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[Scout.com] Seventh Round Gem for Texans?

Texans34Life

I BLEED TEXANS!
http://hou.scout.com/2/862317.html

Even though Nolan is a seventh-round pick, he still has an opportunity to make the Texans roster and even compete for a starting job, as the veterans in front of him are mostly average football players. Still, Nolan doesn’t want to get ahead of himself–

“I don’t know about that right now, but I know I’m coming in to compete and try to get a starting spot and do everything I can. I believe that. I’m going to do my best to get starting spot, get out there and compete with everybody."
Click the link to read the rest.... :texflag:
 

Porky

Hall of Fame
From what I've read, he's a good football player; it's his measurables that got him in the 7th
Agreed. Give me a "football player" over a guy with fancy measurables any day if I have to choose. Obviousely, the ideal is to have both, but smarts and good football instincts can make up for a lot of physical defiencies. I'm liking this pick as another Zac Diles type.
 

BigBull17

Hall of Fame
Everything I read on the kid, I like. I'll take a "football player" and a " play maker" any day of the week. I could easily see him as Wilson's back up at the start of the season, some PT this year, and maybe crack the starting line up next year.
 

ATXtexanfan

Hall of Fame
Not to be an ass, but it won't take much to be a gem at the safety position for us. First pass he breaks up downfield I'll fall in love. Wish him the best
 

BigBull17

Hall of Fame
Not to be an ass, but it won't take much to be a gem at the safety position for us. First pass he breaks up downfield I'll fall in love. Wish him the best
When Wilson and Fergison are our best Saftey Duo EVER, thats bad. They played fine, but good God, they didn't start the whole year and won that honor.
 

ObsiWan

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
Everything I read on the kid, I like. I'll take a "football player" and a " play maker" any day of the week. I could easily see him as Wilson's back up at the start of the season, some PT this year, and maybe crack the starting line up next year.
Maybe our defensive backfield of the future will be this guy at FS and Barber at SS.
We shall see.
 

Porky

Hall of Fame
Thats kinda the vibe I'm getting. They LOVE Barber, and he played solid last year when he was in. If thats the case, cool.
Maybe I'm out to lunch, but I don't get the Barber love. What did the guy do on the field for anyone to get excited about him? He is closer to C.C. Brown than Ronnie Brown imho. I think he is strictly a stopgap starter and he is the weakest of the 11 projected starters. He's a depth guy to me. I'll be looking for an upgrade in 2010 unless the guy proves me wrong (and I hope he does)

Eugene Wilson at FS is quite servicable, so I don't see Nolan breaking in this yr as a starter, but I think he has a chance to push him for that spot in 2010. We'll know a whole lot more once these guys actually get on the field.
 
Well, Wilson I think is our best safety at this point. Who's next? Barber I guess since he's the starter-apparent. Harrison showed he can't handle the job, Ferguson is just holding it up for someone else to take...who else do we have at safety? Nolan's got a lot to prove but his stepping stones aren't far out of reach.
 

BigBull17

Hall of Fame
Maybe I'm out to lunch, but I don't get the Barber love. What did the guy do on the field for anyone to get excited about him? He is closer to C.C. Brown than Ronnie Brown imho. I think he is strictly a stopgap starter and he is the weakest of the 11 projected starters. He's a depth guy to me. I'll be looking for an upgrade in 2010 unless the guy proves me wrong (and I hope he does)

Eugene Wilson at FS is quite servicable, so I don't see Nolan breaking in this yr as a starter, but I think he has a chance to push him for that spot in 2010. We'll know a whole lot more once these guys actually get on the field.
I didn't think he did that bad. I was pleasently suprised with his play. He didn't overly embarrass himself. If he build upon last year, I think we're ok. I'm not saying he is a Pro Bowler, I just think he's above a stop gap.
 

m5kwatts

Veteran
"Nolan isn’t a Bob Sanders type of safety who will make highlight films with his bone-jarring hits, but he is a guy with great range who has a nose for the football."

Did anyone find this as amusing as me? As great a safety as Sanders I think just the opposite is true, he's more the type of safety who has great range and has a nose for the football. Has this guy even seen Sanders? He's smallish and is anything but a bone-jarring hitter.
 

Maddict5

Hall of Fame
Maybe I'm out to lunch, but I don't get the Barber love. What did the guy do on the field for anyone to get excited about him? .
he got a sack in one game i think. cleveland maybe? which, in limited duty is one more play than harrison has ever made. he hasnt shat the bed in any game like harrison did v the dolphins either
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
Well, Wilson I think is our best safety at this point. Who's next? Barber I guess since he's the starter-apparent. Harrison showed he can't handle the job, Ferguson is just holding it up for someone else to take...who else do we have at safety? Nolan's got a lot to prove but his stepping stones aren't far out of reach.
The truth is, all of this can turn on a dime come training camp and preseason.
 

