Steel, I'm inclined to agree that their draft strategy in the 1st round has been flawed.
However, I don't think any of those picks(with the possible exception of Jackson), are examples of reaching. One could argue Brown was a reach, but it has been well-documented that he was coveted by the Chargers (who had the next pick)... Also, Brown is a better tackle than some of the tackles taken before him.
that being said, concentrating on drafting a 1st rounder that is an immediate plug and play is a big mistake, IMO... Either a team is assembled well enough to compete with other elite teams so that a targeted FA in an area of need is justified, or, the team is too far away... in which case, a rookie plugged into a position of need is not going to send the team over the top. Teams that don't draft for need, do much better. If the Texans were determined to draft for certain positions, the appropriate thing to do is to trade down, accumulating the position and extra picks to be spent on best available talent. I think the Texans are finally ready to use free agency to fill the needs. Unfortunatlely, I fear they will end up drafting for need (like they have done) once again in the first round now that the free agency period is likely to be AFTER the draft. We can't catch a freakin' break!