Texans look to build on team image in NFL Draft (McClain article)

[beerlover]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/5696586.html

"We continue to evaluate everybody," Kubiak said. "We've got a lot of needs, so we can't say we're not going to take a player at a certain position."

[CloakNNNdagger]

"It's a deep draft with a lot of really good players," Kubiak said. "But it's also a crapshoot because so many juniors infiltrate the draft. That makes the evaluation process more difficult because many of them had one big year in college, and then they came out early when they would have been better served to stay in school.

"There are a lot of talented juniors, but there are talented seniors with two and three years of starting experience."

A lot of teams have the philosophy that if they're going to make a mistake, make it on a player with two or three years of starting experience at a big-time program over a one-year wonder with a lot of potential.

"The most important thing is the player's body of work on the field. We're looking for players. We like good-character, high-quality guys who are all about the game of football.

"How do you measure all those things? You take into consideration how he plays the game, how fast he is, how big he is, what kind of kid is he off the field. You paint a picture of a kid to see if he's a fit and can come into your locker room and play on your team."

You can't ascertain the important elements of of a player without having a legitimate reference of time to draw from. I doubt that the Texans will entertain a one-year junior wonder when choosing in this draft especially since our picks are limited, and our demands immediate.

[steelbtexan]

Originally Posted by CloakNNNdagger

You can't ascertain the important elements of of a player without having a legitimate reference of time to draw from. I doubt that the Texans will entertain a one-year junior wonder when choosing in this draft especially since our picks are limited, and our demands immediate.

C-N-D

I'm in total agreement with you.

It's a great feeling to know that this regime is in charge as opposed to the CC regime.

They know what their looking forin a player.

Players that treat playing in the NFL as a privilege rather than a right.

I think that they will find two guys who will be upper level starters on this team. ( Mario, Demeco)

They will also find two mid level starters. (Owen Daniels)

If we can add 4 starters each draft we will be a solid playoff team for many years.

GO SMITHIAK

[Revolution]

I would not mind another DE, but I am hoping for a Left Tackle or Cornerback.

On another note: Probably in the wrong thread, but couldn't help but get a Miss Teen South Carolina vibe here:

If a prospect like such as Florida's Derrick Harvey and Clemson's Phillip Merling are is available, the Texans might be tempted to draft a defensive lineman in the first round for the fifth time.



http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...s/5696586.html

[TexanSam]

I wouldn't have any problem with a D-lineman again. We don't have any help opposite Mario .

[gtexan02]

I for one would be severely disapionted with another Dl in the 1st. Its timme to address other needs on this team, and give the fans something to get excited about

[mussop]

Originally Posted by gtexan02

I for one would be severely disapionted with another Dl in the 1st. Its timme to address other needs on this team, and give the fans something to get excited about

What could be more exciting than seeing the opposing teams QB looking like the 2006 version of David Carr?

[rmartin65]

Originally Posted by mussop

What could be more exciting than seeing the opposing teams QB looking like the 2006 version of David Carr?

Its time for something new. Detroit got ragged on for picking recievers. The Texans are doing the same thing with DL. Mario worked out, and its too early to tell with Okoye, but Babin is gone and TJ is a role player, not entirely living up to his 1st round billing.

[D-ReK]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

Its time for something new. Detroit got ragged on for picking recievers. The Texans are doing the same thing with DL. Mario worked out, and its too early to tell with Okoye, but Babin is gone and TJ is a role player, not entirely living up to his 1st round billing.

The difference is that you only have 2 starting WRs, but you have 4 starters on the DL. It's far more understandable to take DL-men in the 1st for 5 years in a row than to take a WR in 4/5. That being said, the only way we take a DE is if it's our worst case scenario and all of the targeted OL, DB, and RB are gone.

[Ole Miss Texan]

I'd love to see nothing more than a dominant DL from us but the fact would be we'd pretty much be having our entire DL starting salaries expiring the same year. I'm no expert but I could foresee it becoming a problem in a few years... If the all performed pro-bowl calibre, it could be even worse because they'd all be expecting pay raises and extensions and we'd have extremely way too much $$$ tied in the DL.

I wouldn't mind see a pass rushing DE opposite mario (a 3 down player) but I think it'd be wise to choose another position in the 1st round this year.

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

Its time for something new. Detroit got ragged on for picking recievers. The Texans are doing the same thing with DL. Mario worked out, and its too early to tell with Okoye, but Babin is gone and TJ is a role player, not entirely living up to his 1st round billing.

