Alan

Bonner

Making the transition from the FCS Ohio Valley Conference, Bonner will try to make the Texans as a return man even though his 4.59 in the 40-yard dash leaves much to be desired. If Bonner sees time on offense, it will be down the line, and not as a rookie.

“A ton of ability,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “It’s going to all be mental, making a change, what we ask him to do.” Bonner is making the transition from the FCS’ Ohio Valley Conference, but at least looks the part early on. That’s not always the case for small-school prospects. Even with the Texans’ receiver corps unsettled beyond Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, Bonner should focus on special teams as a rookie.

Bonner (5-foot-10 1/4, 193) is Jacksonville State’s all-time leader in punt return yardage and led the Gamecocks in catches (50), yards (859), and touchdowns (8) as a senior. He ran 4.59 at the Combine with a 33-inch vertical. Bonner looks like a return prospect only in the pros, especially after the Texans used their first-round pick on DeAndre Hopkins.

A sixth-round pick, Bonner was ticketed for a special teams role as a rookie but suffered a hamstring injury early in camp and won’t return this season. He’ll compete for a roster spot in 2014.

Bonner suffered a fractured foot in one of the first practices of training camp. A 2013 sixth-round pick, Bonner spent his entire rookie year on I.R. with a hamstring injury. He wasn’t a compelling NFL prospect from the get-go.

It’s the second straight season Bonner, a 2013 sixth-rounder, couldn’t even survive until final cuts. Neild is an ex-seventh rounder who can’t stay healthy.