AcresHomesTexan

No Longer Arlington: Escaped From Jerry's World
Staff member
Maybe I'm out to lunch, but I don't get the Barber love. What did the guy do on the field for anyone to get excited about him? He is closer to C.C. Brown than Ronnie Brown imho. I think he is strictly a stopgap starter and he is the weakest of the 11 projected starters. He's a depth guy to me. I'll be looking for an upgrade in 2010 unless the guy proves me wrong (and I hope he does)

Eugene Wilson at FS is quite servicable, so I don't see Nolan breaking in this yr as a starter, but I think he has a chance to push him for that spot in 2010. We'll know a whole lot more once these guys actually get on the field.
IMO, he has not played enough to make any determination of what the quality of player he is. I can only assume that the Texans brass have a "Zach diles" should played more in regualr game situation feel about Barber. Then again one year later, his position was considered a high priority needed during the off-season.
 

Wolf6151

All Pro
Maybe I'm out to lunch, but I don't get the Barber love. What did the guy do on the field for anyone to get excited about him? He is closer to C.C. Brown than Ronnie Brown imho. I think he is strictly a stopgap starter and he is the weakest of the 11 projected starters. He's a depth guy to me. I'll be looking for an upgrade in 2010 unless the guy proves me wrong (and I hope he does)

Eugene Wilson at FS is quite servicable, so I don't see Nolan breaking in this yr as a starter, but I think he has a chance to push him for that spot in 2010. We'll know a whole lot more once these guys actually get on the field.
I'm with you Porky I don't understand the Barber love either other than some people having blind faith in Kubiaks opinion, Barber isn't very good. To me Barber looked lost and out of position when he was on the field last year, understandable for a 6th round rookie but it's nothing to give anyone hope or to build upon for next year. I agree Barber is a stop gap starter and should only be a backup. The SS position was ignored until late by Smith/Kubiak and it should have been addressed much earlier in the draft. William Moore in the 2nd or Chip Vaughn in the 4th would have been a vast improvment over Barber. The Texans have ignored the importance of the Safety positions since the teams existence, hopefully next year they finally address this major deficiency that should have been taken care of in this draft. Instead of picking a 4th string TE get some better safeties.
 
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m5kwatts

Veteran
Instead of picking a 4th string TE get some better safeties.
You understand Bruener retired and in this offense its important to have one solid blocking tight end right? In your expert NFL opinion, what safety was on the board at the time whom you'd rather have over Hill?
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Agreed. Give me a "football player" over a guy with fancy measurables any day if I have to choose. Obviousely, the ideal is to have both, but smarts and good football instincts can make up for a lot of physical defiencies. I'm liking this pick as another Zac Diles type.
He can be the best football player in the world. But if he continues to get run over........ I mean he is the "safety"



"Nolan isn’t a Bob Sanders type of safety who will make highlight films with his bone-jarring hits, but he is a guy with great range who has a nose for the football."

Did anyone find this as amusing as me? As great a safety as Sanders I think just the opposite is true, he's more the type of safety who has great range and has a nose for the football. Has this guy even seen Sanders? He's smallish and is anything but a bone-jarring hitter.
Are you talking about Sovah? You know, when he hits you, it's ovah?
 

beerlover

Hall of Fame
You understand Bruener retired and in this offense its important to have one solid blocking tight end right? In your expert NFL opinion, what safety was on the board at the time whom you'd rather have over Hill?
excatly in-line blocking TE & long snapper/special teams/FB excellent needs addressed across the board.

I'm really not that shocked the younger Gibbs got most of the late developmental picks, I've heard thats what he's good at. this gives the Texans depth now maybe above average play latter.

Eugene Wilson FS
Nick Ferguson SS
Dominique Barber -back-up both natural position is SS

Nolan should beat out Harrison for roster spot, Harrison PS eligible, is a natural FS to along with Barber as the tandem of the Texans future safety combo :twocents:
 

mussop

Hall of Fame
You understand Bruener retired and in this offense its important to have one solid blocking tight end right? In your expert NFL opinion, what safety was on the board at the time whom you'd rather have over Hill?
In youre expert NFL opinion how much solid blocking was done by Bruener last year? Ill answer for you. Let see he was only active for two hole games last year so Im going to say NONE! So if its so important for this team to have a solid blocking TE how did they manage to be the third ranked offense in the entire NFL without one last year? Youre argument has merit but youre example is that of a person who thinks they know more than they do.

I dont proclaim to be an expert but I would of taken Chip Vaugn and Victor Harris and still would over both the TE's we picked up. Not saying im wright but right now thats what I beleive. Hope Im wrong.
 

AustinJB

Rookie
In youre expert NFL opinion how much solid blocking was done by Bruener last year? Ill answer for you. Let see he was only active for two hole games last year so Im going to say NONE! So if its so important for this team to have a solid blocking TE how did they manage to be the third ranked offense in the entire NFL without one last year? Youre argument has merit but youre example is that of a person who thinks they know more than they do.

