Second Edition: badboy, beerlover, rmartin65 Texans Mock

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by steelbtexan

Rd1 Love the Thomas pick

Rd2 Gerhart- Have him rated as a 3rd rder, have Tate and Hardesty rated higher. Both Gerhart and Hardesty have played in pro style offenses and had knee injuries which scares me a bit.

Rd3 AOA-Like the pick, I feel that Thomas will play CB if AOA is drafted because AOA played S at a small school while Thomas showed me he had the skills to play CB at UT. I like AOA and you cant go wrong drafting a guy with AOA's ability. Exception to this rule is Molden only because of injury. AOA could learn for a year under Wilson.

Rd4 Owens- my favorite pick in your mock, built like a fire hydrant,is strong literally and against the run. He would bring toughness that the DL is currently lacking. Owens can easily gain 10/15 lbs as his body matures.

Rd5 Bell- Small school guy, tough runner who was good in pass pro in the Sr. bowl. Great prospect, Tate and Bell's skill set contrast each oter better than Gerhart/Bell's do. IMHO

Rd6 Olsen- like this pick, tough guy,very strong, I like jeff Byers alot better if he's there. Byers has ZBS experience which is a plus.

Rd6 Holiday- I can see this, but I like Marcus Easly better he has 4.39 speed and can KR/PR and has more potential than Holiday as an every down player.

Rd7 Smith- I can see a developmental QB prospect but I like JaMarcus Webb OT Tx.A&M-Kingsville as a dev. OL prospect more.

Over all great job guys I would be very happy with this draft. I know you put in alot of time. You should be proud.

thanks for your thoughts

Olsen is actually our 5th rd. pick & Bell is 6th.

In regards of Houston taking another 7th rd. project (see Alex Brink) QB we agreed its important to utilize Kubiaks strengths now, how long he remains the Texans HC is uncertain beyond his new 3 year extension. It would be nice if/when he does leave to at least have resolved the QB position, afterall thats what brought him to Houston in the first place.

[rmartin65]

Originally Posted by Brandon420tx

If for some reason Earl Thomas does not end up as a Texan. My second choice would be Myron Rolle. He might be too much of a SS though, what are your thoughts?

There is some debate on Rolle, and actually he was not one of the guys we discussed.

You are right, Rolle is more of a SS. He is very suspect in man coverage, and has little to no ball skills. I have been saying it for a while now, Rolle is extremely over-hyped. He was a 3rd round prospect before his year off, and is a 5th or 6th rounder now.

If you want a couple free safeties to keep an eye on, check out Nate Allen (2nd round), Morgan Burnett (2nd round), Robert Johnson (5th round) and Nick Polk (6th round).

[badboy]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

There is some debate on Rolle, and actually he was not one of the guys we discussed.

You are right, Rolle is more of a SS. He is very suspect in man coverage, and has little to no ball skills. I have been saying it for a while now, Rolle is extremely over-hyped. He was a 3rd round prospect before his year off, and is a 5th or 6th rounder now.

If you want a couple free safeties to keep an eye on, check out Nate Allen (2nd round), Morgan Burnett (2nd round), Robert Johnson (5th round) and Nick Polk (6th round).

65 you are right on with Rolle. While I do think some team will take a chance on him, I just do not want him on Texans. Those FS you mention are awesome and I wish we could have worked them in somewhere. We certainly spent enough hours discussing them.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by playa465

Good work and write ups...I have a question not so much as for this mock but: where do you guys get info from to make the analysis on players? When I search video most of the time it only shows good highlights not much negativity...or do you guys watch the games replayed...also are you using media reports in forming your own opinions...just asking out of curiosity b/c I realize its hard to analyze something when you don't know the responsibilities of the players on any given play...again good work

As 65 says watch as many games as you can. I usually just focus on players at the area of need I think the team needs to strengthen. This last season, I paid little attention to receivers or TEs. My focus mainly was on CBs, RBs and free safeties. Of course when you are watching a game some players just dominate & you enjoy their skills. An example would be Texas vs Nebraska as most viewers probably focused on McCoy and Suh. My "assignments" were Earl Thomas and DT Lamarr Houston but Suh just pulls you to watch him.

Also, I have over the years weeded through "personalities" that I trust like Charlie Pallilo, John Harris and Zerline. What I like about these three is you can disagree with them and they don't lose their cool or go "star" all over you.

