Williams fits in immediately

HOUSTON – Mario Williams was headed to a meeting, then turned to see the throng of reporters that had followed him across the practice field.

It may have been the only moment all morning the No. 1 draft pick looked uncomfortable.

The defensive end fit in seamlessly with his new Houston Texans teammates Tuesday, going through about two hours of drills. It’s a good sign considering the Texans will look for Williams to start immediately as they switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 scheme.

The 6-foot-7, 292-pounder signed a six-year, $54 million contract, with $26.5 million guaranteed the night before the draft.

There was no rookie hazing for Williams, just lots of encouragement and pointers from several veteran defensive linemen. Travis Johnson, Houston’s first-round pick from last season, was among those helping out.

“They’re taking me under their wings and just pushing me to get better,” Williams said. “They’re already big brothers to me. I feel very comfortable.”

It was also Gary Kubiak’s first practice as Texans coach. He has replaced Dom Capers, who was fired after Houston’s 2-14 season.

“It’s easy to sit in that meeting room and talk about, ‘We’re going to run the ball. We’re going to do this or that,’ ” Kubiak said. “But you’ve got to start to do that on the field and have them start to believe in what you’re doing.”

The Texans chose Williams over Southern California running back Reggie Bush, looking to inject some life into a defense that was ranked 31st overall last season.

“It’s a new experience and I’ve got a lot to learn,” Williams said. “It’s a little quicker, but it’s not like it’s overwhelming or anything like that.”

“He stopped a lot of our plays,” Kubiak said. “He did a good job. To hop in there day one with the starters and go. That’s a lot to ask. It looks like he did a fine job to me.”

The Texans plans to line up Williams against a tight end, a task that might take some getting used to.

“I’m just going to the strong side,” he said. “Whew. That strong side is exactly that – you got the tight end with the tackle all the time. It’s a little different there, but I’ll be fine.”