Top 5 Texans Missed Draft opportunities

[awtysst]

So, here are the top 5 Texans D'oh opportunities.

Note: these are made on actual choices, so I am not counting trading picks for players (ie P-Burnt) or choosing supplemental draft players(Tony Hollings) in lieu of draft choices.

1. Julius Peppers-DE: 2002 round 1, pick 1(player taken: David Carr-QB). Yep. Very first draft, very first pick. All Peppers did was become a dominant DE that anchored a stout Panther D line. All Carr did was....oh yeah. D'OH, D'OH, D'OH!

2. An Assortment of players, 2004 (picked instead: Jason Babbin-DE?)
This is #2 because we gave up 4 picks for Babbin. Granted, the Titans didnt do anything with them, but here is a list of who we could have taken:Bob Sanders-S, Chris Cooley-TE, Jared Allen-DE, Michael Turner-RB). Think w e could have used any of these players?

3. Jamaal Brown-OT: 2005, round 1, pick 13 (Player taken: Travis Johnson) You can a lot of things about Asserly. One thing he tried to do was look smarter than everyone else by taking a bizarre draft choice and then trying to make them look great. Shanahan tried to do the same thing here in Denver, actually. Anyway, when pick 13 comes around, most of the Texan nation wanted Longhorn LB Derrick Johnson. I would have been fine with that. I was hoping for Jamaal Brown, though. He looked like the big hulking OT we had desperately needed. Instead Asserly trades his pick and winds up with TJ.

4. Justin Tuck-DE-2005, round 3, pick 73 (player taken: Vernand Morency-RB). This is the classic example of what happens when you reach. Houston needed a RB and saw Morency. As we all know Morency did squat and was shipped to GB for Samokan Gado. Both players are out of the league. Tuck has developed into a solid DE. Think we could have used him? D'OH!

5. Clinton Portis-RB-2002, round 2, pick 33 (player taken Jabar Gafney-WR). This is an example of why the Asserly regime was so bad. They took a system QB with the first pick and then a system WR in the second. Instead we could have had one of the premier RBs in the game.


What are your top 5?

[m5kwatts]

1. 2007 - Patrick Willis (but I still think Amobi Okoye can be a multi-pro-bowler, I just think Willis is a future HOFer)

2. 2002 - Julius Peppers (obvious but complete revisionist history)

3. 2005 - Roddy White (AJ80 on one side, this guy on the other = disturbing, although Walter cheaply through FA is nice compensation)

4. 2004 - Roethlesberger, Tommie Harris, Wilfork, Steph, Jackson (because Dunta is more trouble than he's worth at the moment)

5. 2003, 2nd round Bennie Jopru, coulda had Anquan Boldin

While these are painful, getting AJ over Charles Rodgers and MW over Bush or VY is remarkably awesome because the alternatives would have this franchise in the gutter, and thats an understatement.

[Mari-OWNED!]

In 2005, the Texans could have drafted Marion Barber over Vernand Morency...

That one makes me very sick!

[NitroGSXR]

I dislike woulda coulda shoulda threads.

All are good alternative selections but... eh.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by awtysst

3. Jamaal Brown-OT: 2005, round 1, pick 13 Anyway, when pick 13 comes around, most of the Texan nation wanted Longhorn LB Derrick Johnson. I would have been fine with that.

4. Justin Tuck-DE-2005, round 3, pick 73 (player taken: Vernand Morency-RB). This is the classic example of what happens when you reach. Houston needed a RB and saw Morency. As we all know Morency did squat and was shipped to GB for Samokan Gado. Both players are out of the league. Tuck has developed into a solid DE. Think we could have used him? D'OH!

5. Clinton Portis-RB-2002, round 2, pick 33 (player taken Jabar Gafney-WR). This is an example of why the Asserly regime was so bad. They took a system QB with the first pick and then a system WR in the second. Instead we could have had one of the premier RBs in the game.


What are your top 5?

Derrick Johnson was never going to be drafted to play in a Capers defense. He did not fit Capers predetermined mold. Might be why he defenses never reached the heights that Dick LeBeau D's did/do.

4. Morency was considered a 2nd round talent, and a steal when the Texans took him. Also I am not sure Casserly would have recognized Tuck as a 3-4 DE.