Finally, I've devoped relationships with guys like BeerLover and RMARTIN65 who I think are extremely honest in their evaluations and opinions. They are willing to share thoughts and say "maybe I missed that. Let me look again". They never belittle an idea or opinion but love football. During the many hours on each of our mocks, these two guys built me up and expanded my knowledge.
playa465 I look forward to your posts in the future. Steve

[rmartin65]

Originally Posted by steelbtexan

Rd1 Love the Thomas pick

Rd2 Gerhart- Have him rated as a 3rd rder, have Tate and Hardesty rated higher. Both Gerhart and Hardesty have played in pro style offenses and had knee injuries which scares me a bit.

Rd3 AOA-Like the pick, I feel that Thomas will play CB if AOA is drafted because AOA played S at a small school while Thomas showed me he had the skills to play CB at UT. I like AOA and you cant go wrong drafting a guy with AOA's ability. Exception to this rule is Molden only because of injury. AOA could learn for a year under Wilson.

Rd4 Owens- my favorite pick in your mock, built like a fire hydrant,is strong literally and against the run. He would bring toughness that the DL is currently lacking. Owens can easily gain 10/15 lbs as his body matures.

Rd5 Bell- Small school guy, tough runner who was good in pass pro in the Sr. bowl. Great prospect, Tate and Bell's skill set contrast each oter better than Gerhart/Bell's do. IMHO

Rd6 Olsen- like this pick, tough guy,very strong, I like jeff Byers alot better if he's there. Byers has ZBS experience which is a plus.

Rd6 Holiday- I can see this, but I like Marcus Easly better he has 4.39 speed and can KR/PR and has more potential than Holiday as an every down player.

Rd7 Smith- I can see a developmental QB prospect but I like JaMarcus Webb OT Tx.A&M-Kingsville as a dev. OL prospect more.

Over all great job guys I would be very happy with this draft. I know you put in alot of time. You should be proud.

Round 2- Hardesty (as I pointed out earlier) has had 3 knee surgeries already. People think OD is unstable, it would be worse for a runningback. Gerhart tore his PCL, which, as far as knee injuries go, is not too bad. Between Tat and Gerhart, it seems to be a judgment call.

Round 3- We like Thomas at FS and Owusu-Ansah at CB because of the physicality. AOA is not a strong tackler, something that is a must for S.

[kiwitexansfan]

I really don't care if my corners can't tackle but a safety that can't tackle is a huge red light.

[rmartin65]

Originally Posted by kiwitexansfan

I really don't care if my corners can't tackle but a safety that can't tackle is a huge red light.

Which is exactly why its Thomas at FS, and Owusu-Ansah at corner.

And its not that AOA can't tackle, its that he is not especially adept at it.

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by kiwitexansfan

I really don't care if my corners can't tackle but a safety that can't tackle is a huge red light.

During our process I had to set-up bookmark of Akwasi Owusu-Ansah working out @ the combine to convince myself he was worth Texans consideration in the 3rd rd. From personel perspective he's a flyer. Texans/Kubiak have recent history selecting small school flyers in the 3rd rd. (Jacoby Jones, Lane in 07 & Antwaun Molden, E. Kentucky 08). Taking CB in the top three rounds addresses need & deep enough talent pool to come away with impact cornerback.

Owusu-Ansah is eerily similar to Cardinals’ CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. At 6′0”, 207 pounds, Owusu-Ansah has the requisite size to be solid in run support. He does not have the blazing speed of DRC (AOA ran a 4.47 at the Combine), but he may actually be a more versatile player.

Owusu-Ansah was highly productive in college, albeit against DII talent. The major knock on him coming out is that he has not faced elite competition. How will he react when he gets beat? That basically never happened at IUP, so his ability to respond to adversity is a question mark at this point.

[threetoedpete]

I like most of the picks. I also liked Matt Forte, Mr Two-lane a couple of drafts ago. What I posted then is what I'm posting now. Gerhart is not on their board. He doesn't fit. It doesn't matter what value he is draft wise. He isn't a one cut and go back. He is a power back. Unless we're switching away from the ZBS, I don't think he is an option.

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by threetoedpete

I like most of the picks. I also liked Matt Forte, Mr Two-lane a couple of drafts ago. What I posted then is what I'm posting now. Gerhart is not on their board. He doesn't fit. It doesn't matter what value he is draft wise. He isn't a one cut and go back. He is a power back. Unless we're switching away from the ZBS, I don't think he is an option.

I would love to have Forte in the Texans backfield. He would also be worth a 2nd.

