Goat's 3 round March Mock

[Goatcheese]

Round 1 Pick 15
Chris Wells RB Ohio St. 6-1 235

With this pick the AFC South has a new Thunder and Lightning duo that surpasses Smushed and Crushed. Wells is a legit top 10 pick who has flown under the radar all off season. He is a guy who can step in right away and split carries with Slaton 50/50. His running style give the Texans the power running game they lack, without giving up the big play potential. Wells gives us a guy similar to Double-D, but with the size to sustain that type of running game long term.

Round 2 pick 14
Rashad Johnson FS Alabama 5-11 203

A real ballhawk who plays with terrific instincts, and has a great football IQ. Has good flexibility, and smooth hips to stick with his man in coverage. A solid tackler in the open field, and a hard worker. Great leader on and off the field. His playmaking ability, and leadership had people talking about him as a 1st rounder during the season, but that seems to have trailed off some as guys have made big off season splashes. While not a big physical thumper, Johnson is solid in run support and can play either safety position.

Round 3 pick 13
Chris Baker DT Hampton 6-2 326

Good size, and mobility. Had a fantastic senior campaign with 69 tackles, 16.5 TFL and 8.5 sacks, even if it was at Hampton. Similar in many ways to highly touted B.J. Raji. Just the kind of widebody penetrating DT the Texans are looking for. Played DE in college. Ran a 5.03 40 at 326, and if he lost some weight could be a very athletic DT.

[threetoedpete]

Next.....

[Blake]

Bleh. Nothing really tickles my fancy there.

[BigBull17]

Even if we DID go RB in the 1st, not Beanie. RB is about as far dowwnon our list at 15 as any other position.

[Ole Miss Texan]

Not a fan of the Beanster.

[Goatcheese]

I don't think there is 1 DE, DT, CB, OLB, ILB, FS, or SS who is likely to be there, that is worth the 15th pick in the draft. A complimentary back is a need for the Texans. Slaton is a small guy, and they simply don't last long when asked to carry the rock 300+ times a season. In this league you need two good running backs, and Wells would certainly give us that, and then some. This strategy seems to have worked pretty well for the Panthers last year. They picked up J.Stewart to pair with D.Williams, and suddenly they're the 3rd best rushing attack in the NFL. Maybe you all didn't notice, but even with Slaton having a great year we were just 13th in rushing, because when he came out there was nobody to go in. We also struggled to pick up short yardage all season, which was one of the big reasons our scoring(17th) lagged so far behind our total production(3rd).

We clearly don't need a guy like this:

highlights

Wells is a great prospect, similar in many ways to Larry Johnson before his 2007 meltdown. He may be a step slower with his 4.5-.55 speed, but his short area quickness is about the same. Some of the cuts he makes in that video would be hard for a guy 30 pounds lighter. I think he fits well in this system with his ability to make one cut and go, without alot of dancing around.

Anybody else remember the supposedly good Texas run defense being unable to stop this guy in the Fiesta Bowl? 16 carries for 106 yards; 6.6 ypc.

[Wolf6151]

Originally Posted by Goatcheese

Round 1 Pick 15
Chris Wells RB Ohio St. 6-1 235

With this pick the AFC South has a new Thunder and Lightning duo that surpasses Smushed and Crushed. Wells is a legit top 10 pick who has flown under the radar all off season. He is a guy who can step in right away and split carries with Slaton 50/50. His running style give the Texans the power running game they lack, without giving up the big play potential. Wells gives us a guy similar to Double-D, but with the size to sustain that type of running game long term.

Round 2 pick 14
Rashad Johnson FS Alabama 5-11 203

A real ballhawk who plays with terrific instincts, and has a great football IQ. Has good flexibility, and smooth hips to stick with his man in coverage. A solid tackler in the open field, and a hard worker. Great leader on and off the field. His playmaking ability, and leadership had people talking about him as a 1st rounder during the season, but that seems to have trailed off some as guys have made big off season splashes. While not a big physical thumper, Johnson is solid in run support and can play either safety position.

Round 3 pick 13
Chris Baker DT Hampton 6-2 326

Good size, and mobility. Had a fantastic senior campaign with 69 tackles, 16.5 TFL and 8.5 sacks, even if it was at Hampton. Similar in many ways to highly touted B.J. Raji. Just the kind of widebody penetrating DT the Texans are looking for. Played DE in college. Ran a 5.03 40 at 326, and if he lost some weight could be a very athletic DT.

