What's your rankings of WRs in this draft class?

[76Texan]

Also, if we're to find somebody to replace AJ in about 4, 5 years what kind of strategy do you think we need to put in place since we probably won't be drafting high in the pecking order.

[Dutchrudder]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Also, if we're to find somebody to replace AJ in about 4, 5 years what kind of strategy do you think we need to put in place since we probably won't be drafting high in the pecking order.

I like the "Get to the Super Bowl and lure an awesome free agent" strategy.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

I haven't been able to watch Baylor much this year (and whatever I saw from the year before I don't seem to recall much), but it seems like Wright lines up in the slot quite a bit. And when he lines up wide, I haven't noticed him running a deep route. But then again, I have only watch a game and a half.

(I did watch more than that, but wasn't concentrating on Wright.)

Can you guys tell me a little more about him?

He is a perfect slot but can be a flanker with his speed. I find him enticing not because he has a litany of deep receptions but how he manages to come down with the ball against larger DBs. He is a very strong player & is difficult to jam at line due to his initial burst & DBs are leery of missing and getting beat. Only two WRs I have rated over Wright are Blackmon and Floyd. Just saw that Mayock has same rating. Jordan White is similar imo although not as fluid or athletic. If we get both those guys as I hope, we will not be drafting WR highly for a while.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Also, if we're to find somebody to replace AJ in about 4, 5 years what kind of strategy do you think we need to put in place since we probably won't be drafting high in the pecking order.

Like Dutchrudder says I fantasize about using money saves from Mario to sign Bowe who appears to be a perfect replacement for AJ.

[Dutchrudder]

Originally Posted by badboy

Like Dutchrudder says I fantasize about using money saves from Mario to sign Bowe who appears to be a perfect replacement for AJ.

Bowe would be awesome, but I think he's gonna get franchise tagged. The Chefs don't have anyone else important going into free agency, and Bowe is definitely worth tagging. Even if they can't sign him to a deal, 1 year at 8 or 9 mill is worth it.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by badboy

Like Dutchrudder says I fantasize about using money saves from Mario to sign Bowe who appears to be a perfect replacement for AJ.

How about signing Mario to a long-term real, drafting a #2 WR of the future, an OLB to groom and win the SB with a #1 defense and a top 5-10 offense.

Trade one of the top 3 OLBs for top pick(s) and save money.
Sign a big FA WE in 2013 or trade 2 first rounders for one single higher pick to draft the best WR prospect in 2013?

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Also, if we're to find somebody to replace AJ in about 4, 5 years what kind of strategy do you think we need to put in place since we probably won't be drafting high in the pecking order.

First off they will never replace Andre Johnson, he is one of a kind.

Here are a couple different routes they could try:

Trade out of first round for future #1 + picks -
New England likes to trade out of 1st in exchange for a lesser teams future 1st which can turn into a top 10 pick where the blue chip WR's reside.

Trade up using own future picks -
This was Falcon strategy to aquire Julio Jones, but to do this required trading away this years first plus other picks as well swapping #1's last year where there was a huge gap between teams. Don't think Rick would opt for this plan as he likes to build team with more picks not less, still there may come a time when the right player makes sense.

Use multiple selections in successive years, as needed -
Could be any combination, 1 & 2 or 2 & 5 then evaluate end of season, balance with possible free agents then revisit need, however the draft falls in relationship with draft grade. This is most probable strategy, but really doubt they can find facsimile of AJ unless very good/lucky in player evaluation.

Andre was a beast in Miami, closest thing in College I've ever seen is Calvin Johnson along with Fitzgerald. A case can be made to throw Blackmon in that elite company as well, dude is a complete WR & stands out from his peers. A discussion I had earlier in week with Obi concerning Rams pick. LT vs WR. In this case IMO the higher grade goes to WR, both are needs so opt for higher grade or BPA.

