Death to Google Ads! Texans Talk Tip Jar! 🍺😎👍
Thanks for your support!

While the woman sleeps...

YoungTexanFan

YoungTexanFan

All Pro
I get a chance to put up my first Texans mock draft of the year. I'm not going to attempt to guess at any possible trades or FA signings. This is a January mock.

Round 1
Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
Analysis - I feel that, if on the board, Maualuga will be BPA. Aside from that, he provides an experienced and productive LB with elite physical ability. He plays a lot like Rey Lewis, physically at least. While that is a huge comparison, he needs work to get to that level. Maualuga does almost everything now by just being better than everyone else. The scary thing about his game is that "it just hasn't clicked" yet. When it does, he is an All-Pro. I picked Maualuga because I feel he can play either MLB or SOLB. If he were to play MLB (which I think he would be best at), DeMeco Ryans would not suddenly lose his leadership role or stop calling plays. I also think that Maualuga could play on the outside. He has the speed needed to cover most TE's and can get to the sideline. He has been good throughout his career in getting off blockers and has shown the ability to play the middle of the field in coverage. I think he upgrades two positions in the LB core, while immediately improving our ability to stop the run.

Round 2
Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
I think there will be good value for CBs in the second round. I feel that Jenkins and Davis will go in the first. While Smith does have the possibility to come off the board in the first, his size (5'9 185) will scare a lot of teams. He also doesn't have top end speed as seen by most CBs his size. With all those negatives said (and ya, those are ALL the negatives) he is a talent. He has been as productive of a CB as you will ever find. He is aggressive when attacking the run, but obviously will struggle with that to an extent. He plays the ball as well as an CB in the draft. He has good leaping ability, which allows him to compete for many balls that would otherwise be out of his reach. He is very physical for his size, but tends to use his hands a little to much in man coverage (could I nitpick anymore?) which could lead to penalties. He is very quick to read plays and turns quickly. He will (most likely) struggle against bigger WRs in the NFL who know how to be physical (Andre Johnson, T.O., Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson - but then, who wouldn't struggle against those guys. Jesus I'm nitpicking). All in all, if he were 3 inches taller and 10 pounds heavier, we would all be praying he lasted to our first round pick. He is seriously that good.

Round 3
Lawrence Sidbury, DE, Richmond
Man is this guy rising. I don't think he will continue this meteoric rise up the boards, mostly because the "bigger" name DE's will be (hopefully) participating at the Combine. To start with, his freakish measurements have to be mentioned. He has 35 inch arms (at only 6'2) and 10.5 inch hands. His level of competition will be questioned, but he had somewhat of a coming out party in the FCS championship game. He has "good enough" size at 6'2 265 or so. Some teams (Green Bay) are looking at him as a potential 3-4 OLB, but I don't think he has quite the athletic ability or explosiveness to play standing up. However, his long arms will really help him in the NFL with keeping distance with OTs. He has showed good speed once in the backfield to get to the ball. I also think he is a serious option for the Texans as we always seem to take a small school prospect in the middle rounds. I think he has the ability to start from day one opposite Mario.

Round 4
Rashad Jennings, RB, Liberty
He hasn't been terribly productive in the postseason circuit, but still, his size and speed is intriguing. At boom, he could be Brandon Jacobs, at bust he could be Ron Dayne (Texans version). He is going to have some questions raised about his level of competition obviously, but the Texans have shown a willingness to take a smaller school prospect who could project to the NFL. RB is one of the easiest positions to see immediate returns from, and history shows that we will take a RB at some point. Jennings' stock hasn't risen too much, but the potential is still there.

Round 5
the girlfriend just woke up and demands food. I'm off to applebees so I will edit this and continue the mock this afternoon.
 
1. Maualuga- if there

2. Alphonso Smith- if there

3. Lawrence Sidbury- if there

4. Rashad Jennings- if there

sense a theme? all excellent picks If there.....:goodpost:
 
Your girlfriends up and your gonna be in trouble ... he ya the girlfriends up .

" If there " is the theme but if there that would be good .
 
