Aussie Mock 4.0

[aussie_texan]

Round 1: Stephen Hill WR, Georgia Tech
I think Wright will be gone when we pick so I'm going the next best WR and the man with the highest potential.
Wont have the pressure of a starter because AJ and KW will start ahead of him so gives him time to develop but will still see plenty of minutes.

Round 2: Andre Branch OLB, Clemson
Many have him as the 7-8-9 OLB in the 3-4 on the boards so i think he will fall to us. How many times do you see 8 OLBs specific for the 3-4 come off by the end of the 2nd round.

Bit of a one year wonder (was behind bowers last year though) but has fantastic measurables. His 10yd split was extremely quick. long arms. will straight away fit into the OLB rotation.

Round 3: Tank Carder ILB, TCU
His a little light at 236 pounds but will have time to gain some strength and power by sitting behind cushing and sharpton. Plays with a real tenacity.
Had a great combine and pro day shooting him up boards.

Round 4: Nate Potter OT, Boise State
To me he should fit right into our zone-blocking scheme.
Will be battling with Newton for the swing tackle position but grades out mostly as RT.
Is a better Pass-blocker then run-blocker. but has time to develop strength.

Round 4: Kheeston Randall DE, Texas
From the games i saw him play i thought he was at his most disruptive when slanting and given the play to penetrate.
Is not effective when face up against guards but in our one gap system i think it works to his strengths and will be very good for us.
We are pretty old at DE with smith and bulman (current UFA).
In the 3-4 you always need to bring in help in the front 7.
And i think this is our guy we will target heavily.

Round 5: Rhett Ellison TE, USC
I see a lot of Casey and Dressen in this guy.
Used as a HB/TE in the USC system so i think he adapts well to ours.
Willing blocker though could get better. But he would be out 3rd TE on the roster so has time to develop strength.
Finds holes in zones really well does struggle with speed down field though.
Is a big body will help out our Red Zone efficiency and should push graham in the pre-season.

Round 6: Randy Bullock K, Texas A&M
Possible loss of Rackers means we need a kicker. Plus he'll be a cheaper alternative. seen as we are in cap hell we need to save many where we can.

Round 7: Chad Diehl FB, Clemson
Cheap replacement for Vickers.
Will be solely used as a blocker. meaning casey can be the H-back and gives our offence that little more versatility.




Just quickly to clarify i few things.

I have taken off NT my board as i think we a pretty good for the moment and there a bigger needs to fill this season.
Next year we can target that high talent if all things work out well.

CB i didn't take as i think we have a lot of guys there and all we need is perhaps one veteran in FA to come in to compete.

The biggest surprise is the omission of OG.
Unless one of the the big prospects falls in the first 2rounds i wouldn't take an OG because he wouldn't be much better then what we have already depth wise.


Thanks for reading

GO TEXANS!

[Wolf6151]

I like the mock and the players chosen with a few minor exceptions, I think we could get Diehl as an UDFA, but that's nitpicking. Overall very good job. I understand your point on NT but don't really agree with it. I think taking a NT early allows us to move Earl Mitchell to DE depth fixing our depth issues there and with Cody being a FA at the end of this season I'd want the guy taking his place to have some experience, not starting a rookie at NT. I like Bullock in the 6th, that should solve our issues at K for the next 10-15 yrs.. Again, overall very good job, I could live with this easily.

[aussie_texan]

Originally Posted by Wolf6151

I like the mock and the players chosen with a few minor exceptions, I think we could get Diehl as an UDFA, but that's nitpicking. Overall very good job. I understand your point on NT but don't really agree with it. I think taking a NT early allows us to move Earl Mitchell to DE depth fixing our depth issues there and with Cody being a FA at the end of this season I'd want the guy taking his place to have some experience, not starting a rookie at NT. I like Bullock in the 6th, that should solve our issues at K for the next 10-15 yrs.. Again, overall very good job, I could live with this easily.

thats actually a good point.
however i just don't see any of the NTs in the mid rounds as starter material just yet. there some really good guys in the first/second like worthy, cox, brockers, poe, thompson and still. but after these guys i think its a bit of a drop off