I dont proclaim to be an expert but I would of taken Chip Vaugn and Victor Harris and still would over both the TE's we picked up. Not saying im wright but right now thats what I beleive. Hope Im wrong.
I think you answered your own question without realizing it.

I would agree that there was no solid blocking by Bruener as you pointed out. It is so important b/c we were the 3rd-ranked offense in yardage but we sucked in red zone efficiency...which is exactly where you could use good, solid TE blocking. :twocents:
 

Señor Stan

El Guapo
Dont we have Glover Quin? Ive been hearing that he is rumored to be our FS of the future.
Quote from Kubiak...

(on if CB Glover Quin will move to free safety from corner) “No, we plan on playing him outside. We like the fact that he can go in and play the nickel position, so I think that is where he’s going to go from the start.”
 

dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
In youre expert NFL opinion how much solid blocking was done by Bruener last year? Ill answer for you. Let see he was only active for two hole games last year so Im going to say NONE! So if its so important for this team to have a solid blocking TE how did they manage to be the third ranked offense in the entire NFL without one last year? Youre argument has merit but youre example is that of a person who thinks they know more than they do.

I dont proclaim to be an expert but I would of taken Chip Vaugn and Victor Harris and still would over both the TE's we picked up. Not saying im wright but right now thats what I beleive. Hope Im wrong.
There have been some pretty good conversations on the board as well as from Kubiak, himself, about how an inline TE can really help our short yardage and red zone offense. Kubiak actually mentioned, specifically, that a TE like Hill is essential to be effective running the ball against 3-4 teams. As AustinJB mentioned and all of us saw last year, we do need help in the red zone.
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
In youre expert NFL opinion how much solid blocking was done by Bruener last year? Ill answer for you. Let see he was only active for two hole games last year so Im going to say NONE! So if its so important for this team to have a solid blocking TE how did they manage to be the third ranked offense in the entire NFL without one last year? Youre argument has merit but youre example is that of a person who thinks they know more than they do.

I dont proclaim to be an expert but I would of taken Chip Vaugn and Victor Harris and still would over both the TE's we picked up. Not saying im wright but right now thats what I beleive. Hope Im wrong.
Gosh, maybe that had something to do with the problem they had in the Red Zone. I'm not saying that's the only problem they had in the RZ but it definitely contributed. I think the other problem was the weakness in the interior of the line and I'm hoping that Caldwell solves that one way or another.

So, yeah, I'm glad they got the blocking TE instead of the safety. The problem is that when we're going back and evaluating this draft in the next few years, the real value of Hill may not show up on his stat sheet... assuming that he plays and plays well.
 

steelbtexan

King of the W. B. Club
Contributor's Club
The facts

Smithiak had Quin rated above Vaughn and Harris.

Time will tell if they are correct.

As of now I will trust Smithiaks talent evaluation skills over Mussops
 

Ole Miss Texan

Hall of Fame
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.
 

gtexan02

Working?
Just wanted to add to that the Texans propensity to look for leaders and good football IQ guys. Thats sometimes difficult for us to know as fans. Every player we took was a captain and hard worker
 

76Texan

Hall of Fame
After watching Nolan got burned by the slot receiver for a couple of TDs in the Oregon St. game I begin to have my doubts!:headhurts:

Just two simple routes, nothing fancy, and he got beat right off the bat, EASILY!

Looks like a guy with great measurables who still needs to work quite a bit on his game.
Pretty good in run support.
 
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thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
After watching Nolan got burned by the slot receiver for a couple of TDs in the Oregon St. game I begin to have my doubts!:headhurts:

Just two simple routes, nothing fancy, and he got beat right off the bat, EASILY!

Looks like a guy with great measurables who still needs to work quite a bit on his game.
Pretty good in run support.
Other wise, he would have been a 1st round pick.

I still like the pick, and I'm excited to see him go to work.
 

76Texan

Hall of Fame
Other wise, he would have been a 1st round pick.

I still like the pick, and I'm excited to see him go to work.
I think he will be like Molden in a sense that we may not see him on the field, unless there's an injury, or they just want to give him a little work here and there, if he shows that he can learn and improve quickly.
I'm not banking on it. I'm fine with the pick, it's only a 7th.
He may or may not work out. He might make the team, he might make the PS, more likely, I think!
 

76Texan

Hall of Fame
In the game against the Bruins, Nolan showed the stuffs that make him an intriguing prospect.

The guy does have range, and can be good in run support, as stated before.

He also took full advantage of a mistake by a QB, who didn't throw deep and outside on a corner route. Nolan read the play well and demonstrated his speed, agility, leaping ability, and dexterity to go over and up top for that INT in the endzone that he returned for a one-hundred-yd TD. Just the overall athleticisim that promises the making of a playmaker... Hopefully!
 
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