5. Gafney was taken 33rd and Pitts was taken 50th, and then Portis was taken 51st. It was debated that Pitts might have been available when Weary was picked, and even on down to the Charles Hill pick at 83. Sadly I would have taken LaCharles Bentley or DeShaun Foster over Gafney, and then Portis for a 1 - 2 punch that would have really helped this team early. Well maybe not with injury to both starting tackles.


What draft opportunities would I have done?

1. Is Peppers, he was the top talent in a weak draft. I'm sorry Dom but I think he would have been a hell of a DE to go with Walker and Payne in year one.

2. same draft Charles Hill was taken 83, and an all purpose back named Brian Westbrook was passed on.

3. Bennie Joppru never really had a chance due to injuries, but we could have taken Anquan Boldin and Jason Witten with the Peek pick and had two pro bowl players instead of two guys out of the league.

4. In 2008 they took Alex Brink with 223 pick, Brink was consider an UDFA type guy. The could have taken Anthony Alridge from U of H. Instead they where counting on 2 old RBs to carry them, mistake.

5. I've been trying to not copy but in 2005 Casserly trades multiple picks to a rival in cap trouble so they can add better quality bodies. Casserly helped build the Titans back into a threat and set his team back year. We get Babin, instead of (40) Travis LaBoy, (71)Matt Schaub, (103) Nathan Vasher, (138)Michael Turner.

Honorable mention would be a big reach. But Remember I never had David Carr, so in 2004 with the 10th pick I go Ben Roethlisberger. Not because I dislike Dunta, but because even at the time of the draft, I was think "How is Ben till on the board? " I would have grabbed him been very happy.

[SteveSlaton20]

Originally Posted by m5kwatts

1. 2007 - Patrick Willis (but I still think Amobi Okoye can be a multi-pro-bowler, I just think Willis is a future HOFer)

what's the point of getting him when we already had demeco?

[Maddict5]

i cant believe nobidy's mentioned this yet:

1,2,3,4&5 for me. in 2006 the texans passed on the greatest rb ever for some crappy, inconsistent DE from NC sta..... oh wait nvm

i dont think i could list 5 because even picks like the TJ pick had some good with them (eric winston) and every team can miss out on probowlers every draft but ones that particularly sting for me are ones where you miss on a great guy in the same position you were targeting:

like in 2006 we took DA in the 7th round and hes been a nice wr for us & made a couple plays. a good 7th rd pick. however 3-4 picks later NO took a wr out of hofstra called marques colston who has gone on to become a top 10 wr in the league. a good pick couldve been a magnificent pick

[dalemurphy]

It really bothers me that we couldn't trade that first pick in 2002. If Im not mistaken, we couldn't trade any of our picks. Some of those expansion rules really limited the opportunity for our success.

Primarily though, Casserly's dismissive attitude about mid round draft picks was the most damaging. How many times I heard him talk about 2nd and 3rd round picks as if their success/failure was simply a matter of a coin flip... Perhaps good scouting and player development had more to do with the success or failure rate of draft picks than "chance" did. It's at least something he may have wanted to consider!

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by SteveSlaton20

what's the point of getting him when we already had demeco?

You don't think one of them could have played, and played well on the outside? That was John McClain's excuse for not drafting him, which is moronic if you ask me.

Other than that, you can play the woulda, coulda, shoulda game with any team in the league. But that's moronic in of itself, because you're going with what you know now from hindsight instead of what you knew then.

[infantrycak]

I just wish folks would stop connecting Gaffney and Portis. Pitts was taken one pick before Portis. Foster was taken in between Gaffney and Portis. Gaffney was considered a 1st round talent but in any event PITTS WAS TAKEN WITH THE PICK JUST BEFORE PORTIS.

[False Start]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

I just wish folks would stop connecting Gaffney and Portis. Pitts was taken one pick before Portis. Foster was taken in between Gaffney and Portis. Gaffney was considered a 1st round talent but in any event PITTS WAS TAKEN WITH THE PICK JUST BEFORE PORTIS.

I for one, am glad we have Pitts instead of Portis. CP is a great guy and a hell of a ball player at that.

[BigBull17]

Originally Posted by SteveSlaton20

what's the point of getting him when we already had demeco?

Yeah, Willis would be a beast on the outside. He is the one who would move to strong side and give us a VERY good LB corp.

