BL 2013 Post Senior Bowl Texan Mock Draft

[beerlover]

Texan Mock based off this years Senior Bowl prospects only. Not included are record number of highly touted underclassman. Really satisfied with needs addressed except ILB, just a weak overall class which may prompt Texans to be active before the draft in free agency like a Dannell Ellerbe (feel like we owe Ravens something). Anyway with Cushing back he will automatically improve position, addressed DL in a big way, added a legitimate WR to go along with Andre, CB help as well safety, OL depth/possible starter for RG, extra emphasis on special teams (with last years kicker Bullock Texans will be set for next decade) blocking TE who can turn into red zone threat & overall depth.

Can you dig it, man

1st. Rd. Datone Jones, DE/OLB, 6'4" 280, UCLA
Jones has frame to play 5 tech DE to bookend Watt. Powerful, fluid, strong hands really had a big Senior Bowl week. Not as dominant as Ezekial Ansah but solid nevertheless more in the mold of last years 21st overall pick Chandler Jones. Has short area quickness, ability to stack & shed blockers with regularity. Impressive interview & rocked up @ weigh-in with proverbial bubble butt. Very intriguing, fast rising, pass rushing prospect to keep an eye on.

2nd Rd. Quinton Patton, WR, 6'0" 202, Louisiana Tech

Patton was impressive all week in practice & showed out on special teams & blocking down field. Reminds me of Steve Smith. Solid build, fluid, positive body language, always works to the ball doesn't just wait for the ball to come to him. Also like Aaron Dobson, Marshall good looking WR prospect but doubt will have same productivity as Patton (eye candy). Ideal size, good week of practice just a step behind Terrance Williams, good value end of 2nd. Looking for combination of biggest impact to offense & ability to easily transition into the NFL without the growing pains. Texans need to add impact receiver early in either round one or two with record number of underclassman highly rated @ WR position this should help push a good one like Patton to Texans.

3rd. Rd. Brandon Williams, NT, 6'2" 341, Missouri Southern

Secret is out now. Like a bowling bowl mowing down pins for strikes he overwhelms blockers with stunning hand punch, brute force & leverage using explosive first step to gain advantage. Would compliment Earl Mitchell who is similar in stature & added weight last off season to 308 who was forced into starting role with injury's to free agent Shaun Cody. This is a critical need that should be addressed & Brandon offers Texans skill set they will covet.

3rd. Rd. (compensatory pick for Mario): BW Webb, CB, 5'10" 183, William & Mary

Fluid hips, quick feet able to change & redirect position. Great fit for nickle to replace injured free agent Brice McCain. Has some ball hawk skills possess good hands & does a nice job returning punts. If corner was a bigger need I would look @ Trufant or Poyer in the first round but other than loss via free agency Texans are pretty set outside with Jackson & Joseph. BW would create a nice addition to secondary & worth a 2nd day selection.

4th rd. Hugh Thornton, OG, 6'3" 313, Illinois

Would love to add Larry Warford but he looks like a 2nd rd. pick to me. I noticed Thornton execute a nice cut block on a nice red zone TD ran by Franklin so I'm sold even though he doesn't look like a natural knee bender. Plays with some nasty demeanor too like Brisiel. Would upgrade depth across the OL while in direct competition to win the starting RG position.

5th Rd. Michael Williams, TE, 6'5" 272, Alabama
Primarily thought of as a traditional in line blocking TE but displayed soft, reliable hands one in fact over his shoulder catch for the South first TD. He probably helped himself move higher one round which should be reason why all Senior players offered the chance to compete in Mobile should accept, anyone who doesn't maybe has something to hide? Williams would provide much needed pass protection off the edge, another down field blocker & red zone target.

5th. Rd. (compensatory pick for Mike Brisiel) Jonathan Cyprien, S, 6'0 210 Florida International
Fine looking prospect capable of playing either safety position. Good size & closing speed his stock will probably soar after this week based off measureables & his steady climb to first team Sun Belt saftey after two seasons on 2nd team. Played on same team with TY Hilton & quickly ascend to 3rd safety for Texans which means a lot of reps as a rookie.

5th. Rd. (compensatory pick for Joel Dresseen) Jeff Locke, P, 6'0" 208 UCLA
Booms his punts with excellent hang time & distance (52.4 yard average). Anger was selected in the 3rd rd. last year by the Jags & was one of their few bright spots. Coaches/scouts during practices commented when hearing the boom on contact with football he reminded them of Bryan Anger, upgrading special teams cannot be that tough but Marciano or next special teams coach must have some commitment in their own talent pool, Donnie Jones was merely another stop gap.

6th. Rd. Kyle Juszczyk, FB, 6'1" 250
Smart, physical excellent in pass pro & creating seams. Type of player you want on your side, in the trenches, high character, work ethic best blocker Senior Week in practice. Texans have another chance to improve a position late in the draft all they need to do is commit to change.