Last edited:
I almost posted my own mock last night and this one is very similar. I had Maualuga in the first as well, Louis Delmas in the 2nd and Matt Shaugnessy in the third. Fourth round I probably would have gone with some 1 gap DT and 5th round Glen Coffee, the RB out of Bama. My only critique of your mock (and possibly my own) is that I don't see Smith being there in the 2nd (maybe not Delmas either, gah).
 
beerlover said:
1. Maualuga- if there

2. Alphonso Smith- if there

3. Lawrence Sidbury- if there

4. Rashad Jennings- if there

sense a theme? all excellent picks If there.....:goodpost:
Click to expand...

My reasoning for these guys: Maualuga should be there in the first round. SD will likely take him at 16 if we don't, but he has a very good chance to be there at 15. He would BPA, which means he could go a few picks earlier, but I personally think he will be on the board.

I think Alphonso Smith will stay in the second round range. Guys like Sean Smith (6'3 215!!) will see a big jump in stock at the combine. I still think Alphonso Smith's stock will stay in the second round due only to size, and that is why I feel he will be available.

Sidbury isn't a 3rd rounder right now. He is mostly seen as a 4th rounder, but I think his stock has gone up with the scouts enough to jump him up some. He doesn't have elite explosiveness, so his combine won't be anything special compared to some other DE's (Orakpo, Maybin, Brown, Evans). He comes from a small school. I don't think his stock is going to get much higher than the 3rd round as he is still a developmental player.

Jennings just hasn't been that productive on the post season circuit. I think he may go a round higher when it's all said and done, but right now, he is looking like a 4th-5th rounder. Luckily there are other options for bigger RB's, but I feel comfortable in projecting him in the 4th round for now.


What do yall think of the specific players and the reasoning? Tear this thing apart!

Also, I'm done with this mock, so it will be a 4 rounder.
 
Jackie Chiles said:
I almost posted my own mock last night and this one is very similar. I had Maualuga in the first as well, Louis Delmas in the 2nd and Matt Shaugnessy in the third. Fourth round I probably would have gone with some 1 gap DT and 5th round Glen Coffee, the RB out of Bama. My only critique of your mock (and possibly my own) is that I don't see Smith being there in the 2nd (maybe not Delmas either, gah).
Click to expand...

I'm really feeling Maualuga right now. Anyway, I think there will be a very solid/good CB available in the 2nd round. If it's not Alphonso Smith, maybe a DJ Moore or Sean Smith. I just don't see Alphonso Smith making too much noise at the combine because his physical stature and measurables are limited. Regardless of player X, I feel a very good CB will be prime for the taking.
 
I don't see Maualuga slipping past Denver. B.J. Raji is the wildcard does he get past the Bengals & the Jags (both coaching staffs @ Senior Bowl) that would help work Maualuga closer to #15 but still has to get past Washington & New Orleans. we'll know a little more after the combine.

The Texans should exercise either the 1st or 2nd rd. selection on a DE. I doubt they wait til the 3rd. what do you think of Ayers in 2nd? he looked really explosive last night in the Senior Bowl winning Defensive player of the game.

Sidbury is intriquing. also add English & Sintim to your list

Jennings stock is rising, Shonn Greene clone not going to last til 4th rd. not even sure about the Texans 3rd rd. pick?

anyway I like your players its just #1 most are off the board #2 DE has to be a higher priority :specnatz:
 
beerlover said:
I don't see Maualuga slipping past Denver. B.J. Raji is the wildcard does he get past the Bengals & the Jags (both coaching staffs @ Senior Bowl) that would help work Maualuga closer to #15 but still has to get past Washington & New Orleans. we'll know a little more after the combine.

The Texans should exercise either the 1st or 2nd rd. selection on a DE. I doubt they wait til the 3rd. what do you think of Ayers in 2nd? he looked really explosive last night in the Senior Bowl winning Defensive player of the game.

Sidbury is intriquing. also add English & Sintim to your list

Jennings stock is rising, Shonn Greene clone not going to last til 4th rd. not even sure about the Texans 3rd rd. pick?

anyway I like your players its just #1 most are off the board #2 DE has to be a higher priority :specnatz:
Click to expand...

