Texans Mock Draft with a few twists...

This will not be your conventional Texans mock draft. You probably won't agree with all of it, but I am just trying to change things up a little bit, and give a different perspective than what you mostly see on the internet.

1st Round
15. Malcolm Jenkins - CB, Ohio State
-If he is available I just cannot see the Texans passing up on him unless given a sweet trade down possibility.

2nd Round
46. Michael Johnson - DE, Georgia Tech
-What? Johnson has slipped from being a surefire 1st rounder now to a mid 2nd rounder mostly because of having not lived up to his "potential." He has a rare size and athletic ability, and is just way too sweet of a prospect to pass up here. Analysts say that with the right coaching (Bill Kollar) he can live up to his potential. Also learning from Mario and Antonio would be a good environment for him.

Lets face it, if Mario or Antonio Smith were to get injured this coming season, Stanley McClover or Jesse Nading would fill in, and that is just a nightmare come to life. (Paul Kruger is also a possibility here.)

3rd Round
77. Pat White - QB, West Virginia
-This one is also a doozie. I know Kubiak is usually opposed to having three quarterbacks on the active roster, but White is not just a quarterback. He could be a major weapon in trick plays as a receiver, or utilized in the Wildcat formation. (Kyle Shanahan would love it!) Plus it wouldn't be hard to convince Bob McNair about how the entire state of West Virginia would be Texans fans with Slaton AND White on the roster. ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)

As a quarterback, he would be 3rd behind Schaub, and Orlovsky, but I feel he could work his way into earning the backup role after maybe two seasons.

4th Round
112. Andre Brown - RB, North Carolina State
-Not much to say here that hasn't already been said. He would be the power back to complement Steve Slaton.

122. Jason Williams - OLB, Western Illinois
-You can all pick up your jaws from off the ground now, as I finally have the Texans selecting a linebacker. Williams' stock has been rising, especially after running a 4.49 forty at his Pro Day. (Which is the fasted recorded forty by strongside linebackers this year) His junior year he had 107 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, and 8 sacks. I like him a lot to fit into our linebacker corp., and we don't have to use a 1st round pick on a linebacker in this situation.

5th Round
152. Emanuel Cook - FS/SS, South Carolina
-Quick hard hitting Safety that resembles Bob Sanders in a way. His major drawback though is that he is only 5'10". Still an interesting prospect for the Texans, and not bad value at all nabbing him in the 5th round.

6th Round
188. Greg Isdaner - OG, West Virginia
-Another WVU player? Well maybe WVU can be the new Colorado State in Houston. Mike Brisiel is not a starting RG in the NFL in my opinion. Maybe Isdaner can give him a run for his money. If not, we could still use the depth.

7th Round
223. Brandon Tate - WR/KR, North Carolina
-He might not be available here, but his stock has dropped dramatically since he tore his ACL and MCL his Senior year. Not to mention he has also lost some weight because of this. Tate was an amazing return specialist and was shaping out to be a pretty good wideout as well. Maybe could be the guy to replace Jacoby Jones and his fumbling problem.

Undrafted Free Agent
Rodney Ferguson - RB, New Mexico
-At 6'0" 237lbs., Ferguson totaled 1,105 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2008. I watched some game footage on him, and he wouldn't be a bad UFA acquisition. The Texans should look him up.

Let me know what you think, and just remember I am going from a different perspective here. I don't mind criticism, as long as it is not hateful.

do you really see the texans making these picks?

granted jenkins would be near impossible to pass up but i doubt we'll take some of those guys especially white (luxury pick) & tate (character issues)

Maddict5 said:

do you really see the texans making these picks?

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No. Not at all. Like I said I was just drawing up a different perspective than what you see all over the internet.

Malcolm Jenkins, Andre Brown, and Emanuel Cook I see as good possibilities.

I do however believe that Michael Johnson is the subject to bad criticism, and if he is available @ 46, I think even on just his "potential" alone warrants the pick. Remember when people were saying Mario Williams would all of a sudden "disappear" in games and not dominate his competition like he should. Well that is pretty much EXACTLY what they are saying about Michael Johnson.

Pat White, and the other oddball picks are just like you said, luxuries.

I wasn't aware of Brandon Tate having character issues though... I'll have to look that up.

Mari-OWNED! said:

I wasn't aware of Brandon Tate having character issues though... I'll have to look that up.

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i read it somewhere a few weeks back & im sure mayock and casserly talked about him on PTD recently. its somewhere on nfl.com because i cant atch it on tv

besides the whole "no LB till the 4th round" thing, i really would love to see this happen. The odds of it are infinity to one.

