When the Texans traded down in round two with the Vikings, it allowed Minnesota to land running back Toby Gerhart.
As John McClain of the Houston Chronicle pointed out last night, the Texans traded down despite having their own need at running back. So with the spot seven places lower, they selected running back Ben Tate.
It’s unavoidable that Gerhart and Tate will be compared throughout their careers, and either the Vikings or the Texans will be heavily criticized based on how the two players turn out.
In fairness to the Texans, the careers of the players they got in return for trading down should be considered, too. They eventually traded down from Minnesota’s third-round pick (No. 93), picking up the 102nd pick and the 144th pick from the Chiefs, who took tight end Tony Moeaki.
In fairness to the Vikings, Tate enters with a greater pedigree than current starter Steve Slaton (a third-round pick in 2008), which could mean that Tate will have a chance to get more touches more quickly than Gerhart, who’ll be backing up Adrian Peterson.