Does the fact that Raji didn't kick butt in the game concern anyone ?
 
beerlover said:
I don't see Maualuga slipping past Denver. B.J. Raji is the wildcard does he get past the Bengals & the Jags (both coaching staffs @ Senior Bowl) that would help work Maualuga closer to #15 but still has to get past Washington & New Orleans. we'll know a little more after the combine.

The Texans should exercise either the 1st or 2nd rd. selection on a DE. I doubt they wait til the 3rd. what do you think of Ayers in 2nd? he looked really explosive last night in the Senior Bowl winning Defensive player of the game.

Sidbury is intriquing. also add English & Sintim to your list

Jennings stock is rising, Shonn Greene clone not going to last til 4th rd. not even sure about the Texans 3rd rd. pick?

anyway I like your players its just #1 most are off the board #2 DE has to be a higher priority :specnatz:
Click to expand...

Well, it will be interesting to see how the next few months play out with Maualuga's stock.

I think a DE should be a high priority, I just don't see quite the value in the second round. I think we will see, as usual, a run on DEs in the 20's of the first round. I don't like any of the DEs in the first round really, but potentially Maybin. I think a lot of the "DE's" in the first round are actually 3-4 rush OLB. I think there will be a run on the guys like Selvie, Brown, Maybin, and Orakpo. I think all 4 of those guys could play standing up, but I think that Maybin and Orakpo will make their money in the 4-3. Selvie I can see being for either but I just don't like Brown as a prospect. I really don't. Not for us. I expect those guys to go in the first round, and then there to be a drop off until the next tier. I think there will be better "value" in the 3rd. We don't need another Mario. We need a guy who can provide pressure on the QB, and I feel that the 3rd round will provide us a chance to land one of those guys.

I think Sintim is purely a OLB, either scheme, but I don't see him being able to play with his hand on the ground.

I don't think Jennings is a clone of Green. Jennings plays bigger. He may not last, but right now, Jennings is projected in that area.
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
Does the fact that Raji didn't kick butt in the game concern anyone ?
Click to expand...

No. I've never liked Raji as a prospect. I've never been high on him. With that said, scouts don't really care about the game. It's nice to see if players are capable of learning a scheme in 4 days, and how they play within a system, but it does little for the scouts. In fact, most scouts left Friday for the Texas vs the Nation practices. A lot of the scouts job is done at the practices. I think far too much is being said about Raji. The drills at all of these All-Star games favor the DL over the OL simply because the DL is attacking and the drills are usually for a far extended period of time than a single play, and there is unlimited space with no boundaries. A DE could run an 8 yard arc and get around a OL, but an 8 yard arc in games will either run you out of a play or into another blocker.

In short, I've never liked Raji but his stock didn't drop any due to a poor game.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
No. I've never liked Raji as a prospect. I've never been high on him. With that said, scouts don't really care about the game. It's nice to see if players are capable of learning a scheme in 4 days, and how they play within a system, but it does little for the scouts. In fact, most scouts left Friday for the Texas vs the Nation practices. A lot of the scouts job is done at the practices. I think far too much is being said about Raji. The drills at all of these All-Star games favor the DL over the OL simply because the DL is attacking and the drills are usually for a far extended period of time than a single play, and there is unlimited space with no boundaries. A DE could run an 8 yard arc and get around a OL, but an 8 yard arc in games will either run you out of a play or into another blocker.

In short, I've never liked Raji but his stock didn't drop any due to a poor game.
Click to expand...

I think some guys catch a coach or scouts eyes from a week of practice or a workout . I'm concerned about guys who seem to vanish in the game .
 
Mari-OWNED! said:
Rashad Jennings is a 3rd rounder IMO. I'd be very shocked if he was available in the 4th.
Click to expand...

Right now, he is a 4th-5th rounder. There are some questions about him that can't be answered yet. The combine will mean a lot for him. I think he in the end he is a late 3rd to mid 4th round pick.
 
I dont like Rey Rey in the 1st. Give me Cushing. I'm glad Raji didn't have a good game because i would love for him to be there @ 15.

We have an all-pro Mike & people want to move him. Makes no sense to me when you can get a more versatile LB like Cushing in the 1st or Matthews in the 2nd or 3rd. These guys fit the mold Bush was talking about when he was talking about having a pressure defense. Rey Rey is just a run stopper & plays a position that we already have an all-pro Mike.

