HOUSTON -- Tevin Jones' body shook when he walked into NRG Stadium for the first time last week.

"It was mind-boggling," he said of the magnitude of the journey before him.

Jones is one of 16 undrafted rookies the Houston Texans signed in the week after the draft. He has one of the most difficult tasks of any of them. See, Jones is a receiver -- one of three undrafted receivers the Texans signed along with Richard Mullaney and Wendall Williams. There isn't much room for an undrafted rookie to squeeze his way into that position group as the Texans have loaded up on receivers in the past few seasons.

These three, though, are determined to make the best of it.

"I’m given an opportunity, and I’m just trying to run with it," Williams said.

Running is the skill for which Williams is best known. A receiver out of the University of the Cumberlands, he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.19 seconds at a regional combine this spring. His path to an NFL camp involved three different junior colleges, two four-year colleges and a stint as a truck driver when he thought football was a lost cause.

Now he walks into NRG Stadium daily and marvels at where he is.

"Every day I wake up and look across the street at that stadium from the hotel, I get the 'oh, wow' moment," Williams said.

Mullaney's strength comes in his versatility. A graduate transfer from Oregon State to Alabama, Mullaney reinvented himself as a slot receiver in helping the Crimson Tide win a national championship.

"I feel like it made me a complete wide receiver all together," Mullaney said. "... You’re just getting different looks. You’re going against a safety or a linebacker instead of a corner so obviously you’re going against bigger guys. But like I said, it’s been fun. The transition was fun. Winning a national championship was a lot of fun."

Jones had the benefit of a friendly face upon his arrival. His former teammate at Memphis, safety Lonnie Ballentine, was the final overall pick in the 2014 draft.

"He took me through the ropes and it was good," Jones said. "He said do everything I can to help the team out and to make it so I can play next to him."

Historically the Texans weren't a very receiver-focused organization. They selected Andre Johnson third overall in 2003, then went nine years without drafting a receiver in the top two rounds. That streak broke in 2013 when they selected DeAndre Hopkins in the first round. Hopkins made his first Pro Bowl last season and is quickly establishing himself among the league's elite.

They added veteran Cecil Shorts, 28, in free agency last year, but it's generally a very young group. Hopkins is joined by 2015 third-round pick Jaelen Strong, 2015 fifth-round pick Keith Mumphery and 2016 first-round pick Will Fuller.

The Texans typically keep five receivers on their 53-man roster. That means the numbers don't favor Mullaney, Williams or Jones.

But there's another way to look at it.

"I feel like it’s a good thing," Mullaney said. "Obviously coming here with guys that have the experience. Definitely just got to learn and grow with the younger guys. [I'm] just here to do my job. Whatever that is, work hard and make the most of everything."