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Young pieces of the defense

TexansSeminole

Hall of Fame
DE: Mario Williams - 24 next season. Tim Bulman - 27 in October. Earl Cochran - 28 next season. Jesse Nading - 24 next season.

All strong-side type of DEs, except Nading who I am not too fond of. We need to upgrade the weakside end spot, hopefully we can get a passrusher or two at that spot.

DT - Amobi Okoye - 22 next season. Travis Johnson - 27 next season. Deljaun Robinson - 25 next seaso. Frank Okam - 24 in October.

We could really use an upgrade here and Okoye needs to step up, although he is only 22 next season.

LB - DeMeco Ryans - 25 next season. Xavier Adibi -25 in October. Zach Diles 24 next season.

A back-up MLB and upgrade at OLB would be nice.

CB - Dunta Robinson - 27 next season. Fred Bennett - 25 next season. Jacques Reeves 27 in October. Antwaun Molden - 24 next season.

I kind of like this group. Bennett needs to step up as our #2 corner, and Dunta needs to come back next year like he was in the 2007 season pre-injury. We still have Jacq Reeves at nickelback and Molden was a good special-teams player last year and should see more time at CB next season.

S - CC Brown - 26 next season. Dominique Brarber - 23 next season. Brandon Harrison - 25 next season.

I'm not real happy with what our safety positions looks like for the future. Wilson and Ferguson are good veterans but we don't have alot of promise moving forward. We could use another FS and SS.
 

Thorn

Dirty Old Man
I would imagine that unless a really good center or tackle falls to us, we'll be drafting a DE and safety in the first two rounds.
 

Spike

Waterboy
I would imagine that unless a really good center or tackle falls to us, we'll be drafting a DE and safety in the first two rounds.
I hope you are right....actually, I wouldn't mind if the most of our picks are on the defensive side of the ball. 2/3 first picks should be on the defense. We could use an upgrade at both CB and LB, but I think DE and S are the biggest needs to be filled.
 

Rex King

Waterboy
CC won't be re-signed after finishing the season on IR. Demps will probably be cut - only 500k in dead money and 2.35m in cap savings. The new DC and secondary coach could like the potential of Barber and Harrison, but I'd bet they'd want their own guys. So I bet we'll have the first safety drafted in one of the top two rounds (let alone top three) in Texans' history.
 

TexansSeminole

Hall of Fame
I look at DE and think if Mario were to get injured it would hurt our defense tremendously. We desperately need to get a 1-3 round guy in here to play the weakside and get some sack production.

Safety has always been a need and we would be wise to spend a 1-3 round pick on one.

We need depth in our linebacking core, backups for MLB and one more young OLB.

We also need another guy that can eat blockers in the middle.

I count 5 defensive picks in the draft here.
 

dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
I would imagine that unless a really good center or tackle falls to us, we'll be drafting a DE and safety in the first two rounds.

We could go RB on the first day if things fell right, I think. And, I think a run stuffing DT would be possible on the first day also. That being said, I think you're right that the most likely combination at the top of the draft would be DE and S.
 

gtexan02

Working?
Depending on who falls, I could see us taking pretty much any defensive position with our first rounder. If a highly rated LB, CB, DB, DT, or DE fell to us, I could easily see us going ahead and drafting them. We have needs in most every defensive position

Offensive line too
 
I look at DE and think if Mario were to get injured it would hurt our defense tremendously.
You better be knocking on wood right now. Actually from now through the end of next season. Make sure it's your head that you're using to hit against the door or table or whatever it may happen to be - don't ever jinx Mario like that! I almost started crying when I saw him on the ground during that Chicago game at the end of the season..

But you're absolutely right, we do need more defensive end help for that unmentionable reason. I just don't know if any DE's are going to be there that are worth taking at 15 though. I think our first pick should be one of the top three safeties, unless they are all gone or due to the combine/some unforseen incident they aren't available or worthy of a first half selection.

We have a franchise defensive end. We have a potential franchise defensive tackle (he's only 22 years old, give him a couple more years at least to develop into the tackle that he was for the first month of his rookie year). We have a franchise middle linebacker. We may still have a potential franchise cornerback, if Dunta can keep him hamstring in one piece. All that's missing from our defense is a franchise safety - that Ed Reed type who intercepts every poorly thrown ball or that Troy Polamalu/Bob Sanders type that creates havoc in the backfield and defy logic by stuffing runs that make it past the Dline/Linebacks.

Obviously, asking any safety we draft to fill those shoes would be asking far too much. But if we can get our franchise safety who is at least close to being on par with the rest of our defensive studs, I think we can be in darn good shape moving forward.

Get a Safety, a Defensive End, a big MFer Defensive Tackle, someone to take the load off of Slaton, and some offensive line depth, and I'll be very happy with our draft.
 