I like A. Smith but I think we need to draft a DE or S in the 2nd. If S. Smith, Delmas, or Chung is there (I think one of them will be) you have to think about taking one of them.

I love Sidbury. If they dont draft M. Johnson in the 1st or Ayers in the 2nd this is the guy. Small school guy with untapped potential He has good size 6'4 265 lbs & long arms. Good speed, he has kept a book on the guys he plays against. This shows he's a student of the game. He could become great with a good DL coach & S&C coach. IMO

I like Jennings but would rather see us spend the pick on defensive BPA. I think we can get G. Johnson in the 5th. He is a better fit for the ZBS IMO.

I would be very happy if your mock fell to us. Every player you picked is solid & could help the team in 09. Good Job

My dream draft would be
RD1 E. Brown or Raji
RD2 Mack
RD3 Ayers or Sidberry
RD4 N. Harris or Cook
RD5 G. Johnson

This would fill many holes & alows the pressure defense Bush wants to play.
 
steelbtexan said:
I dont like Rey Rey in the 1st. Give me Cushing. I'm glad Raji didn't have a good game because i would love for him to be there @ 15.

We have an all-pro Mike & people want to move him. Makes no sense to me when you can get a more versatile LB like Cushing in the 1st or Matthews in the 2nd or 3rd. These guys fit the mold Bush was talking about when he was talking about having a pressure defense. Rey Rey is just a run stopper & plays a position that we already have an all-pro Mike.

I like A. Smith but I think we need to draft a DE or S in the 2nd. If S. Smith, Delmas, or Chung is there (I think one of them will be) you have to think about taking one of them.

I love Sidbury. If they dont draft M. Johnson in the 1st or Ayers in the 2nd this is the guy. Small school guy with untapped potential He has good size 6'4 265 lbs & long arms. Good speed, he has kept a book on the guys he plays against. This shows he's a student of the game. He could become great with a good DL coach & S&C coach. IMO

I like Jennings but would rather see us spend the pick on defensive BPA. I think we can get G. Johnson in the 5th. He is a better fit for the ZBS IMO.

I would be very happy if your mock fell to us. Every player you picked is solid & could help the team in 09. Good Job

My dream draft would be
RD1 E. Brown or Raji
RD2 Mack
RD3 Ayers or Sidberry
RD4 N. Harris or Cook
RD5 G. Johnson

This would fill many holes & alows the pressure defense Bush wants to play.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate the feedback. I don't think Cushings is top 15 material, but wouldn't be much of a reach. I think he would be an option with a move back. I just feel that Maualuga significantly upgrades two positions. Cushings has some injury history to be taken into consideration. Ryans is an All-Pro MLB, and he will be an All-Pro OLB if that is what the team choses to do. He will make all the audible calls regardless of where he lines up. I think Maualuga is the most complete USC LB. Cushings isn't the best at getting off blocks, but is great in coverage. Matthews isn't very good in coverage but knows how to play in the backfield. Maualuga is good in coverage, has the size and has shown the ability to get off blockers. Maualuga doesn't have to be a MLB, as he can also play SAM. He upgrades 2 positions, regardless of if he plays inside or outside.
 
We just differ in that I believe Cushing is more complete than Rey Rey.

I forgot about Cushings injury history. This might change my thoughts.

I'm not sure if Ryans is fast enough to be an all-pro SAM
 
steelbtexan said:
We just differ in that I believe Cushing is more complete than Rey Rey.

I forgot about Cushings injury history. This might change my thoughts.

I'm not sure if Ryans is fast enough to be an all-pro SAM
Click to expand...

He played SAM before the NFL. Ryans isn't big enough or fast enough to be an All-Pro anything by some accounts, but he is. Players are players, and Maualuga is a player.
 
For some reason I just see Sean Smith going to the Pats. He has a ton of upside and can play something like 4 positions as well as being a freak of nature.
 
LonerATO said:
For some reason I just see Sean Smith going to the Pats. He has a ton of upside and can play something like 4 positions as well as being a freak of nature.
Click to expand...
He may be be able to slide over to FS, but his physical measurements at CB are off the charts. He is a huge CB. His size is the main reason of the S talk. However, because of his size, I think he will shoot up draft boards as we near the draft.
 