7th. Rd. Robbie Rouse, RB 5'7" 190, Fresno State

Hard to find load with explosive cuts can run inside the tackles. Huge thighs very hard to wrap around or trip up with lower center of gravity, had career rushing total of 4,625 yards, this past season added 58 receptions out of the backfield, could be this years version of Alfred Morris taking some of the pressure/reps off Foster.

7th. Rd. (compensatory pick for Jason Allen) Vince Williams, ILB, 6'1" 250, Florida State
Thumper with attitude in Seminole tradition. Best inside LB in Mobile this week who had a much lower grade coming in but think he moved up based off performance. Strong willing body who shoots gaps & not afraid to take on guards, in a thin crop he has risen & value is smart play late in the day.

[otisbean]

Nice work! This would be a great haul.

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by otisbean

Nice work! This would be a great haul.

thanks! this would be a Patriot like haul. speaking of Patriots 6 of the players I selected where also pointed out on Patriot Draft site as fits for them as well, luckily in that case Texans select a couple picks ahead of them this year as opposed to last draft when they took Jones/Hightower before Texans

[Honoring Earl 34]

Looks good BL .

Jones and the DE from Georgia played well . Unless you think Crick is the answer we better get on the DEs on this team . This would give them options .

I liked the other picks but agree ILB is a priority . I think Houston has the kind of WiFi to satisfy Teo if he falls to 27 .

[WolverineFan]

I've been a big fan of Jones and Patton all year. I thought Cyprien looked really good yesterday and I like the Locke pick. We need a Punter.

Jonathan Franklin has been my sleeper RB all year and nothing has changed after the Senior Bowl. Really want the Texans to draft this kid. Either him or Stephan Taylor.

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by Honoring Earl 34

Looks good BL .

Jones and the DE from Georgia played well . Unless you think Crick is the answer we better get on the DEs on this team . This would give them options .

I liked the other picks but agree ILB is a priority . I think Houston has the kind of WiFi to satisfy Teo if he falls to 27 .

everyone of the players selected impressed me, obviously. I could go right on down the line. Really liked the smaller school prospects I didn't get a chance to see during the season, real value now but will move up draft boards come April. For example I'm not sure if Jonathan Cyprien won't be the best safety in this draft? If Texans really want to improve the back end with starting quality talent I would have no problem taking him as high as the 2nd rd. He looks complete, has everything you want in a safety, almost Ed Reed'ish in tracking, physical style & ballhawking

[Honoring Earl 34]

Originally Posted by beerlover

everyone of the players selected impressed me, obviously. I could go right on down the line. Really liked the smaller school prospects I didn't get a chance to see during the season, real value now but will move up draft boards come April. For example I'm not sure if Jonathan Cyprien won't be the best safety in this draft? If Texans really want to improve the back end with starting quality talent I would have no problem taking him as high as the 2nd rd. He looks complete, has everything you want in a safety, almost Ed Reed'ish in tracking, physical style & ballhawking

My Texan theory is they've gotten really slow . It really shows up on special teams .

Keo ran a 4.7
Sharpton a 4.8
Demps ... slow
Walter ... slow
James is slow
Casey ran a 4.7
Nading is slow for an OLB
Dobbins is older and probably at best a 4.8
Ruud ran a 4.75 in 05 .

This is off the top of my head . The Texans need speed , athleticism , and power badly .

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by Honoring Earl 34

My Texan theory is they've gotten really slow . It really shows up on special teams .

That's about it. And I've never understood their man love for Keo. I've never seen him flash on the field. In a draft where the offense really needs some players that can come in and compete, the defense needs a speed transfusion. I'd give Kubiak the first 2 days of the draft, and let day 3 belong to Wade.

[Honoring Earl 34]

Originally Posted by Lucky

That's about it. And I've never understood their man love for Keo. I've never seen him flash on the field. In a draft where the offense really needs some players that can come in and compete, the defense needs a speed transfusion. I'd give Kubiak the first 2 days of the draft, and let day 3 belong to Wade.

Keo has a real girlfriend ?

[IDEXAN]

Brandon Williams won't be there when we pick in the second round, and maybe
by our first round pick he's long gone. And why would you use a first-rounder on a DE when we've got Wall & Antonio ?
So how confidant are you we get 4 comps, or is that just wishful thinking ?

[Honoring Earl 34]

Originally Posted by IDEXAN

Brandon Williams won't be there when we pick in the second round, and maybe
by our first round pick he's long gone. And why would you use a first-rounder on a DE when we've got Wall & Antonio ?
So how confidant are you we get 4 comps, or is that just wishful thinking ?

Antonio may be a salary dump .

This draft has a good number of 320 plus guys who are pretty good . Maybe a team would rather have a guy from a bigger school .

[steelbtexan]

Originally Posted by Lucky

That's about it. And I've never understood their man love for Keo. I've never seen him flash on the field. In a draft where the offense really needs some players that can come in and compete, the defense needs a speed transfusion. I'd give Kubiak the first 2 days of the draft, and let day 3 belong to Wade.