[Corrosion]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

I haven't been able to watch Baylor much this year (and whatever I saw from the year before I don't seem to recall much), but it seems like Wright lines up in the slot quite a bit. And when he lines up wide, I haven't noticed him running a deep route. But then again, I have only watch a game and a half.

(I did watch more than that, but wasn't concentrating on Wright.)

Can you guys tell me a little more about him?

I think it was against OK that Wright made a circus catch along the sidelines in the endzone lining up wide .... He's got speed , hands and very good route running. If he were a bit bigger , I'd have him rated higher , possibly the best combination of hands and seperation of all the prospects in this draft.

If I were looking for a slot guy - Wright would be my target without question .... But the Texans dont have trouble moving the ball between the 20's where a guy like Wright can help , their troubles are in the redzone. I want a guy who can cause problems in the there , a big target who creates a mismatch with smaller DB's on fades and crossing routes. A guy that you can throw it up and he'll go take it.
For my money , the reciever in this draft that most describes is Alshon Jeffery , second would be Michael Floyd.

[Corrosion]

Originally Posted by beerlover

First off they will never replace Andre Johnson, he is one of a kind.

Here are a couple different routes they could try:

Trade out of first round for future #1 + picks -
New England likes to trade out of 1st in exchange for a lesser teams future 1st which can turn into a top 10 pick where the blue chip WR's reside.

Trade up using own future picks -
This was Falcon strategy to aquire Julio Jones, but to do this required trading away this years first plus other picks as well swapping #1's last year where there was a huge gap between teams. Don't think Rick would opt for this plan as he likes to build team with more picks not less, still there may come a time when the right player makes sense.

Use multiple selections in successive years, as needed -
Could be any combination, 1 & 2 or 2 & 5 then evaluate end of season, balance with possible free agents then revisit need, however the draft falls in relationship with draft grade. This is most probable strategy, but really doubt they can find facsimile of AJ unless very good/lucky in player evaluation.

Andre was a beast in Miami, closest thing in College I've ever seen is Calvin Johnson along with Fitzgerald. A case can be made to throw Blackmon in that elite company as well, dude is a complete WR & stands out from his peers. A discussion I had earlier in week with Obi concerning Rams pick. LT vs WR. In this case IMO the higher grade goes to WR, both are needs so opt for higher grade or BPA.

Blackmon is a monster ..... in the mold of AJ but with a firey personality. GIVE ME THE ****ing ball! I almost wish he would fall down a flight of stairs or somehting .... so he would fall to the Texans. He's got the physical tools to be a good player but has the intensity and competetive fire to be a great one.


But I agree , AJ is a one of a kind as is Calvin Johnson , totally different types of players who happen to play the same position. You dont replace HOFers .... The best you can hope for is someone to fill a portion of the void left in their wake.

[aussie_texan]

I only have 2 concerns with wright.

one his size, as corrosion mentioned our main problem is red zone efficiency his not going to help in this regard.

secondly is blocking. kubes loves to have guys on the field who can help i the run game.

other then these 2 points there is no doubt that this kid is a tremendous talent

[Maddict5]

just to the guys that are talking about bowe. he rarely gets any separation. v good at making difficult catches but thats because he has to... doesnt have the explosiveness or route running to get open that often.

as for the lists of draftees, aj had a piece on reuben randle. i had a look at his highlight vids and while he does body catch a fair bit, he looks explosive and shifty, can make the difficult catches and i presume blocks well like most lsu wrs. hes my choice for wr @ #26 right now

jeffery, sanu and others didnt look nearly as explosive to me anyway

[badboy]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

How about signing Mario to a long-term real, drafting a #2 WR of the future, an OLB to groom and win the SB with a #1 defense and a top 5-10 offense.

Trade one of the top 3 OLBs for top pick(s) and save money.
Sign a big FA WE in 2013 or trade 2 first rounders for one single higher pick to draft the best WR prospect in 2013?