I'm just curious as to why you guys can justify moving Demeco Ryans outside ?

What I know is Ray can't play outside in a 4-3. I mean he could play there...but he isn't going to be productive there. It's almost like you're saying we've watched one slew footed line backer for two years and our solution is to draft another one, younger, with better college stats, and stick the one we currently have playing middle line backer, outside to replace the one we're trying to upgrade ? I don't get it. Or are you guys saying out right you're just going to trade Ryan's befor the draft ? Explain it to me YTF.
 
threetoedpete said:
I'm just curious as to why you guys can justify moving Demeco Ryans outside ?

What I know is Ray can't play outside in a 4-3. I mean he could play there...but he isn't going to be productive there. It's almost like you're saying we've watched one slew footed line backer for two years and our solution is to draft another one, younger, with better college stats, and stick the one we currently have playing middle line backer, outside to replace the one we're trying to upgrade ? I don't get it. Or are you guys saying out right you're just going to trade Ryan's befor the draft ? Explain it to me YTF.
Click to expand...

It was his position in college.
He would take less of a beating if he moved outside.
It would free him up to be more of a playmaker.

I would ONLY consider moving DeMeco if we could get Maualuga. I wouldn't make the move for any other LB. I think that highly of Maualuga. I used to think it was a waste of time to even talk about this - but Kubiak has said he will always play his best three LBs regardless of where they play, and he's also said he's open to moving DeMeco outside.
 
LonerATO said:
For some reason I just see Sean Smith going to the Pats. He has a ton of upside and can play something like 4 positions as well as being a freak of nature.
Click to expand...

I LOVE Sean Smith. AND his teammate, DE Patrick Kruger. I think after the Combine, Smith will be a sure-thing first-rounder.

If Raji and Maualuga are off the board at 15, I'd like for us to trade down and take Kruger in the low 20s of the first round. It might be a little bit of a reach, but I think that dude can be coached up to match that draft position.
 
threetoedpete said:
I'm just curious as to why you guys can justify moving Demeco Ryans outside ?

What I know is Ray can't play outside in a 4-3. I mean he could play there...but he isn't going to be productive there. It's almost like you're saying we've watched one slew footed line backer for two years and our solution is to draft another one, younger, with better college stats, and stick the one we currently have playing middle line backer, outside to replace the one we're trying to upgrade ? I don't get it. Or are you guys saying out right you're just going to trade Ryan's befor the draft ? Explain it to me YTF.
Click to expand...

lol.

You know for a fact that a productive an super athletic LB from a school with a good history of NFL players can't play a position in the NFL? Have you watched Maualuga? He may be big (260 or so) but he can move. He could run a 4.5 4.6 type dash. It's not even that, it's his explosive ability when getting to the ball. If he's able to play sideline to sideline in the middle, why couldn't he play middle to sideline if he lined up on the outside? Maualuga is anything but slow footed. The only way Ryans isn't on this team is if someone like you were to take over pete. As another poster mentioned, the best 3 LBs will play. When Ryans was drafted, he was expected to play OLB and he just worked his way into the MLB role. The best 3 will play, at the position that they will help the team at the most.

As far as Ryans goes, he was an OLB coming out of college; he is our best blitzing LB; he has the speed to play on the outside; while he has hands of stone, he is above average in coverage; and is just that talented of a player.

I'm not saying Ryans has to move, but I think this gives our defense the ability to get two elite LBs on the field together. Maualuga can play on the outside. I think everyone is reading way too much into that part of it. Ryans will still make all the calls, regardless of where he lines up. If DeMeco is lined up at CB, he would still make the audible calls and the defensive play relays to the team.

My reaction to your post is simply that you haven't watched Maualuga, and I'm honestly leaning towards you not having watched Ryans if you are calling him "slew" footed.
 
He can not flip his hips and cover on the nfl level. No way no how. Ands I'll tell ya something else about him...he'll give up just as many big plays as he makes.

He can not play on the out side in this division and on this defense. I'll bet ya a Relaint stadium coke on the forty. He's not going to break 4.7.
 