[Wolf6151]

Originally Posted by aussie_texan

thats actually a good point.
however i just don't see any of the NTs in the mid rounds as starter material just yet. there some really good guys in the first/second like worthy, cox, brockers, poe, thompson and still. but after these guys i think its a bit of a drop off

I agree with you about the drop off after the above listed guys but that's why I took Thompson in my latest mock and dropped OLB to later in the draft. Whoever we take at OLB will have to rotate with Reed, I think it's Reed's position now. I think Thompson or Worthy are perfect for our system and trying to think ahead to the 2013 off season and who the Texans will most likely let walk, I wanted a guy who could get a years worth of rotation in our system with Cody. Along that same line of thinking though, I think the Texans will let Antonio Smith walk after next season as well but they may give Earl Mitchell a shot at that spot. Ideally I'd like to find a way to get some extra 2nd round picks from this draft because that seems to be where the value is this year but I guess we've got to work with what we got. Ideally I'd like to get Kendell Reyes so he could work in the DE rotation with Smith and take over for Antonio after next season but that's just getting greedy.

[aussie_texan]

Originally Posted by Wolf6151

I agree with you about the drop off after the above listed guys but that's why I took Thompson in my latest mock and dropped OLB to later in the draft. Whoever we take at OLB will have to rotate with Reed, I think it's Reed's position now. I think Thompson or Worthy are perfect for our system and trying to think ahead to the 2013 off season and who the Texans will most likely let walk, I wanted a guy who could get a years worth of rotation in our system with Cody. Along that same line of thinking though, I think the Texans will let Antonio Smith walk after next season as well but they may give Earl Mitchell a shot at that spot. Ideally I'd like to find a way to get some extra 2nd round picks from this draft because that seems to be where the value is this year but I guess we've got to work with what we got. Ideally I'd like to get Kendell Reyes so he could work in the DE rotation with Smith and take over for Antonio after next season but that's just getting greedy.

My 2nd favourite player in this draft (first floyd). Would be soooo happy if we could get him in a trade down.
I have been keen on him for ages. Have had him in all of my mocks expect this one. i think his gonna be a gun and has very little bust potential.


I have to agree with you on the NT situation, it makes great sense and if the texans did this i would be happy.
But if there is a player like branch available i just couldn't go past him.
so much potential there

[Wolf6151]

We could take Kendell Reyes in the 1st and then Brandon Thompson in the 2nd. That would be a great draft but unfortunately that would drop WR to the 3rd round and it's arguably our biggest need.

The real problem with anyone's mock is that 2 months ago we had no serious holes other than WR but now we have holes at WR, NT, OT, OG, OLB, and ILB and unfortunately you can't fill 6 holes in the first 2 rounds so it all depends on priorities.

To go along with my previous line of thinking about drafting players this year to fill the shoes of the players most likely to get cut next off season. I took Brandon Mosley-OT from Auburn in the 3rd round because I think there's a strong chance we'll let Rashad Butler-RT walk after this next season as well since he'll also be a FA. I like your Nate Potter pick in the 4th round but I think he's going to need to add some muscle and bulk to play RT. I don't care for the TE pick in the 5th round, the position not the player. Contrary to Kubiak I don't think we need a team made up of TE's. We've got OD (another guy I think stands a strong chance of being gone after this next season) Garret Graham, and Casey and in a worst case scenario we could probably move KW inside to play TE if we had to. I just like using our limited picks elsewhere.

[Brandon420tx]

I don't think Nate Potter will last past the 3rd round.

[WolverineFan]

Originally Posted by Wolf6151

We could take Kendell Reyes in the 1st and then Brandon Thompson in the 2nd. That would be a great draft but unfortunately that would drop WR to the 3rd round and it's arguably our biggest need.

I would be ecstatic about this. I don't see us bringing back Antonio for 2013 so we'd have his replacement ready with Reyes. Same with Cody and Thompson. I would love a draft of Reyes (1), Thompson (2), Schwartz (3), and then WR and LB in the 4th.