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by Brandon420tx

If for some reason Earl Thomas does not end up as a Texan. My second choice would be Myron Rolle. He might be too much of a SS though, what are your thoughts?

well our 2nd FS prospect is Nate Allen, South Florida. 3rd Morgan Burnett, Gerogia Tech. my sleeper late round pick is another Oregon DB (remember last year Jarius Byrd & Patrick Chung). This year I think TJ Ward has the potential to become that impact safety. I threw his name in the hat, maybe a little late, but reportedly has worked out really well, has fluid hips (good cover ability) & big hit, ball seperation playmaker ability.

BL

[rmartin65]

Originally Posted by beerlover

well our 2nd FS prospect is Nate Allen, South Florida. 3rd Morgan Burnett, Gerogia Tech. my sleeper late round pick is another Oregon DB (remember last year Jarius Byrd & Patrick Chung). This year I think TJ Ward has the potential to become that impact safety. I threw his name in the hat, maybe a little late, but reportedly has worked out really well, has fluid hips (good cover ability) & big hit, ball seperation playmaker ability.

BL

Just how late do you have Ward going? I was not all that high on him, but I still gave him a 4th round grade?

[threetoedpete]

Originally Posted by beerlover

I would love to have Forte in the Texans backfield. He would also be worth a 2nd.

well we'll find out this draft since Smith and Kubes had no say so last time. Price for a QB. I'm telling you he isn't on their board.

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by threetoedpete

well we'll find out this draft since Smith and Kubes had no say so last time. Price for a QB. I'm telling you he isn't on their board.

excellent read from Lance Zierlein- http://blogs.chron.com/fantasyfootball/2010_nfl_draft/

I do know that the idea that the Texans won't possibly take a RB in the first round feels antiquated. There are several teams who don't believe in taking a RB with an early first round pick, but the 20th pick of the draft is considered a very reasonable landing spot for a upper-echelon back and I fully expect for Rick Smith and Gary Kubiak to do whatever it takes to try and fix the running game this year which is why I believe you had better have a RB as a possibility for the Texans at #20 and if not there, almost assuredly with their second round pick.

[threetoedpete]

Well I've got Mathews still on the board. And I've got Gerhart off to Washington to play the Part of John Riggens. So from My perspective it's kinda moot.
But he still doesn't as I understand it fit our scheme. The value of Mathews is his ability, much like Slaton, to make something when there is nothing there. And there were a lot of nothing "theres" last year. It finally got Slaton injured. Now, if we're going to line up two tight ends and run the counter trey's all day, Toby is your man. But so far I haven't seen anything that says were switching. We're still the Denver WCO that depends on the o-lineman to be super quick footed and the backs one cut and go. I'm all for Alstott up the gut. But we don't do that. We don't have the offensive lineman for it.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

Round 2- Hardesty (as I pointed out earlier) has had 3 knee surgeries already. People think OD is unstable, it would be worse for a runningback. Gerhart tore his PCL, which, as far as knee injuries go, is not too bad. Between Tat and Gerhart, it seems to be a judgment call.

Round 3- We like Thomas at FS and Owusu-Ansah at CB because of the physicality. AOA is not a strong tackler, something that is a must for S.

I would love to have AOA late in the third, but will he last until then?
BTW, I read on the Bengals board that he bench pressed 315 lbs 4 times.
(Question How strong is that for a DB?
Also, I heard rumors that some team may put him at safety to utilize both his strength and athleticism, besides his speed that is.

[rmartin65]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

I would love to have AOA late in the third, but will he last until then?
BTW, I read on the Bengals board that he bench pressed 315 lbs 4 times.
(Question How strong is that for a DB?
Also, I heard rumors that some team may put him at safety to utilize both his strength and athleticism, besides his speed that is.

His availability was debated at length. We concluded that it was not difficult to believe he would be available, to to the incredible depth of this draft.

Again, I cant see AOA as an elite FS. He does possess the ability to be an elite CB.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

His availability was debated at length. We concluded that it was not difficult to believe he would be available, to to the incredible depth of this draft.

Again, I cant see AOA as an elite FS. He does possess the ability to be an elite CB.

rm, why is that you don't see him as good at FS as at CB?

[rmartin65]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

rm, why is that you don't see him as good at FS as at CB?

I like my safeties (both SS and FS) to be above average tacklers. As they are the last line of defense, I want to be completely confident that they will bring the guy down.

However, his versatility is great. If injuries occur, he would be able to play the position for a while.

[BigBull17]

Originally Posted by rmartin65

I had forgotten just how fun it was watching him run. Thanks for posting the vids.

This is my favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjLh_yO41jw&feature=fvw

I want one!