Doppelganger1's 2011 Mock Verion 1.0

Wade’s here and he has said we’re gonna be a 3-4 next year. Ok. So we need an off season plan to help the team with that. So, here is what I would do if I was the GM.

Pre –draft:
Sign Marcus Spears and Champ Bailey. I would go to Champ Bailey’s house and sit on his doorstep at noon the day before. I would not say anything, but just sit there. At precisely midnight, I would knock on his door, call him, text, etc and offer him a big bag of $. He is the type of DB we need and would shore up a lot of areas. He could be a CB for a few years and then transition to FS. Plus he could teach our young CB a trick or two from a wily veteran. Think of him as an Aaron Glen teaching a young Dunta Robinson, except Champ is a lot better than Glen ever was. Spears should be much easier to get. He likes Wade and will be a great part of the DE rotation of Mario, Smith, and Spears. These moves allow us to address other key areas in the draft.

Draft
1. Von Miller, OLB Texas A&M
He is a high motor elite OLB that every 3-4 needs to get off the ground. I like Barwin as a OLB, but will he be healthy and ready to go? I don’t know, and in a 3-4 you can’t take those kind of chances.

2. Jonathan Baldwin, WR Pittsburgh
A surprise, but the best player on the board in my opinion. Put him next to AJ and you may have the best WR tandem in the league. He can block well, is a big red zone target and can finally be the WR we all hoped JJ would have been. Think how sick the offense will be if we have AJ, Foster, Daniels, and Baldwin on the field. Defenses: pick your poison!

3. Sione Fua, NT, Stanford
Remember, Wade does not look for massive beats at the NT. He likes guys who can take on an initial block, shed it, and then move aggressively into the pocket. That is what Fua naturally does. He would work well in the Phillips 1 gap 3-4.

4. Jeron Johnson, SS, Boise State
An immediate upgrade to Pollard. A SS who can tackle, play in coverage, and has the hands to make plays.

5. Mario Harvey, ILB, Marshall
I hope Meco comes back ok. I really do. But, if he doesn’t, we would have Harvey to compete for an ILB spot. If Meco comes back, Harvey is good depth.

6. Derek Epperson, P, Baylor
A guy who can boot the ball 44+ yards consistently can change the field. In Htown, I bet he could get up to 45-46 yard range. That would put him in the top 7 of punters in the league. Our old friend Turk was punting in the 42 yard range, which was 27th overall. 2-3 yards may not sound like much, but those extra 2-3 yards can easily turn into an additional 5-10 yards of return per kick.

7. Kenny Rowe, OLB, Oregon
A smaller OLB, but a guy with a high relentless motor. If nothing else, at least he would be able to be a solid special teams player.

evrything looks really good with one exception, Sione Fua must have a 2nd rd. grade. Too bad Texans don't have two seconds, maybe they can trade up draft day?

I enjoy complete mock drafts, they spread some love around other picks besides 1st. Speaking of which I would be OK with Von Miller. He possess burst & speed off edge, his strength is surprising too, can't wait until the combine & pro-days to see what he lifts?

Right now we are all basing projections off game film & College production. When we match them up with measreables the whole picture should come into focus. otherwise love your FA aquistions & draft picks

beerlover said:

evrything looks really good with one exception, Sione Fua must have a 2nd rd. grade. Too bad Texans don't have two seconds, maybe they can trade up draft day?

I enjoy complete mock drafts, they spread some love around other picks besides 1st. Speaking of which I would be OK with Von Miller. He possess burst & speed off edge, his strength is surprising too, can't wait until the combine & pro-days to see what he lifts?

Right now we are all basing projections off game film & College production. When we match them up with measreables the whole picture should come into focus. otherwise love your FA aquistions & draft picks

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Thanks!

I was having trouble with where to place Fua. Currently I have him as a late 2nd/early 3rd. I think in terms of DTs, Dareus and Fairley are guaranteed 1st rounders. I think Casey is a fringe 1st/ more likely 2nd. I think Powe is a clear second. And this, to me presents the problems of Ellis, Taylor, and Fua. If you are a traditional 3-4 team, you will grab Ellis or Taylor as they are space eating NTs. I suppose you could put Fua as an DT in a 4-3, but that really does not play to his strengths. So, I put Ellis/Taylor as teams 2nd rounders (to places like NE, Balti, or Pitt) who utilzie massive space eaters whereas a guy like Fua only drops to the end of the second/early thiord becuase fewer teams like the smaller 1 gap NT for a 3-4.

Doppelganger1 said:

Thanks!

I was having trouble with where to place Fua. Currently I have him as a late 2nd/early 3rd. I think in terms of DTs, Dareus and Fairley are guaranteed 1st rounders. I think Casey is a fringe 1st/ more likely 2nd. I think Powe is a clear second. And this, to me presents the problems of Ellis, Taylor, and Fua. If you are a traditional 3-4 team, you will grab Ellis or Taylor as they are space eating NTs. I suppose you could put Fua as an DT in a 4-3, but that really does not play to his strengths. So, I put Ellis/Taylor as teams 2nd rounders (to places like NE, Balti, or Pitt) who utilzie massive space eaters whereas a guy like Fua only drops to the end of the second/early thiord becuase fewer teams like the smaller 1 gap NT for a 3-4.