YTF- I'm down with Maualuga/Ryans to the outside as the pick but I think for the rest of your mock you don't finish what you start. Maualuga would be a nod at having a better run stopping defense but no other picks go that way. No DT, no big hitting safety...

Chung or Delmas in the 2nd as S, or a DT does more than a tiny CB. Plus with Smithiak a 3rd or 4th has been spent at CB the last two years and mentions "never having enough guys who can cover" so I'd expect that trend to continue.

Demeco/Adibi coming off the edge or covering would be sick. Those two are too fast to get around especially if Ryans shed his wannabe-MLB bulk. Even if a big play or two came up the middle Rey-Rey's physical demeanor, aggression is something that is sorely lacking in this defense.
 
DiehardChris said:
but Kubiak has said he will always play his best three LBs regardless of where they play, and he's also said he's open to moving DeMeco outside.
Click to expand...

Sure, just as you'd want to start/play your 5 best OLineman. Now that concept probably wouldn't apply for the the DBackfield or DLine, where there's just more specialization and therefor the positions aren't as interchangeable.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Another big RB I like is Marlon Lucky from Nebraska. I think he may replace Jennings in my next update.
Click to expand...

What about Cedric Peerman (Looked like a hard nose runner) Jeremiah Johnson (Looked great catching passes - a must for Texans RB) or Andre Brown (Good size and can catch passes as well. Ran well during senior bowl.)???
 
TimeKiller said:
YTF- I'm down with Maualuga/Ryans to the outside as the pick but I think for the rest of your mock you don't finish what you start. Maualuga would be a nod at having a better run stopping defense but no other picks go that way. No DT, no big hitting safety...

Chung or Delmas in the 2nd as S, or a DT does more than a tiny CB. Plus with Smithiak a 3rd or 4th has been spent at CB the last two years and mentions "never having enough guys who can cover" so I'd expect that trend to continue.

Demeco/Adibi coming off the edge or covering would be sick. Those two are too fast to get around especially if Ryans shed his wannabe-MLB bulk. Even if a big play or two came up the middle Rey-Rey's physical demeanor, aggression is something that is sorely lacking in this defense.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Taking Rey would almost force your hand to move D-Ry to the outside where he will still be uber productive.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Another big RB I like is Marlon Lucky from Nebraska. I think he may replace Jennings in my next update.
Click to expand...


You need to read up on this guy YTF. He has some personal problems that will get brought up and will hurt his draft stock. Might not even get drafted.
 
I'd love to see Maualuga be there at 15, and for the Texans to take him; and while I not sure Rey will be there 15 I'm even less convinved that the Texans would move Ryans to OLB.
 
mussop said:
You need to read up on this guy YTF. He has some personal problems that will get brought up and will hurt his draft stock. Might not even get drafted.
Click to expand...

Being in Kansas and dating a girl from Nebraska, I'm well immersed with Nebraska football. Unfortunately. Lucky lost his job this year, and he may not get drafted, but I think he has enough talent to be a late round pick still. I wasn't saying Lucky was a 4th rounder, as he does have issues beyond what you mentioned, but he has been productive enough, especially in short yardage situation.
 
Super Mario said:
Agreed. Taking Rey would almost force your hand to move D-Ry to the outside where he will still be uber productive.
Click to expand...

Not necissarily. Why the presumption that Maualuga couldn't play SAM? Other than listening to pete's baseless claims that Maualuga isn't athletic enough?
 
Super Mario said:
What about Cedric Peerman (Looked like a hard nose runner) Jeremiah Johnson (Looked great catching passes - a must for Texans RB) or Andre Brown (Good size and can catch passes as well. Ran well during senior bowl.)???
Click to expand...

What about them? They are other options. I went with some options, but this just proves the point that a RB option is easy enough to find and should not by any means be considered a priority.
 
TimeKiller said:
YTF- I'm down with Maualuga/Ryans to the outside as the pick but I think for the rest of your mock you don't finish what you start. Maualuga would be a nod at having a better run stopping defense but no other picks go that way. No DT, no big hitting safety...

Chung or Delmas in the 2nd as S, or a DT does more than a tiny CB. Plus with Smithiak a 3rd or 4th has been spent at CB the last two years and mentions "never having enough guys who can cover" so I'd expect that trend to continue.