FYI [SPORTING NEWS]:

BRANDON TATE
NFL position: WR
Height: 5-11 7⁄8
Weight: 183
40 time: 4.60
Current projection: Second-round pick
NFL comparison: Terrell Owens, Cowboys

Hands: Has big hands and is able to catch nearly every ball thrown his way. Stays focused on the ball when running routes into traffic. Plucks the high ball with no trouble. Takes the hard hit and holds on to the ball. Makes tough catches with defense swarming around him. Is able to twist his body to catch passes thrown behind him without having to slow down. Is able to get down to catch low passes with surprising ease. Grade: 8.5

Patterns: Uses his size to shield the defender and his hands to push off and create space. Is a little upright running routes, and lacks explosiveness out of cuts to separate from cornerbacks. Gets good body position on deep routes, and can shield the defender from the ball. Does well running quick, aggressive slant routes into traffic. Grade: 6.0

Run after catch: Gets started upfield quickly after the catch, accelerates to full speed and has a quick burst through cracks to make big plays. Is a strong and aggressive runner, breaking tackles to gain yards after contact. Has the wiggle to make tacklers miss. Left school as the ACC's all-time leader in total return yards. Grade: 8.5

Release: Lacks explosiveness off the snap into his route, but once moving accelerates to full speed quickly, closing the cushion on the cornerback. Has the size and agility to defeat jams by powering through them or beating them with quickness. Grade: 6.5

Blocking: Uses size and strength to eliminate his man from the play. Can dominate his man when aggressive. Grade: 8.0

Bottom line: Going into the '08 season, Tate was viewed primarily as a return man but stepped up early in the year to emerge as an NFL-caliber receiver. Unfortunately, he played in only six games before injuring his knee and underwent surgery to repair his right MCL and ACL. Tate must prove his knee is healthy and convince teams he can return to his pre-injury form to remain a high draft pick. He has the tools to rebound from his injury and become a productive big-play receiver and return man in the NFL.

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CloakNNNdagger said:

FYI [SPORTING NEWS]:

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I would bet everything I own saying that Brandon Tate WILL NOT be drafted as high as the 2nd round.

Mari-OWNED! said:

I would bet everything I own saying that Brandon Tate WILL NOT be drafted as high as the 2nd round.

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They must have accidentally attached Hakeem Nicks' projection to Tate's profile.

Tate likely goes after the 5th round I think.

If we get Michael Johnson at #46 then expect to see about 20 GM's looking for new jobs next Sunday.

Johnson could go as high as #15 (if he checked out in interviews) and I don't see him dropping out of the first. The talent is there and he has a lot of it. Taking him is a risk, but I see no possible way that he falls below #33.

bah007 said:

If we get Michael Johnson at #46 then expect to see about 20 GM's looking for new jobs next Sunday.

Johnson could go as high as #15 (if he checked out in interviews) and I don't see him dropping out of the first. The talent is there and he has a lot of it. Taking him is a risk, but I see no possible way that he falls below #33.

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Although I agree with you, Mel Kiper, Mike Mayock, and Steve Wyche disagree with both of us. They're all putting him in the 2nd round so that's the reason I projected him there.

The Pat White pick baffles me. While his pro and combine days weren't too shabby I'm just not sure he projects the NFL as a QB and then he would have to spend time learning a new position. Not big on the selection at all. Would love to see us pick up Caldwell C Alabama here instead.

I'm ok with the the rest of the draft and if Johnson falls that far into the second I wouldn't be surpised. It'd be like Calais Campbell last year falling to the Cards.

bah007 said:

If we get Michael Johnson at #46 then expect to see about 20 GM's looking for new jobs next Sunday.

Johnson could go as high as #15 (if he checked out in interviews) and I don't see him dropping out of the first. The talent is there and he has a lot of it. Taking him is a risk, but I see no possible way that he falls below #33.

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I don't get the MJ hate either. The guy doesn't play hard all the time, but according to reports his coach told him not to tire himself out so he would be able to pin his ears back in the fourth. He can flat out make left tackles look stupid when he turns it on.

I had to laugh at Kiper when he said he would be a day two pick. People act like he had 3 tackles and a sack in '08 instead of 46 tackles, 20 TFL and 9 sacks.

I would much rather have Johnson, who is no where near his potential, than Ayers, who ESPN is raving about. His rise this off season reminds me a lot of Harvey last year.

Goldensilence said:

The Pat White pick baffles me. While his pro and combine days weren't too shabby I'm just not sure he projects the NFL as a QB and then he would have to spend time learning a new position. Not big on the selection at all.

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I've mentioned it plenty of times already, but you're supposed to take this mock draft with a grain of salt. I just put a new spin on something even if it is not as believable, I just didn't want to beat a dead horse with the likes of Cushing or Matthews always being mentioned.

