The Texans’ move handed Bush to the New Orleans Saints, who picked him second.

Williams is the first defensive end taken No. 1 overall since Courtney Brown went to the Cleveland Browns in 2000, and the 12th defensive lineman to be picked at the top of the draft.

The 6-foot-6½, 292-pound Williams, who left school a year early to enter the draft, has been described as a cross between Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor.

He saw his stock soar after his performance at the NFL combine in February, running the 40-yard dash in 4.73 seconds and doing 35 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.

“We’ve gone four years, we’ve not had an effective pass rush,” said Texans owner Bob McNair. “We’ve added somebody that is a real threat. He’s going to add a new dimension to our team.”

Fans were not happy with the decision, but the Texans said they would not be swayed by fan pressure and the only thing that mattered was improving the team.

Williams said he’s ready to do just that.

“You win championships with defensive players, and that is exactly what is going to happen,” he said. “I’m going to come in, I’m going to play and I’m going to be productive.

“I’m going to be an impact player immediately, and I’m going to win over fans regardless.”

Houston is moving to a 4-3 defense in its first year under Kubiak, scrapping Dom Capers’ 3-4 scheme after he was fired and creating the need for true defensive ends.

The Texans also wanted to shore up their linebacking corps, which led them to Ryans, the 2005 SEC defensive player of the year.

“He was one of my favorite players going through this draft,” Kubiak said. “I think he’s going to bring a lot of leadership to our team.”

Williams surely will help a Texans defense that ranked 31st in total defense last season, 32nd against the rush and 24th against the pass. The Texans have lacked a legitimate pass rusher the last two seasons with the declining health and productivity of two-time Pro-Bowl defensive end Gary Walker, who recently was released.

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A game-breaking running back like Bush seemed an obvious choice to many, who saw the Texans’ offense sputter and routinely fail to score touchdowns en route to last season’s 2-14 record.

But it looks like the team remains confident in running back Domanick Davis, who signed a five-year contract reportedly worth more than $21 million before last season.

“The bottom line is he’s going to be here and he’s going to play, so you’ve got a player already there that’s proven,” Casserly said.

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