Yep, Talented guys should be available in Rds 3-5.

Brandon Williams/C.Washington/Cooper Taylor/Cyprien are examples of this.

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by IDEXAN

Brandon Williams won't be there when we pick in the second round, and maybe
by our first round pick he's long gone. And why would you use a first-rounder on a DE when we've got Wall & Antonio ?
So how confidant are you we get 4 comps, or is that just wishful thinking ?

If Williams is not there in the 3rd you must let him go

Watt needs to have his contract extended sooner than later by whatever means necessary, Jones would be his future bookend DE after Antonio teaches him ways of the Ninja plus Texans need another premier pass rusher after Watt nobody stepped up their production & Barwin may leave via free agency.

In regards to comps, I used our boards own resident expert Dutchrudder fine work - http://www.texanstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96961

skeptical feedback I must say but there you go

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by Honoring Earl 34

Antonio may be a salary dump .

This draft has a good number of 320 plus guys who are pretty good . Maybe a team would rather have a guy from a bigger school .

unlike ILB this is a good year to address nose tackle

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by Lucky

That's about it. And I've never understood their man love for Keo. I've never seen him flash on the field. In a draft where the offense really needs some players that can come in and compete, the defense needs a speed transfusion. I'd give Kubiak the first 2 days of the draft, and let day 3 belong to Wade.

Pretty much agree with you guys but Texans seem infatuated with size, smarts & motor. Otherwise I could easily mock Poyer in 1st & Wheaten in 2nd both those guys are smaller, they do have high motors & play smart so maybe there is some hope I will just have to see it to believe it

[steelbtexan]

Originally Posted by beerlover

Pretty much agree with you guys but Texans seem infatuated with size, smarts & motor. Otherwise I could easily mock Poyer in 1st & Wheaten in 2nd both those guys are smaller, they do have high motors & play smart so maybe there is some hope I will just have to see it to believe it

BL, If Jones is there I would take him. Great pass rusher and definitely fills a huge need. I dont see him being there at 27. The Saints/Giants/Packers/Jets could all be destinations before the Texans pick, (This is just off the top of head.

I still believe the offense needs to be fixed 1st and foremost. If Jones is the 1st rd pick. Then the next three picks need to be on the offense side of the ball. Scoring 1 TD in 16 qtrs is terrible.

I dont care how much you beef up the defense, scoring 1 offensive TD in 16 qtrs is a reciept for failure. The offense has been neglected for far too long.

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by steelbtexan

BL, If Jones is there I would take him. Great pass rusher and definitely fills a huge need. I dont see him being there at 27. The Saints/Giants/Packers/Jets could all be destinations before the Texans pick, (This is just off the top of head.

I still believe the offense needs to be fixed 1st and foremost. If Jones is the 1st rd pick. Then the next three picks need to be on the offense side of the ball. Scoring 1 TD in 16 qtrs is terrible.

I dont care how much you beef up the defense, scoring 1 offensive TD in 16 qtrs is a reciept for failure. The offense has been neglected for far too long.

Rounds 2, 4 & 5 not terribly off then while upgrading key defensive positions. You have to remember its never one way street not only could Texans not score they couldn't stop other teams from scoring.

[otisbean]

Originally Posted by WolverineFan

I've been a big fan of Jones and Patton all year. I thought Cyprien looked really good yesterday and I like the Locke pick. We need a Punter.

Jonathan Franklin has been my sleeper RB all year and nothing has changed after the Senior Bowl. Really want the Texans to draft this kid. Either him or Stephan Taylor.

I like both those RBs a lot, would be really happy with either. I don't think Tate will be with the Texans for much longer. I also like a couple of NDs backs Wood and Reddick. They may be available in the later rounds.

[beerlover]

Just watched some tape (Fresno-Oregon) & Rouse is really impressive. I mean save early picks for hard to find positional players like NT, WR, CB, DE/OLB & give me a Robbie Rouse in later round any day.

[steelbtexan]

Originally Posted by beerlover

Rounds 2, 4 & 5 not terribly off then while upgrading key defensive positions. You have to remember its never one way street not only could Texans not score they couldn't stop other teams from scoring.

I know that it isn't a one way street.

My thinking is that the Texans aren't going to win a SB next yr anyway. So instead of reaching for players to fill needs, as most mocks do. (Mine included.

If this yrs draft ends up providing AJ's future replacement and a QB to replace Schaub if he gets hurt or Schaub performs poorly and is replaced in 2014 like the 49ers have done with Smith/Kaepernick.

And the rest of the draft is used to improve the ST's.(FB/LB/Te etc....) I will be content. ( Of course I hope for better) The reason I want Schaub's replacement is that Doc said this past yr is as good as Schaub's foot is going to get and after seeing other players suffer the same injury I believe this to be the case. The Texans cant win a SB with Schaub at QB.