The more I look at this draft and these players, the more excited I get. The chances that all of them end up being starters for us and successes is slim but one can hope!
The thing I love about it is that we as fans thought we knew what the needs of the team were and how to fill them and with what players. This draft kind of showed me that Kubiak and Smith pay a little more attention to the x's and o's and how that affects our team than we do. We see we need better RZ production so we plug in one of several "big backs". We knew we'd select a CB somewhere, so we plugged in a guy that may take over for Dunta one day.
When the reality is, this dude that goes by the name of Smithiak is pretty smart:
Addressing C/G with Caldwell. If he turns out to be a stud, probably replaces Myers. If he turns out to be just decent, he's our back up C and our swing guard. Replaces Studdard and can save a roster spot, if not immediately, eventually.
Addressing NICKEL CB- As fans, we don't really differentiate between the different responsibilities for a CB. Smithiak does. Selecting a guy to play a specific CB responsibility isn't something we would have really done... we always go for the homerun, the eventual pro bowl cb which probably has a higher fail rate.
Addressing BLOCKING TE- we as fans didn't even put thought into the TE spot. It's a position that unless your like Daniels, isn't very sexy. We want a sexy draft and a sexy mock. This pick fills a need that we just overlook.
Selecting J. Casey- We really liked this kid. Thought it'd be a total luxury pick and not worth it because we bought into the hype and thought he'd go in the 2nd/3rd round! Just a versatile guy that they see upside with and will try to find a way to get him on the field to help the team.
Selecting B. McCain- Here's another DB we didn't know. Took a flyer pick on one of the fastest guys in the draft. Probably strictly developmental at this point but I think worth the risk.
Addressing S- Finally we get a safety but its a guy we didn't know. I've become a big fan of this guy. Highlights look fantastic... but I havn't seen any film- I'm willing to be he probably has just as many bad beats as he does highlights. Fact: He's a 7th round draft pick with huge upside. Opinion: He'll make the roster as the 5th S and could develop into an eventual starter like Zac Diles.
I just think we addressed some needs on the team that we really weren't THAT aware of. We don't know how the Texans board stacked up but I really truly believe that these guys were rated high on it at their spots. So in that sense we got great value at positions that the FO deemed needs. Sweet.