NFLdraftCountdown.com 2/2/05 mock draft.

[Blake]

1. Marcus Spears DE LSU

*Right now the best value on the board is along the defensive line and Spears would be an excellent fit for them.
2. Ernest Shazor S Michigan

*A big, athletic playmaker and possibly the last piece to the Texans secondary puzzle.

It has us passing on:
1st round:
Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami (FL)
Derrick Johnson, OLB, Texas
Jammal Brown, OT, Oklahoma
2nd round:
Elton Brown, OG, Virginia

**Note: Mike Nugent in the 2nd to the Falcons at #59

Link

[ArlingtonTexan]

yeah, I have liked Spears a ton, but I don't know if I would pas D. Johnson for him.

[Reddevil63]

works for me, I kinda hope Baas falls to us in the second but if not Id be happy with that pick

[Blake]

BTW, those comments are from the website. My personal opinion on both of those picks arent good.

I like DJ, Rolle, and Brown over Spears in the 1st. And I like Brown over Shazor in the 2nd. I would like to give Earl another year. JMO

[Marcus]

The Countdown has the Chargers taking Brodney Poole with the 22nd pick in the 1st, while Ourlads has him being taken by the Texans in the 3rd.

[F-minus67]

I wouldn't mind the Spears pick since his stock has risen alot due to his preformance at the senior bowl. Shazor would be a good pick if Earl didn't play so well, but most people look at his stats and see a need for an upgrade. And for the Chargers pick, can you name one of their safeties without looking at their roster?

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by F-minus67

And for the Chargers pick, can you name one of their safeties without looking at their roster?

No. But my point is the rediculously wide degree of value of players by the different mocks.

[tiger06]

Originally Posted by F-minus67

And for the Chargers pick, can you name one of their safeties without looking at their roster?

Terrence Kiel, went to A&M

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by F-minus67

And for the Chargers pick, can you name one of their safeties without looking at their roster?

Terrence Kiel is the SS, Jerry Wilson (Texan Killer) is the FS. I've heard the Chargers are looking to replace Wilson.

[ledzeppelin229]

I think throughout most of the season Spears stock was around #13 in the middle of the first then there was some buzz about an injury that supposedly dropped him some, and people were hoping it would cause him to fall out of the first (but apparently this injury was overblown as he played relatively soon after and at a high level).

I just want to ask this, I know DJ is an outstanding player but for him would there be much of a dropoff between playing in a 4-3 and a 3-4? Would he have trouble in our 3-4 as opposed to playing in another teams 4-3? Just questions I'd like answered before jumping on the bandwagon.

I think both would be great picks though at 13

[J-Man]

I wouldn't have any heartburn about us snapping up DJ if he is available in our slot. That being said I believe that his natural position in the NFL would be weak-side OLB in a 4-3. His athleticism and playmaking ability would be best used in the open space on the backside. I think he would be a very good pick for us as a ILB, but the biggest knock on him is his ability to play in heavy traffic and shedding blocks...which are the prime skills for a 3-4 ILB.

[El Tejano]

on the other hand, DJ was primarily used in coverage at UT and in our scheme it seems as though that ILB is in coverage alot. I think DJ would be a good fit because he can cover receivers with no sweat.

[gwallaia]

I would be very happy with Marcus Spears as our #1 pick.

[LikeABoss]

Originally Posted by Bottle-O-Bud

I agree with the S pick, but our #1 pick has to be a guy who can complement the weapons we already have. NT= Seth Payne! Drafting a NT can only be a back up come opening day.

I'm sorry, but if we drafted Spears he would not be playing nose tackle

Spears would take over at the left defensive end spot, which is a huge void on the defensive side of the ball because Gary Walker's productivity has dropped greatly and he is there just taking up space for now. Walker was the only one on the D-line not contributing at all to the team

Spears is suited to play DE in a 3-4 scheme, but if he plays in a 4-3 scheme he would be moved to tackle because he does not speed rush that good from the end position.

Spears would be what Richard Seymour is to the Patriots, but the good thing is he would be playing for the Texans!!

[Blake]

Originally Posted by LikeABoss

Spears would take over at the left defensive end spot, which is a huge void on the defensive side of the ball because Gary Walker's productivity has dropped greatly and he is there just taking up space for now. Walker was the only one on the D-line not contributing at all to the team

Walker isnt going anywhere. He is getting roughly 3 mil this year, so hes not a bad value. Just hope he brings his game back up.

IF we did take spears, he would be put in at a rotation. Not a starter.

The only way he becomes a starter is if we dont re-sign Payne, and move Smith to NT. Which is a looooong shot.

[STEEL BLUE TEXANS]

Spears would start at RDE and Robaire Smith would move to NT.

[LikeABoss]

Walker isnt going anywhere. He is getting roughly 3 mil this year, so hes not a bad value. Just hope he brings his game back up.

IF we did take spears, he would be put in at a rotation. Not a starter.

The only way he becomes a starter is if we dont re-sign Payne, and move Smith to NT. Which is a looooong shot.

Whoever said anything about getting rid of Walker???

Walker delievered the least production on the D-line this past season, so thats where our problem begins on the D-line and Spears is the key to bringing productivity back to the LDE positon while Payne can be re-signed for cheap (and do you actually think some other team is gonna actually offer Payne a huge contract in free agency???? )

A young rookie can beat out a high priced overpaid veteran no matter how big the veterans contract is. If Vilma was able to beat out Sam Cowart for the starting MLB position for the Jets, then Marcus Spears can beat out the overrated Gary Walker for the LDE position. And Vilma was not expected to start at the MLB position either if you didn't know that. Having a huge contract, but producing little to nothing does not guarantee you a starting job in the NFL!!!!!!!

I thought you knew that

[LikeABoss]

Originally Posted by STEEL BLUE TEXANS

Spears would start at RDE and Robaire Smith would move to NT.

Why would Smith be moved to NT if Payne is resigned, and Spears is drafted????

[ledzeppelin229]

I second the DL rotation.

If Spears was drafted, you could cut into Walker's stats and while he would play less, he would probably be more productive. (for all the slow ones, this is better than "earning your paycheck" by getting in on all the snaps and still contributing relatively nothing)

Salary is earned by contribution, not by pulling out the lay-z-boy and saying you were there the whole time.

By the way, it's "Jason" Babin. And this wasn't in the above post, but if I see "Juppro" instead of "Joppru" one more time I might lose it.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by LikeABoss

Whoever said anything about getting rid of Walker???

When I say "Walker isnt going anywhere," I mean walker isnt even going to the bench in favor of Spears.

Originally Posted by LikeABoss

Having a huge contract, but producing little to nothing does not guarantee you a starting job in the NFL!!!!!!!

I thought you knew that :

No ****? I thought the bigger the contract the better the player. My point is that you dont give a player like Walker, a ton of money to ride the pine. Whats next, draft a FS with the #2 pick to replace Coleman?

Originally Posted by LikeABoss

If Vilma was able to beat out Sam Cowart for the starting MLB position for the Jets, then Marcus Spears can beat out the overrated Gary Walker for the LDE position.

And dont use your one instance of a vet getting beat out with the D-ROY.