[gary]

What would have been with RB Davis if he did not get injured. That was a good pick that was taken over by the injury bug and that is ashame.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

I just wish folks would stop connecting Gaffney and Portis. Pitts was taken one pick before Portis. Foster was taken in between Gaffney and Portis. Gaffney was considered a 1st round talent but in any event PITTS WAS TAKEN WITH THE PICK JUST BEFORE PORTIS.

Indeed, and if you look at the rest of the draft there was no quality whatsoever who could play tackle after Pitts. Portis running behind a line with even weaker players would have made for a Dom Davis length career methinks....they were both smallish guys.

One more comment on this thread. Every single team in the league can look at the draft after the fact and cherry pick it...every team. All teams miss on players all throughout the draft. There isn't a single team that wouldn't be "better" cherry picking the draft after the fact.

[m5kwatts]

Originally Posted by SteveSlaton20

what's the point of getting him when we already had demeco?

Either of those 2 guys could play all 3 LB spots.

[Norg]

hmmm at the time David carr seemed like a sure fire Pick .....

[awtysst]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

I just wish folks would stop connecting Gaffney and Portis. Pitts was taken one pick before Portis. Foster was taken in between Gaffney and Portis. Gaffney was considered a 1st round talent but in any event PITTS WAS TAKEN WITH THE PICK JUST BEFORE PORTIS.

Yeah, but what we could have done is taken Pitts with our first choice of the 2nd and then taken Portis with our second pick of the 2nd.

[awtysst]

Originally Posted by Vinny

Indeed, and if you look at the rest of the draft there was no quality whatsoever who could play tackle after Pitts. Portis running behind a line with even weaker players would have made for a Dom Davis length career methinks....they were both smallish guys.

One more comment on this thread. Every single team in the league can look at the draft after the fact and cherry pick it...every team. All teams miss on players all throughout the draft. There isn't a single team that wouldn't be "better" cherry picking the draft after the fact.

Yeah, Vinny all teams miss on draft picks, but its fun to look at trends. Clearly, it is evident that Asserly swung and missed a lot.

I disagree with your thoughts on Portis though. We could have taken Pitts with the first pick of the second round and Portis with our second pick of the 2nd. Had we used Portis as our starter and then the next year drafted Dominack Davis to be the 3rd down back we could have had a great punch. Both guys would have complimented each other well. Both can catch out of the backfield, run between the tackles, and can block.

It might have prevented a 2-14 season too.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by awtysst

Yeah, Vinny all teams miss on draft picks, but its fun to look at trends. Clearly, it is evident that Asserly swung and missed a lot.

I disagree with your thoughts on Portis though. We could have taken Pitts with the first pick of the second round and Portis with our second pick of the 2nd. Had we used Portis as our starter and then the next year drafted Dominack Davis to be the 3rd down back we could have had a great punch. Both guys would have complimented each other well. Both can catch out of the backfield, run between the tackles, and can block.

It might have prevented a 2-14 season too.

like I said, every team's fans can cherry pick the draft after the fact and build a super team.

[Hervoyel]

Originally Posted by Vinny

Indeed, and if you look at the rest of the draft there was no quality whatsoever who could play tackle after Pitts. Portis running behind a line with even weaker players would have made for a Dom Davis length career methinks....they were both smallish guys.

One more comment on this thread. Every single team in the league can look at the draft after the fact and cherry pick it...every team. All teams miss on players all throughout the draft. There isn't a single team that wouldn't be "better" cherry picking the draft after the fact.

To me that's really the thing and there are very few missed opportunities in the draft where you could really say "Hey, that one move was a franchise altering mistake and anybody with any sense would have picked _______ instead". We haven't passed on a lot of guys who were just no brainers and in most cases when we did it's easy to point to another pick where we did the opposite and got a great player by drafting a guy who we all said "Who?" about.

Of all these picks being mentioned I consider the Julius Peppers passover to be the only one that was by itself just unforgivable. Many people who post today and who posted then had a very uneasy feeling about taking a rookie QB and starting the franchise "Cleveland Style". We'd all seen exactly what happened to Couch in Cleveland and heard the talk about building from the lines out by Capers and Casserly. Skipping Peppers because McNair fell in love with David Carr and decided he would be his "Face of the Franchise (TM)" was monumental because it set off a sequence of events that affected drafts all the way up to 2006. It made the Schaub trade necessary. It was an epic mistake with repurcussions that are still being felt.