No offense intended against you personally, but that's a bad draft for the Texans. We don't need a RB in the 1st round, Slaton was great last year, and we need defense. FS is a wasted pick in the 2nd round because we just re-signed Wilson to a 3 yr. contract because he played very well at FS last year. It's not good when 2nd round picks sit on the bench. You redeamed yourself a little in the 3rd. It's not my personal pick but I wouldn't be upset with Baker, he fills a need.

[threetoedpete]

Originally Posted by Wolf6151

No offense intended against you personally, but that's a bad draft for the Texans. We don't need a RB in the 1st round, Slaton was great last year, and we need defense. FS is a wasted pick in the 2nd round because we just re-signed Wilson to a 3 yr. contract because he played very well at FS last year. It's not good when 2nd round picks sit on the bench. You redeamed yourself a little in the 3rd. It's not my personal pick but I wouldn't be upset with Baker, he fills a need.

How does Wells not fit the system? Ron Dayne fit the system.

The zone blocking scheme is about making one cut and getting up field. That's something Wells does. He also has really good cutback vision which is important in this system.

Ron Dayne, not only did not fit the system he was gaud awful in it. Slow lumbering Rbs are not what you're looking for. Now if you can find a big guy...with quick feet, and can read blocks you've got something.....Ron Dayne was never that. His big runs came.....bouncing outside when the defense over read the blocks. So in other words....eleven guys had to miss read the play for Dayne to have a break out run. Up the middle....reading and cutting off the blocks....Never saw it with RD. Never. If he got one on one with anyone...he was tackled with an ankle tackle. so who's roster is RD on Now ?

I like Wells. He showed a lot of charter when he got stuck in the long jump pit and kept scratching. He had to keep doing it over and over and over again. I think it was six times....His jump, the official one is off by a foot . He is explosive. He is powerfully.
But he hasn't been quick since his sophomore year. Sorry.
I think it would be a mistake to pay him 15 pick money, sorry.
Especially, when there are other guys on the board who could do the same job at a more efficient cost.

Remember...Slaton is like every one else. He wants to be paid. Sooner or later they will tear up the contract and pay the man. I mean if he goes 1400 with ten touch downs....don't you think they will reward the guy ?

Now what do you do then with Wells' contract ? His fifteenth pick first round contract ?

tell ya what....Wells Post a 4.4 friday at his proday, like the draft gurus said he was going to run at the combine....I'll jump on your Little band wagon.....Draft Well trade Slaton....re draft a third down specialist on the second day. Wells is what he is....a 4.53 guy....My bar is set a little higher than that. Hell, we got linebackers in this class that would be fine with the 6.6 Million and making the move to Rb. and run faster...be quicker through the hole....and be a whole heck of a lot more durable.

[Goatcheese]

Originally Posted by Wolf6151

No offense intended against you personally, but that's a bad draft for the Texans. We don't need a RB in the 1st round, Slaton was great last year, and we need defense.

We were 17th in scoring last year. Couldn't pick up short yardage, or get the ball over the goal. We couldn't run the ball in the 4th quarter with the lead when they knew we were going to run. We need defese but a big RB, who can share the load with Slaton with each getting around 15 carries per game, is also a need. If one player can take your offense from bellow average in the most important areas, to top 10 or even top 5, it's worth spending a 1st round draft pick on.

FS is a wasted pick in the 2nd round because we just re-signed Wilson to a 3 yr. contract because he played very well at FS last year. It's not good when 2nd round picks sit on the bench.

Wilson was decent last year but it's not like he's the long term answer, and Johnson can play either safety position in most schemes.

Originally Posted by threetoedpete

Ron Dayne, not only did not fit the system he was gaud awful in it. Slow lumbering Rbs are not what you're looking for. Now if you can find a big guy...with quick feet, and can read blocks you've got something.....Ron Dayne was never that. His big runs came.....bouncing outside when the defense over read the blocks. So in other words....eleven guys had to miss read the play for Dayne to have a break out run. Up the middle....reading and cutting off the blocks....Never saw it with RD. Never. If he got one on one with anyone...he was tackled with an ankle tackle. so who's roster is RD on Now ?

Kubiak disagrees with you. He loved him in Denver, and then brought him here when he got the job.