Detroit got "ragged on" because they had other needs besides WR (like O-line for example) and didn't really address them.
As long as we get a quality starter, I don't care who we pick first.
Let's review....
2002 - HWWNBN -------- Disappointment (it shouldda been Peppers anyway)
2003 - Andre Johnson --- Pro Bowl caliber starter
2004 - Dunta Robinson -- Pro Bowl caliber starter
2004 - Jason Babin ------ Gone; couldn't stay healthy
2005 - Travis Johnson --- Starter
2006 - Mario Williams ---- Quality Starter
2007 - Amobi Okoye ----- Quality Starter

We haven't done so badly. Seven picks, five hits. Goodness knows where we'd be if Smithiak had been here since day one.

Let's look at it another way; Kubiak and Smith (Smith really only one) have had two drafts. Out of those two drafts we got 13 guys and, in my mind, only one real mistake, so far.
- Wali Lundy, he showed flashes of talent but had fumble issues

There were two, what might be called "misses":
- David Anderson instead of Marcus Colston in the supplimentary draft
- Kasey Studdard. Now before you go off, listen. The Colts picked pro bowl CB Antoine Bethea, in the supplimentary part of the 6th round which means we could have had him. Had we picked Bethea instead of Studdard maybe we don't go thru the Petey Faggins nightmare. But perhaps I'm just being greedy now.

Point is, some teams with 8-9 picks and gobs of salary cap room don't do this well. Who else got as many studs and potential studs as we did out of the last two drafts?

[BigBull17]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

Its time for something new. Detroit got ragged on for picking recievers. The Texans are doing the same thing with DL. Mario worked out, and its too early to tell with Okoye, but Babin is gone and TJ is a role player, not entirely living up to his 1st round billing.

Yeah, but building on the oline and dline is how you build a great team, not WR. You win in the trenches, not with Mr. Glass and the Fat Boy.

[bigbrewster2000]

Originally Posted by ObsiWan

Detroit got "ragged on" because they had other needs besides WR (like O-line for example) and didn't really address them.
As long as we get a quality starter, I don't care who we pick first.
Let's review....
2002 - HWWNBN -------- Disappointment (it shouldda been Peppers anyway)
2003 - Andre Johnson --- Pro Bowl caliber starter
2004 - Dunta Robinson -- Pro Bowl caliber starter
2004 - Jason Babin ------ Gone; couldn't stay healthy
2005 - Travis Johnson --- Starter
2006 - Mario Williams ---- Quality Starter
2007 - Amobi Okoye ----- Quality Starter

We haven't done so badly. Seven picks, five hits. Goodness knows where we'd be if Smithiak had been here since day one.

Let's look at it another way; Kubiak and Smith (Smith really only one) have had two drafts. Out of those two drafts we got 13 guys and, in my mind, only one real mistake, so far.
- Wali Lundy, he showed flashes of talent but had fumble issues

There were two, what might be called "misses":
- David Anderson instead of Marcus Colston in the supplimentary draft
- Kasey Studdard. Now before you go off, listen. The Colts picked pro bowl CB Antoine Bethea, in the supplimentary part of the 6th round which means we could have had him. Had we picked Bethea instead of Studdard maybe we don't go thru the Petey Faggins nightmare. But perhaps I'm just being greedy now.

Point is, some teams with 8-9 picks and gobs of salary cap room don't do this well. Who else got as many studs and potential studs as we did out of the last two drafts?

I believe the word you are looking for is compensatory picks. The supplimental draft takes place after the regular draft and involves your picks for the following years draft.

And its easy for fans to look back and cherry pick players in the draft but the fact is that these players (or any for that matter) may not have fit our systems and you dont really know how they would turn out on this team. Certainly their talent could out weigh the situation but you dont know that for sure. Anyway all im saying is you really cant call them misses especially since both Anderson and Studdard have contributed to the team, Studdard probably more so in the future.

[Maddict5]

bethea plays safety for the colts.. just an fyi

and the guys we 'missed' are 6th and 7th rders... il take that especially since you can only mention one example of another team getting lucky after the guys we picked

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by Maddict5

bethea plays safety for the colts.. just an fyi

and the guys we 'missed' are 6th and 7th rders... il take that especially since you can only mention one example of another team getting lucky after the guys we picked

Plus we do not run a Tampa 2 defense. Guys that excell in the Tampa2 do not normally fit the defense we are trying to run.

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by painekiller

Plus we do not run a Tampa 2 defense. Guys that excell in the Tampa2 do not normally fit the defense we are trying to run.

We're trying to run a defense? Are you sure?