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DocBar

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
I think we're only set at a few positions on the whole team. QB, WR, TE, RDE, MLB, RT and LG should be our only positions set in stone. Other than that, I hope we take BPA at our position or maybe trade back a few spots and pick up some extra picks. I really trust RS and GK in the draft. FA scares that crap out of me, so I'm all for building to last thru the draft. DB MIGHT be our long term answer at LT, but if a solid blue chipper should fall to us, would you draft him? I would, depending on who's left on the board. That's why RS and GK get the big bucks, though.
 

gtexan02

Working?
Not many offensive tackles come in and dominate from year one. As we've seen in the past with some of our own players, the difference a year makes can be pretty amazing.

We spent a pretty significant draft choice to get Duane Brown here, and apparently the FO believed he was the perfect tackle for our offensive scheme.

We finished in the top 5 for offense this year, and so I would be pretty upset if we spent our first rounder on an offensive player again this year. The only offensive position I'd look to upgrade immediately would be Center or RG in my opinion. It would take a truly dominant center or guard falling to us for me to use a first day pick on
 

wolf123

Rookie
I see the texans takeing the highiest rated player at DE,LB, or S. Texans need an impact player and can't afford to reach on a position they think might be more of a need.
 

DocBar

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
Not many offensive tackles come in and dominate from year one. As we've seen in the past with some of our own players, the difference a year makes can be pretty amazing.

We spent a pretty significant draft choice to get Duane Brown here, and apparently the FO believed he was the perfect tackle for our offensive scheme.

We finished in the top 5 for offense this year, and so I would be pretty upset if we spent our first rounder on an offensive player again this year. The only offensive position I'd look to upgrade immediately would be Center or RG in my opinion. It would take a truly dominant center or guard falling to us for me to use a first day pick on
I agree with you, but I'm not ready to say DB is the ANSWER at LT. It's all specualtion at this point and I was merely saying that if another Orlando Pace or Joe Thomas type LT is available to us, would we pass on him? I don't know that we could. IMO, our OL did a pretty decent job this season and I don't see it as a need. RS and GK are gold in the draft. I really believe they will do what's best for the team come April.
 
I agree with you, but I'm not ready to say DB is the ANSWER at LT. It's all specualtion at this point and I was merely saying that if another Orlando Pace or Joe Thomas type LT is available to us, would we pass on him? I don't know that we could. IMO, our OL did a pretty decent job this season and I don't see it as a need. RS and GK are gold in the draft. I really believe they will do what's best for the team come April.
I agree with what you're saying here, and I don't want to be splitting hairs but there's no way a LT with the upside of a Joe Thomas or Orlando Pace would ever make it past the first few picks, so it's kind've a moot point I believe. I hope DB continues to improve through to next year like he did this season, particularly in pass blocking and I think he'll be alright.. he does have a good amount left to prove though in my mind.

Take the best D-Lineman, or Safety available with the first pick, unless for some reason Maualuga is available (I'm gonna go out on a limb against popular opinion and guess that he's going to be a decent linebacker) or if we did something out of the blue and picked up someone like Peppers in the off season.
 

DocBar

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
I agree with what you're saying here, and I don't want to be splitting hairs but there's no way a LT with the upside of a Joe Thomas or Orlando Pace would ever make it past the first few picks, so it's kind've a moot point I believe. I hope DB continues to improve through to next year like he did this season, particularly in pass blocking and I think he'll be alright.. he does have a good amount left to prove though in my mind.

Take the best D-Lineman, or Safety available with the first pick, unless for some reason Maualuga is available (I'm gonna go out on a limb against popular opinion and guess that he's going to be a decent linebacker) or if we did something out of the blue and picked up someone like Peppers in the off season.
I know what you're saying. I was just throwing a "what if" out there. I hope the FO doesn't get too complacent with our current starters and start dismissing certain positions in favor of others when a better player might still be on the board. IMO, drafting from a position of NEED weakens your prospects for drafting well. A FO would be more inclined to reach for a player at a certain position rather than significantly upgrading a
different position even if it wasn't a "need" position.
 

mussop

Hall of Fame
I look at DE and think if Mario were to get injured it would hurt our defense tremendously. We desperately need to get a 1-3 round guy in here to play the weakside and get some sack production.

Safety has always been a need and we would be wise to spend a 1-3 round pick on one.

We need depth in our linebacking core, backups for MLB and one more young OLB.

We also need another guy that can eat blockers in the middle.

I count 5 defensive picks in the draft here.
IMO the biggest weekness on our D is that we cant stop the run cosistantly. Our second biggest weekness is getting to the QB. I cant wait until we get a new DC so we have an idea of what kind of players we'll be in the martket for. Regardless of who we get I think those are the 2 things that have to be upgraded imediatly.
 
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