Demeco/Adibi coming off the edge or covering would be sick. Those two are too fast to get around especially if Ryans shed his wannabe-MLB bulk. Even if a big play or two came up the middle Rey-Rey's physical demeanor, aggression is something that is sorely lacking in this defense.
Click to expand...

Chung is no different than what we have. I liken him to Glenn Earl (healthy). Nothing special but will be drafted in the second round. He is an in-box safety; the exact opposite of what everyone wants.

I used a higher pick on a CB because the amount of guys who can cover is very limited. There are plenty of "potential" guys like Molden who have the physical set. I went with a more proven cover man, where the value is earlier. Sean Smith or D.J. Moore may be an option as well. We don't need bodies, we have enough guys technically; we need guys who can overtake or upgrade. We have some developmental guys (Molden and Bennett) already.

We likely won't be going with a big, run stuffing DT. Our new coordinator's past schemes haven't used them. We don't have them. His past defenses have been successful enough without them, and we actually have the DT personnel (if developed to an extent) to play the style most on this board have indicated we will used. I would love to have a Terrance Cody (not in the draft) type body, but we don't need it. That's why I didn't include it. I went with a larger LB because of the new DC's tendency to utilize smaller DTs.

As mentioned above, we don't need a new "hard hitting safety". We have those guys. Meet C.C. Brown. That was Glenn Earl's role. That was what we hoped Boluware could do.

I hope this answers your stuff.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Another big RB I like is Marlon Lucky from Nebraska. I think he may replace Jennings in my next update.
Click to expand...

I like what Ive seen of his too. He'll be there in the 7th, so I'd take a shot. Can't be worse than Brinks...

TimeKiller said:
YTF- I'm down with Maualuga/Ryans to the outside as the pick but I think for the rest of your mock you don't finish what you start. Maualuga would be a nod at having a better run stopping defense but no other picks go that way. No DT, no big hitting safety...

Chung or Delmas in the 2nd as S, or a DT does more than a tiny CB. Plus with Smithiak a 3rd or 4th has been spent at CB the last two years and mentions "never having enough guys who can cover" so I'd expect that trend to continue.

Demeco/Adibi coming off the edge or covering would be sick. Those two are too fast to get around especially if Ryans shed his wannabe-MLB bulk. Even if a big play or two came up the middle Rey-Rey's physical demeanor, aggression is something that is sorely lacking in this defense.
Click to expand...

With the dline coach and philosiphy, dont look for us to invest in that big space eater. They want smaller penetrators, not fat block absorbers. Rey sounds good in the 1st, then look for us to get another big LBer to go on the other side to fill gaps left by the line. Also, if we do fill a need in Fa, be it a FS, Haynesworth, or Suggs/Peppers ect... and a guy like Curry drops to around 10, dont be shocked if we move up.
 
I didn't mean a big guy at DT, just that Rey M. would address our need to stop people from running the ball and we should lock it up if that's the direction we want to go in this draft. DE/DT would probably be my 2nd if Rey were my first unless Moore or somebody good at S drops.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
Not necissarily. Why the presumption that Maualuga couldn't play SAM? Other than listening to pete's baseless claims that Maualuga isn't athletic enough?
Click to expand...

It has nothing to do with petes claim. He has played the past 2 years Mike LB for USC, we know he can play it, and play it well. He plays downhill alot and has the strength and size to take on blocks and shed them. I dont think we need to grab him and then put him in an unnatural position where he has to run around in space.

I think he is athletic enought to play all 3 LB positions. But if we want to get the best bang for our buck in 2009-2010 we should put him at MLB.
 
Super Mario said:
It has nothing to do with petes claim. He has played the past 2 years Mike LB for USC, we know he can play it, and play it well. He plays downhill alot and has the strength and size to take on blocks and shed them. I dont think we need to grab him and then put him in an unnatural position where he has to run around in space.

I think he is athletic enought to play all 3 LB positions. But if we want to get the best bang for our buck in 2009-2010 we should put him at MLB.
Click to expand...