On the subject of Pat White, I feel like he can be a NFL quarterback. He is not just a mobile quarterback, he proved he can make all the throws, and he has enough arm strength. (He is accurate too) The only drawback I see on White is his size, but he is pretty much the exact same size as Drew Brees, and you don't see people telling him that he is too short to play quarterback.

If Pat White goes to the right offense he can flourish as a quarterback, and shock all the doubters.

Here's how I'd rank the Top 5 quarterbacks in this draft... (Just my opinion)

1. Mark Sanchez, USC
2. Matt Stafford, Georgia
3. Pat White, West Virginia
4. Josh Freeman, Kansas State
5. Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State

Mari-OWNED! said:

I've mentioned it plenty of times already, but you're supposed to take this mock draft with a grain of salt. I just put a new spin on something even if it is not as believable, I just didn't want to beat a dead horse with the likes of Cushing or Matthews always being mentioned.

On the subject of Pat White, I feel like he can be a NFL quarterback. He is not just a mobile quarterback, he proved he can make all the throws, and he has enough arm strength. (He is accurate too) The only drawback I see on White is his size, but he is pretty much the exact same size as Drew Brees, and you don't see people telling him that he is too short to play quarterback.

If Pat White goes to the right offense he can flourish as a quarterback, and shock all the doubters.

Here's how I'd rank the Top 5 quarterbacks in this draft... (Just my opinion)

1. Mark Sanchez, USC
2. Matt Stafford, Georgia
3. Pat White, West Virginia
4. Josh Freeman, Kansas State
5. Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State

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but.... but...
we already have a "project QB"; Alex Brink

1. Jenkins, I still doubt that he falls this far, but if he does he's the obvious pick. Hopefully we get lucky.
2. Johnson, he'll go 1st round.
3. White, NO, we don't need another QB.
4. Brown, he'll go in the 2nd or very early 3rd round.
4. Williams, I don't know anything about him but sounds like a good player.
5. Cook, would be a good value here, good pick.
6. Isdaner, good pick and he already knows the ZBS
7. Tate, I don't think we need another WR, we've got quality and depth.

3rd Round
77. Pat White - QB, West Virginia
-This one is also a doozie. I know Kubiak is usually opposed to having three quarterbacks on the active roster, but White is not just a quarterback. He could be a major weapon in trick plays as a receiver, or utilized in the Wildcat formation. (Kyle Shanahan would love it!) Plus it wouldn't be hard to convince Bob McNair about how the entire state of West Virginia would be Texans fans with Slaton AND White on the roster. ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)

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I guess it would depend on how much control little Shanny had with the offense. I think he's being given a chance to drive the car......not take it to the strip and rev up the engine. I believe Shanahand calling the plays gives Kubiak the oprotunity to improve on other things....like clock management.

We ran one wild cat last year....one. Now you could argue that with Pat White they could run it more. I find this pick highly unlikely. Third round could bring you a future starter, if not a major contributor for 2009.

Ya know you would think that a guy with the athletic numbers Micheal Johnson has, he would dominate some where in his college career. I mean a couple of years ago we watched Gain Adams totally take over a game and single handedly block a field goal. Recover the block. Run it in for a touch down, and win a game. No where in Johnson's' senior year was there a game like this. You have nothing to hang your hat on. Nothing. He dogs plays....he takes him self out of games when he comes close to making a play.

No doubt he passes the eye ball test...if you were going to draw the DE opposite Mario up he's what the picture would look like. What have they said over and over and over again this off season....they are not moving Mario. that means at 256 Johnson is too light to play power ball with the right tackles in our division. Go back to the tape.....either he was dogging it saving himself for the NFL...Or....the guy has absolutely no heart. And believing this guy will be a gym rat and get his upper body strength up to make him functional opposite Mario....you can't say that judging by the game tapes.

After the rookie check clears...that's the last time you will see the guy. Someone will fall on love with him no doubt. Difference between Jaron Gilbert and Johnson is with Gilbert he gives an effort, but he doesn't know what he's doing yet. With Johnson.....what I read in his performance...he knows how to do it, but he just doesn't give a damn. Spend a day one pick on that you get what you deserve.

If you're going to throw away a day one pick....rather package the one and two, move up and take someone who has a proven track record on tape.

Another possibility is that on some of the play Johnson looked like he quit on it, he could have been doing exactly what the coach wants him to. Mario looks like he's given up on some plays when his role is probably outside contain. Not saying that's what always happened... just that it's a possibility- we don't know what his responsibilities were.

I'll tell you this... IF we do take Johnson, he's probably got the best chance to succeed on this team. He doesn't have to come in a start right away because we've got Mario and Smith. We've got a lot of untapped talent on the DL that could be coming together with this new scheme. And with a coach like Kollar... he'll either get MJ to learn to go 100% each play or quit.