HOUSTON - The Houston Texans have signed their fourth-round pick, CB Fred Bennett, and their fifth-round pick, T Brandon Frye, it was announced today. Bennett and Frye are the fifth and sixth draft picks to sign with the Texans.
Bennett (6-1, 199) was the 123rd overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Bennett played in 48 career games at South Carolina, starting 34, and finished with 108 tackles (83 solos), nine interceptions, 24 pass deflections, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
As a freshman at South Carolina, Bennett played with fellow Texans CB Dunta Robinson, who was a junior at the time. Robinson mentored Bennett, helping him learn the position. Bennett developed into a two-time All-Southeastern Conference selection, and he was named a defensive captain as a senior in 2006.
Frye (6-4, 302) was the 163rd overall pick and was the Texans' second pick in the fifth round. He played in 24 games with 12 starts at left tackle for Virginia Tech, including 11 starts as a senior in 2006. As a senior, he was part of a line that allowed just 29 quarterback sacks for losses of 219 yards and saw Tech quarterbacks get pressured only 21 times.
An excellent athlete, Frye entered school as a defensive end and was converted to the offensive line before his redshirt freshman season. He set a new position record in the squat in 2004, lifting 690 pounds, a mark which was the sixth-best in program history. He has also recorded a 33 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 4.85-second time in the 40-yard dash.
Following are the 2007 draft picks the Texans have signed (6):
CB Fred Bennett (6-1, 199) 4th round, 123rd overall
LB Zac Diles (6-2, 230) 7th round, 218th overall
T Brandon Frye (6-4, 302) 5th round, 163rd overall
S Brandon Harrison (6-2, 215) 5th round, 144th overall
WR Jacoby Jones (6-2, 210) 3rd round, 73rd overall
G Kasey Studdard (6-3, 310) 6th round, 183rd overall