1st re-signing Mario is not my main objective but I could deal with it at a rate that allows us cap space. I would eagerly sign Bowe to a AJ type deal (prob more upfront $)& use draft picks received for Williams to add strength to roster. Even with Bowe I'd go after Wright with #26. AJ/Bowe/Wright/Jordan White/Walter looks pretty good to me.

Barwin/Cush/Ryan(prob re-negotiate)/Reed/Vinny Curry

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

How about signing Mario to a long-term real, drafting a #2 WR of the future, an OLB to groom and win the SB with a #1 defense and a top 5-10 offense.

Trade one of the top 3 OLBs for top pick(s) and save money.
Sign a big FA WE in 2013 or trade 2 first rounders for one single higher pick to draft the best WR prospect in 2013?

Originally Posted by badboy

1st re-signing Mario is not my main objective but I could deal with it at a rate that allows us cap space. I would eagerly sign Bowe to a AJ type deal (prob more upfront $)& use draft picks received for Williams to add strength to roster. Even with Bowe I'd go after Wright with #26. AJ/Bowe/Wright/Jordan White/Walter looks pretty good to me.

Barwin/Cush/Ryan(prob re-negotiate)/Reed/Vinny Curry

You've got to sign Mario before you can trade him.
That's why I brought up that scenario.

With another season for Barwin, Reed, (hopefully Brahman, too) and/or the rookie OLB "we're going to draft this year" to grow up, we can then trade Mario during the next off-season after we win the SB.

Don't forget that my scenario also includes drafting a WR in one of the first two rounds this year.

[76Texan]

I'm not real high on Blackmon... yet.

He's not on the same level as AJ Green.

I saw him drop 3 passes in two games (A&M and Baylor).
On another play, he made a good move in the red zone to beat the receiver on a quick-out route, but then fumbled the ball on the way to the end zone (resulting in a touch-back as the ball went into the end zone.)
He also caught two TD passes with only one foot in bound.

Dude got tools but he still needs to work on his trade.
I'm not sure I would take him over Julio Jones (I have to watch more of his games first.)

And again, I watched more of Wright (against OK. St. and Wash) and I wasn't overly impressed.
He's a great college slot receiver that benefited from going mostly against 3rd, 4th corners in the Big Twelve (and often, spotty college safety help).
I'm hesitant to draft him in the first two rounds.
(Again, I want to take a closer look at him before I have a final conclusion).

BTW, Ta-'amu (Wash) looked a little better than Nicolas Jean-Baptist (Baylor) but neither was any factor in a high-scoring game like the Valero Bowl.
The concern I have regarding Ta'amu is that why they didn't even play him in half of the short-yardage situations that they (Washington) faced.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

You've got to sign Mario before you can trade him.
That's why I brought up that scenario.

With another season for Barwin, Reed, (hopefully Brahman, too) and/or the rookie OLB "we're going to draft this year" to grow up, we can then trade Mario during the next off-season after we win the SB.

Don't forget that my scenario also includes drafting a WR in one of the first two rounds this year.

Mario, we have worked out a trade to New England that gives you a very good contract and a team that went to SB 2011. We hate to have to go against you in playoffs but this is a great deal for you & Texans. Will you do this?

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by badboy

Mario, we have worked out a trade to New England that gives you a very good contract and a team that went to SB 2011. We hate to have to go against you in playoffs but this is a great deal for you & Texans. Will you do this?

Mario: I want to be a Texan my whole career. I believe the Texans will be a Super Bowl contender next season and I wish to be a part of that.

ummm... just what do we mean by "very good contract? Other than for Brady, the Pats aren't known for opening their checkbook. Plus, Uncle Bob and Buddha Wade both like me. A lot. So why should I leave here?

[SAMURAITEXAN]

After watching Super Bowl, I want two WRs with size from draft.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by SAMURAITEXAN

After watching Super Bowl, I want two WRs with size from draft.