The real problem with anyone's mock is that 2 months ago we had no serious holes other than WR but now we have holes at WR, NT, OT, OG, OLB, and ILB and unfortunately you can't fill 6 holes in the first 2 rounds so it all depends on priorities.

Definitely agree.

To go along with my previous line of thinking about drafting players this year to fill the shoes of the players most likely to get cut next off season. I took Brandon Mosley-OT from Auburn in the 3rd round because I think there's a strong chance we'll let Rashad Butler-RT walk after this next season as well since he'll also be a FA. I like your Nate Potter pick in the 4th round but I think he's going to need to add some muscle and bulk to play RT. I don't care for the TE pick in the 5th round, the position not the player. Contrary to Kubiak I don't think we need a team made up of TE's. We've got OD (another guy I think stands a strong chance of being gone after this next season) Garret Graham, and Casey and in a worst case scenario we could probably move KW inside to play TE if we had to. I just like using our limited picks elsewhere.

I disagree about the TE part, but I do think we'd be more than fine with OD, Casey, and Graham as long as we pick up a FB. I agree about Butler which is why I'd like to see us grab Schwartz in the 3rd.

^^^

[Corrosion]

Originally Posted by aussie_texan

Round 1: Stephen Hill WR, Georgia Tech
I think Wright will be gone when we pick so I'm going the next best WR and the man with the highest potential.
Wont have the pressure of a starter because AJ and KW will start ahead of him so gives him time to develop but will still see plenty of minutes.

Round 2: Andre Branch OLB, Clemson
Many have him as the 7-8-9 OLB in the 3-4 on the boards so i think he will fall to us. How many times do you see 8 OLBs specific for the 3-4 come off by the end of the 2nd round.

Bit of a one year wonder (was behind bowers last year though) but has fantastic measurables. His 10yd split was extremely quick. long arms. will straight away fit into the OLB rotation.

Round 3: Tank Carder ILB, TCU
His a little light at 236 pounds but will have time to gain some strength and power by sitting behind cushing and sharpton. Plays with a real tenacity.
Had a great combine and pro day shooting him up boards.

Round 4: Nate Potter OT, Boise State
To me he should fit right into our zone-blocking scheme.
Will be battling with Newton for the swing tackle position but grades out mostly as RT.
Is a better Pass-blocker then run-blocker. but has time to develop strength.

Round 4: Kheeston Randall DE, Texas
From the games i saw him play i thought he was at his most disruptive when slanting and given the play to penetrate.
Is not effective when face up against guards but in our one gap system i think it works to his strengths and will be very good for us.
We are pretty old at DE with smith and bulman (current UFA).
In the 3-4 you always need to bring in help in the front 7.
And i think this is our guy we will target heavily.

Round 5: Rhett Ellison TE, USC
I see a lot of Casey and Dressen in this guy.
Used as a HB/TE in the USC system so i think he adapts well to ours.
Willing blocker though could get better. But he would be out 3rd TE on the roster so has time to develop strength.
Finds holes in zones really well does struggle with speed down field though.
Is a big body will help out our Red Zone efficiency and should push graham in the pre-season.

Round 6: Randy Bullock K, Texas A&M
Possible loss of Rackers means we need a kicker. Plus he'll be a cheaper alternative. seen as we are in cap hell we need to save many where we can.

Round 7: Chad Diehl FB, Clemson
Cheap replacement for Vickers.
Will be solely used as a blocker. meaning casey can be the H-back and gives our offence that little more versatility.




Just quickly to clarify i few things.

I have taken off NT my board as i think we a pretty good for the moment and there a bigger needs to fill this season.
Next year we can target that high talent if all things work out well.

CB i didn't take as i think we have a lot of guys there and all we need is perhaps one veteran in FA to come in to compete.

The biggest surprise is the omission of OG.
Unless one of the the big prospects falls in the first 2rounds i wouldn't take an OG because he wouldn't be much better then what we have already depth wise.


Thanks for reading

GO TEXANS!

