"It’s time to admit that Charley Casserly and the Houston Texans were not idiots in 2006.

The Texans drafted defensive end Mario Williams No. 1 ahead of Reggie Bush and Vince Young and then took heat for it for the next year and a half (including in this space).

The Williams pick improves with age.

The latest evidence was last week’s meltdown by Young in the season opener against Jacksonville. Young was booed by his home crowd in Nashville after throwing an interception and then initially refused to reenter the game on the Titans’ next possession. He was seen sitting on the bench, inconsolable, hanging his head in despair. Then the Titans were so worried about his mental state they sent the police out to look for him Sunday night.

It all speaks to the fragile emotional state of Young, who was coddled in college and who never dealt with adversity before coming to the NFL. Young is a phenomenal talent. At times, like in the 2006 win at Buffalo, he has looked like a bona fide great. But after he finished last season with nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions, it’s obvious he has not grown as an NFL quarterback. He has a long way to go in being a serious student of the game and in adapting to throwing out of the pocket. The jury is way out on whether Young has the intangibles — No. 1 the mental toughness — to excel at the toughest position in sports.

Bush is a good player in New Orleans. But he is far from the kind of dominant player (a la LaDainian Tomlinson) that a team would like when it picks a back in the top five.

Williams had 14 sacks last season and had two sacks last week in the Texans’ opener.

Williams is looking like the safest pick at the top of the draft, which is why the Texans drafted him No. 1 overall. The final verdict on this class is far from being written. But Casserly, who left the Texans after that 2006 draft, has a right to feel vindicated. "