperience and lack of playing time is a major red flag as he barely started during his college career. In addition, Gillaspia’s numbers in college are not attractive at all.

According to Deepi Sidhu with the Houston Texans, Cullen Gillaspia is a very versatile player and is able to play fullback, running back, and also special teams. As a fullback with the Aggies, Gillaspia was a lead blocker for running back Travyeon Williams. In addition, Gillaspia ran a “6-1, 235 pounds with 4.5 speed” at the Texans Local Pro Day proving his abilities as a running back. Last but not least, as a special teams player, Gillaspia had “25 tackles, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, and two blocked kicks and was “awarded the Special Teams Most Impactful Award last season”. This versatility of Gillaspia can be very easily seen. His skill on special teams is key for the Texans who have been struggling in that field.

According to the House of Houston, Cullen Gillaspia is a valuable asset for the Houston Texans. His “speed, versatility, and ability to make plays, as well as his leadership”, are all important for the Houston Texans. He can eithe be a fullback and help out in blocking for Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman. In addition, Gillaspia can also be a great special teams contributor with his size and speed. Lastly, Gillaspia can also be an effective running back. This is especially crucial with the departure of Alfred Blue. Through this, there is an opening for Gillaspia to be the third back for the Texans behind Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman.

All in all, picking Gillaspia is very important as his versatility at multiple positions makes him very valuable. He will most likely be a special teams contributor, starting (but rarely used) full back, and also a third-string running back for the Houston Texans.

https://texanswire.usatoday.com/2019/04/27/texans-texas-am-rb-cullen-gillaspia-round-7/

https://www.houstontexans.com/news/texans-draft-aggie-12th-man-cullen-gillaspia

https://houseofhouston.com/2019/04/27/houston-texans-cullen-gillaspia-nfl-draft-versatile-ball-hawk-special-teams/