Pretty solid draft , wouldnt complain if it fell that way .... even tho Im not a huge fan of taking Stephen Hill. I have a couple other WR's ranked higher and think they could still be available.

With the way this offseason has played out thuis far , I think the OT , OLB and ILB picks are almost a must .... Looks like good value at each pickas well.

Originally Posted by Wolf6151

I like the mock and the players chosen with a few minor exceptions, I think we could get Diehl as an UDFA, but that's nitpicking. Overall very good job. I understand your point on NT but don't really agree with it. I think taking a NT early allows us to move Earl Mitchell to DE depth fixing our depth issues there and with Cody being a FA at the end of this season I'd want the guy taking his place to have some experience, not starting a rookie at NT. I like Bullock in the 6th, that should solve our issues at K for the next 10-15 yrs.. Again, overall very good job, I could live with this easily.

The depth issues arent at DE , they are at OLB .... Moving Mitchell doesnt solve that.


Cody's been the Texans most consistent interior DL over the past two seasons. I wouldnt look to fill that spot other than him being in a contract year. Mitchell is the insurance policy behind him .... Im good drafting a DT next season if Cody isnt resigned.

[WolverineFan]

Originally Posted by Corrosion

The depth issues arent at DE , they are at OLB .... Moving Mitchell doesnt solve that.

Actually we lost Bulman in FA so we need another lineman. Mitchell is a better fit at DE so sliding him out solves that problem. However, that then leaves us with a depth problem at NT that needs to be solved.

Cody's been the Texans most consistent interior DL over the past two seasons. I wouldnt look to fill that spot other than him being in a contract year. Mitchell is the insurance policy behind him .... Im good drafting a DT next season if Cody isnt resigned.

I don't think many of us see Mitchell as a long term solution at NT. He's a much better fit at end. That means we need to find a solution if we don't plan on re-signing Cody next year.

^^^

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by aussie_texan

Round 1: Stephen Hill WR, Georgia Tech
I think Wright will be gone when we pick so I'm going the next best WR and the man with the highest potential.
Wont have the pressure of a starter because AJ and KW will start ahead of him so gives him time to develop but will still see plenty of minutes.

Round 2: Andre Branch OLB, Clemson
Many have him as the 7-8-9 OLB in the 3-4 on the boards so i think he will fall to us. How many times do you see 8 OLBs specific for the 3-4 come off by the end of the 2nd round.

Bit of a one year wonder (was behind bowers last year though) but has fantastic measurables. His 10yd split was extremely quick. long arms. will straight away fit into the OLB rotation.

Round 3: Tank Carder ILB, TCU
His a little light at 236 pounds but will have time to gain some strength and power by sitting behind cushing and sharpton. Plays with a real tenacity.
Had a great combine and pro day shooting him up boards.

Round 4: Nate Potter OT, Boise State
To me he should fit right into our zone-blocking scheme.
Will be battling with Newton for the swing tackle position but grades out mostly as RT.
Is a better Pass-blocker then run-blocker. but has time to develop strength.

Round 4: Kheeston Randall DE, Texas
From the games i saw him play i thought he was at his most disruptive when slanting and given the play to penetrate.
Is not effective when face up against guards but in our one gap system i think it works to his strengths and will be very good for us.
We are pretty old at DE with smith and bulman (current UFA).
In the 3-4 you always need to bring in help in the front 7.
And i think this is our guy we will target heavily.

Round 5: Rhett Ellison TE, USC
I see a lot of Casey and Dressen in this guy.
Used as a HB/TE in the USC system so i think he adapts well to ours.
Willing blocker though could get better. But he would be out 3rd TE on the roster so has time to develop strength.
Finds holes in zones really well does struggle with speed down field though.
Is a big body will help out our Red Zone efficiency and should push graham in the pre-season.

Round 6: Randy Bullock K, Texas A&M
Possible loss of Rackers means we need a kicker. Plus he'll be a cheaper alternative. seen as we are in cap hell we need to save many where we can.