I like Wells. He showed a lot of charter when he got stuck in the long jump pit and kept scratching. He had to keep doing it over and over and over again. I think it was six times....His jump, the official one is off by a foot . He is explosive. He is powerfully.
But he hasn't been quick since his sophomore year. Sorry.
I think it would be a mistake to pay him 15 pick money, sorry.
Especially, when there are other guys on the board who could do the same job at a more efficient cost.

His Sophomore year was a year ago, and young guys don't just lose quickness in 1 year like a 30 year old. His Junior season he had to battle foot and hamstring injuries which slowed him down, but didn't keep him from breaking long runs. He was unstoppable against Texas' run defense.

Remember...Slaton is like every one else. He wants to be paid. Sooner or later they will tear up the contract and pay the man. I mean if he goes 1400 with ten touch downs....don't you think they will reward the guy ?

Now what do you do then with Wells' contract ? His fifteenth pick first round contract ?

I doubt the 5 year 12 million contract of the 15th pick in this years draft is going to hurt the Texans in any serious way. We supposedly offered Benson 5.5 million which would put him in a similar pay scale to a mid first round pick.

tell ya what....Wells Post a 4.4 friday at his proday, like the draft gurus said he was going to run at the combine....I'll jump on your Little band wagon.....Draft Well trade Slaton....re draft a third down specialist on the second day. Wells is what he is....a 4.53 guy....My bar is set a little higher than that. Hell, we got linebackers in this class that would be fine with the 6.6 Million and making the move to Rb. and run faster...be quicker through the hole....and be a whole heck of a lot more durable.

Wells has always been expected to run somewhere around a 4.50. Despite what some scouts are saying I don't think he is Adrian Peterson. He's more of a L.Johnson with KC before his 07 meltdown. He outruns linebackers, and breaks tackles in the secondary turning short gains into big ones.

My only question about Wells is his health, not his talent. If I'm the Texans I'm taking a long hard look at his physical, and medical exams before I pull the trigger.

02/23/09 - Ohio State’s Chris “Beanie” Wells (6-1 ½, 235), who has been rated as one of the top running backs entering the draft, recorded a 4.59. Two other highly touted prospects, Connecticut’s Donald Brown (5-10, 210) and Texas A&M’s Mike Goodson (6-0, 208), posted 4.51 and 4.54, respectively. Wells’ 40-yard time, however, may have little impact on his draft value. Some draft pundits and scouts compare Wells to Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson because they are both power backs who can explode for long runs and pick up the dirty yards. The biggest question surrounding Wells is his durability. In 2007, he played all season with a broken bone in his wrist, and repeatedly had to come out of games because of a sore ankle. Last season, he suffered a big toe injury that caused him to miss three games, and later fought a tweaked hamstring. "I was nicked up, (but) I don't think it was anything where I missed a whole season," Wells said. "I missed three games in three years, so things happen." He also reminded the media that Peterson dealt with injuries in college before he was selected as the No. 7 overall pick in 2007. “I feel as if I can be that back that takes it the distance like a scat back or be a back who can get those yards like a hard-nosed, short-yardage guy,” Wells said. - Brooke Bentley, HoustonTexans.com

Here's some of Well's 2008 games. He was playing injured in some of them and still ran all over people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKYeleDrCaQ

Nfldraftcountdown player coverage:

Strengths:
Outstanding size and bulk...Very athletic...Strong, powerful downhill runner...Breaks a lot of tackles and doesn't go down easily...Excellent stiff-arm...Explosive with a burst...Patient with very good vision and instincts...Has nifty feet...Moves well in the hole...Good balance and usually falls forward...Can stick his foot in the ground and change directions...Reaches top speed in a hurry...Plays faster than he times and was able to run away from people in college...Workhorse who gets stronger as the game goes on...Real competitive...Terrific production.

Weaknesses:
Often hampered by minor nagging injuries...Just average timed speed...Limited experience as a receiver...Doesn't have great hands or run good routes...Will struggle to get outside and turn the corner...Not overly elusive...Might be too tall and runs high at times...Adequate blocker but could show better effort...Toughness has been questioned.

Year GP Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds TD
2006 13 104 576 5.5 7 2 16 0
2007 13 274 1,609 5.9 15 5 21 0
2008 10 207 1,197 5.8 8 8 47 0
Totals 36 585 3,382 5.8 30 15 84 0

[Specnatz]

That is why most suggest taking one in the later rounds and fixing the down in the early rounds.