After watching the SB (and almost every single Pats game) I see that Kareem Jackson ahead of McCourty was, is, and will remain the correct call.

The Pats have been playing McCourty more and more at safety.
And they play a lot of cover 2 no matter who is at CB.
It makes the job harder for the front players when they can't bring a safety down to help either the running game or pressuring the QB or playing the TE close to the vest.

In our case, we're OK at CBs for now.

Yeah, I like for us to have a big receiver who can take the hit over the middle.
He should have decent speed to take advantage of certain situation.
I'd like to see more of Lester Jean to see whether his conditioning program was able to help him maintain a little balance of both.

If he can be used in situational situation (goal line, 3rd down) then we may be able to just go with a speedster that doesn't have the size.
I'm just not sure how high in the pecking order should we draft such a guy.

(I'm not sure that Wright qualifies as a true speedster.
I might compare him with Patrick Edwards later - and right now Edwards is flying very low under the radar; some even has him as an UDFA.)

[76Texan]

I was checking around for footages and news of Patrick Edwards from the Sr. Bowl pracitce and come up with the following.

Edwards managed to beat several CB prospects on the rise (including Janoris Jenkins - Fla/N.Alabama, Brandon Boykins - Ga, - Casey Hayward - Vandy, and Dwight Bently - La Lafayette).

The following footages did not show when Edwards beat Jenkins; they only show the other 3 prospects. But I read that Edwards beat several CBs. He did have a couple of drops on the first day of practice (after he had beaten the CBs) but overall for the 3 days he made some "impressive catches".
Too bad, he pulled a hamstring and didn't play in the Senior Bowl.

He will be at the combine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqxQk...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ame-...eature=related

Edwards was in red UH uni #83
Unofficially, Wright (Baylor) is .02 faster in the 40 (which hardly means anything).

I went through the CBSSports top 500 list for the 2012 and 2013 drafts and the schedules for UH and Baylor.

Edwards actually faced more DB prospects and future prospects than Wright.

[SAMURAITEXAN]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

I was checking around for footages and news of Patrick Edwards from the Sr. Bowl pracitce and come up with the following.

Edwards managed to beat several CB prospects on the rise (including Janoris Jenkins - Fla/N.Alabama, Brandon Boykins - Ga, - Casey Hayward - Vandy, and Dwight Bently - La Lafayette).

The following footages did not show when Edwards beat Jenkins; they only show the other 3 prospects. But I read that Edwards beat several CBs. He did have a couple of drops on the first day of practice (after he had beaten the CBs) but overall for the 3 days he made some "impressive catches".
Too bad, he pulled a hamstring and didn't play in the Senior Bowl.

He will be at the combine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqxQk...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ame-...eature=related

Edwards was in red UH uni #83
Unofficially, Wright (Baylor) is .02 faster in the 40 (which hardly means anything).

I went through the CBSSports top 500 list for the 2012 and 2013 drafts and the schedules for UH and Baylor.

Edwards actually faced more DB prospects and future prospects than Wright.

76Texan, thanks for info. I was too thinking about size and speed of WR. However, we maybe caught up and paying attention to speed portion too much. I think, WR who is already gifted with size and know how to utilize his size to advantage such as physical strength, maneuverability, leaping ability should be enough to separate himself to the opponents. Brandon Marshall clocked low 4.5 if I recall correctly. Of course, speed is definite advantage however, it also can be misread if we heavily focus on speed as most passing play is done no more than 30 yds (not include yds after catch but purely passing yds). So, what makes great WRs to separate their selves from opponents? This is where I think physical mismatch comes into play and whomever utilize his gifted size advantage may have better chance to success in the NFL. So I think, 4.4- 4.5 guys are decent enough for us to take a good look. Obviously, I ain't no expert so I don't exactly know how to evaluate player but things like Burst, Quickness, Leaping, Hands, Route, Physical strength also needed to be consider. I am so hooked on WR position like many of the fans here and more I think about the position more confused I get.