Yes, I do agree with you. I stated before that he would be best initially at MLB, or so it seems. It's simply a matter of BPA and putting BPA on the field. As you say, we both think he is athletic enough to play the outside. I was pointing out the options it gives our defensive front 7.
 
YoungTexanFan said:
I get a chance to put up my first Texans mock draft of the year. I'm not going to attempt to guess at any possible trades or FA signings. This is a January mock.

Round 1
Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
Analysis - I feel that, if on the board, Maualuga will be BPA. Aside from that, he provides an experienced and productive LB with elite physical ability. He plays a lot like Rey Lewis, physically at least. While that is a huge comparison, he needs work to get to that level. Maualuga does almost everything now by just being better than everyone else. The scary thing about his game is that "it just hasn't clicked" yet. When it does, he is an All-Pro. I picked Maualuga because I feel he can play either MLB or SOLB. If he were to play MLB (which I think he would be best at), DeMeco Ryans would not suddenly lose his leadership role or stop calling plays. I also think that Maualuga could play on the outside. He has the speed needed to cover most TE's and can get to the sideline. He has been good throughout his career in getting off blockers and has shown the ability to play the middle of the field in coverage. I think he upgrades two positions in the LB core, while immediately improving our ability to stop the run.

Round 2
Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
I think there will be good value for CBs in the second round. I feel that Jenkins and Davis will go in the first. While Smith does have the possibility to come off the board in the first, his size (5'9 185) will scare a lot of teams. He also doesn't have top end speed as seen by most CBs his size. With all those negatives said (and ya, those are ALL the negatives) he is a talent. He has been as productive of a CB as you will ever find. He is aggressive when attacking the run, but obviously will struggle with that to an extent. He plays the ball as well as an CB in the draft. He has good leaping ability, which allows him to compete for many balls that would otherwise be out of his reach. He is very physical for his size, but tends to use his hands a little to much in man coverage (could I nitpick anymore?) which could lead to penalties. He is very quick to read plays and turns quickly. He will (most likely) struggle against bigger WRs in the NFL who know how to be physical (Andre Johnson, T.O., Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson - but then, who wouldn't struggle against those guys. Jesus I'm nitpicking). All in all, if he were 3 inches taller and 10 pounds heavier, we would all be praying he lasted to our first round pick. He is seriously that good.

Round 3
Lawrence Sidbury, DE, Richmond
Man is this guy rising. I don't think he will continue this meteoric rise up the boards, mostly because the "bigger" name DE's will be (hopefully) participating at the Combine. To start with, his freakish measurements have to be mentioned. He has 35 inch arms (at only 6'2) and 10.5 inch hands. His level of competition will be questioned, but he had somewhat of a coming out party in the FCS championship game. He has "good enough" size at 6'2 265 or so. Some teams (Green Bay) are looking at him as a potential 3-4 OLB, but I don't think he has quite the athletic ability or explosiveness to play standing up. However, his long arms will really help him in the NFL with keeping distance with OTs. He has showed good speed once in the backfield to get to the ball. I also think he is a serious option for the Texans as we always seem to take a small school prospect in the middle rounds. I think he has the ability to start from day one opposite Mario.

Round 4
Rashad Jennings, RB, Liberty
He hasn't been terribly productive in the postseason circuit, but still, his size and speed is intriguing. At boom, he could be Brandon Jacobs, at bust he could be Ron Dayne (Texans version). He is going to have some questions raised about his level of competition obviously, but the Texans have shown a willingness to take a smaller school prospect who could project to the NFL. RB is one of the easiest positions to see immediate returns from, and history shows that we will take a RB at some point. Jennings' stock hasn't risen too much, but the potential is still there.

Round 5
the girlfriend just woke up and demands food. I'm off to applebees so I will edit this and continue the mock this afternoon.
Click to expand...

I'd be fine with these picks if they were there, but I don't think in any way will Maluega be available for us with that pick. Not after Bradford, Spikes, and Mays all decided to stay another year. I think that Maleuga will be gone for sure by 15.

Alphonso Smith, I think we would have a possibility with, but he could be gone as well. Who knows though, he has a much higher % chance to be there with our 2nd then Maluega does with our first.

ANd your 5th pick???? Apple Bees is a total BUST!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top