Round 7: Chad Diehl FB, Clemson
Cheap replacement for Vickers.
Will be solely used as a blocker. meaning casey can be the H-back and gives our offence that little more versatility.




Just quickly to clarify i few things.

I have taken off NT my board as i think we a pretty good for the moment and there a bigger needs to fill this season.
Next year we can target that high talent if all things work out well.

CB i didn't take as i think we have a lot of guys there and all we need is perhaps one veteran in FA to come in to compete.

The biggest surprise is the omission of OG.
Unless one of the the big prospects falls in the first 2rounds i wouldn't take an OG because he wouldn't be much better then what we have already depth wise.


Thanks for reading

GO TEXANS!

Hill is a big gamble that could pay huge dividends. If Usain Bolt trained & played football instead of Track & Field he would be a lot like this guy, a deep threat.

Andre Branch & Tank Carder are both fast players. I like the fact you are trying to upgrade team speed both on offense & defense.

Potter may still be there early 4th with PHILLY pick?

Not a big fan of Texas Longhorn products, but OK.

TE in 5th may be a little bit early for a back-up, special teams player.

But you finish strong with those last two picks. Great Job

[aussie_texan]

Originally Posted by beerlover

Hill is a big gamble that could pay huge dividends. If Usain Bolt trained & played football instead of Track & Field he would be a lot like this guy, a deep threat.

Andre Branch & Tank Carder are both fast players. I like the fact you are trying to upgrade team speed both on offense & defense.

Potter may still be there early 4th with PHILLY pick?

Not a big fan of Texas Longhorn products, but OK.

TE in 5th may be a little bit early for a back-up, special teams player.

But you finish strong with those last two picks. Great Job

I would take Wright before hill i just don't think he'll be available. I'm guessing he'll go before 20. Hill would be our 3rd WR target so he won't be thrown down into the ring of fire so to speak.
He'll have time to develop under the best WR in the league and should turn out well.

Thats exactly what i was going for with Branch and Carder.
Wades did relies on speed to hit those gaps. Carder probably should put on a little more weight though. We have the foundations of a good Defence now we need to bring more playmakers in.

Yeah potter with the philly pick is what I'm going for.
Generally speaking you roughly see 3 OT go each round and his ranked from 10-12 out of the OT so i think we could be available to us with the philly pick which is quite high.

[aussie_texan]

By the way thanks everyone for the feedback.
I wasnt thinking of doing another mock but i think now with the ideas you guys have given me i might to one more before the draft,

thanks again

[TimeKiller]

I think you pointed out, biggest negative is no OG but I don't have a problem with any of these picks. Hill is a gamble. Haven't done much reading about Nate Potter. I think your idea of Randall is off, I think he's strictly a 2 down run plugger. Not ripping the pick, I think he would backup Cody pretty well but I don't think he's going to be shooting gaps. More of a block eater, free up LBers type. Decent mock overall, like that you took a kicker.

[aussie_texan]

Originally Posted by TimeKiller

I think you pointed out, biggest negative is no OG but I don't have a problem with any of these picks. Hill is a gamble. Haven't done much reading about Nate Potter. I think your idea of Randall is off, I think he's strictly a 2 down run plugger. Not ripping the pick, I think he would backup Cody pretty well but I don't think he's going to be shooting gaps. More of a block eater, free up LBers type. Decent mock overall, like that you took a kicker.

thanks for the feedback.

yeah i didn't take an OG because to me a guy after the 2nd round wouldn't be much different to the back ups we have.

With randall i drafted him as a DE not as a replacement for cody.
I the tape i have seen i just don't think he has the strength to go face up with guards and centres he didn't push the pocket much. but when asked to slant across the guard (or whoever his going up against) he did a lot better and go into the back field.

thats why i think we would work well in our system. i don't think he'll be like watt his not a 1st rounder but he can be disruptive in our system

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by aussie_texan

yeah i didn't take an OG because to me a guy after the 2nd round wouldn't be much different to the back ups we have.

And if the Tackle they draft can play both spots, Derek Newton could move inside to Guard. Some feel his short arms make more of liability at Tackle.