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Where do you have Paea? I think he is mid first.

JB said:

Where do you have Paea? I think he is mid first.

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Sorry. I forgot Paea. I have him going in the late top 10, so definitely a first round lock unless there is some video out there of him smoking crack while punting toddles.

Doppelganger1 said:

Wade’s here and he has said we’re gonna be a 3-4 next year. Ok. So we need an off season plan to help the team with that. So, here is what I would do if I was the GM.

Pre –draft:
Sign Marcus Spears and Champ Bailey. I would go to Champ Bailey’s house and sit on his doorstep at noon the day before. I would not say anything, but just sit there. At precisely midnight, I would knock on his door, call him, text, etc and offer him a big bag of $. He is the type of DB we need and would shore up a lot of areas. He could be a CB for a few years and then transition to FS. Plus he could teach our young CB a trick or two from a wily veteran. Think of him as an Aaron Glen teaching a young Dunta Robinson, except Champ is a lot better than Glen ever was. Spears should be much easier to get. He likes Wade and will be a great part of the DE rotation of Mario, Smith, and Spears. These moves allow us to address other key areas in the draft.

Draft
1. Von Miller, OLB Texas A&M
He is a high motor elite OLB that every 3-4 needs to get off the ground. I like Barwin as a OLB, but will he be healthy and ready to go? I don’t know, and in a 3-4 you can’t take those kind of chances.

2. Jonathan Baldwin, WR Pittsburgh
A surprise, but the best player on the board in my opinion. Put him next to AJ and you may have the best WR tandem in the league. He can block well, is a big red zone target and can finally be the WR we all hoped JJ would have been. Think how sick the offense will be if we have AJ, Foster, Daniels, and Baldwin on the field. Defenses: pick your poison!

3. Sione Fua, NT, Stanford
Remember, Wade does not look for massive beats at the NT. He likes guys who can take on an initial block, shed it, and then move aggressively into the pocket. That is what Fua naturally does. He would work well in the Phillips 1 gap 3-4.

4. Jeron Johnson, SS, Boise State
An immediate upgrade to Pollard. A SS who can tackle, play in coverage, and has the hands to make plays.

5. Mario Harvey, ILB, Marshall
I hope Meco comes back ok. I really do. But, if he doesn’t, we would have Harvey to compete for an ILB spot. If Meco comes back, Harvey is good depth.

6. Derek Epperson, P, Baylor
A guy who can boot the ball 44+ yards consistently can change the field. In Htown, I bet he could get up to 45-46 yard range. That would put him in the top 7 of punters in the league. Our old friend Turk was punting in the 42 yard range, which was 27th overall. 2-3 yards may not sound like much, but those extra 2-3 yards can easily turn into an additional 5-10 yards of return per kick.

7. Kenny Rowe, OLB, Oregon
A smaller OLB, but a guy with a high relentless motor. If nothing else, at least he would be able to be a solid special teams player.

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This would be a great draft! We get our OLB pass rusher. Our NT to rotate in with Mitchell and Okoye. Our punter to challenge Turk. And Baldwin would be a GREAT addition to the WR core.

Great draft. Dop. Obviously have a concern about secondary, and only adding a SS in the 4th round.

Super Mario said:

This would be a great draft! We get our OLB pass rusher. Our NT to rotate in with Mitchell and Okoye. Our punter to challenge Turk. And Baldwin would be a GREAT addition to the WR core.

Great draft. Dop. Obviously have a concern about secondary, and only adding a SS in the 4th round.

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Thanks!

Actually, in the offseason, I signed Champ Bailey. So, he would be a starting CB and I would let Quinn, Jackson, and McCain fight it out for the 2CB spot. I imagine Quinn would win and Jackson would be the nickle CB. I would have the young CBs learn from the vet Champ.

bump it up.

Not bad. But, unless you make Bailey a FS right away, we would need to get one in FA or the Draft. IMO we need a FS more than a SS. Nolan would be OK as a backup but Wilson is done. We have to get more FS help this year!

Not bad. But, unless you make Bailey a FS right away, we would need to get one in FA or the Draft. IMO we need a FS more than a SS. Nolan would be OK as a backup but Wilson is done. We have to get more FS help this year!

Insideop said:

Not bad. But, unless you make Bailey a FS right away, we would need to get one in FA or the Draft. IMO we need a FS more than a SS. Nolan would be OK as a backup but Wilson is done. We have to get more FS help this year!

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No. I wouldn't make Bailey a safety right away.

One thing to remember is that we only have a handful of picks, we don't have 20, we have 7. Within those 7 picks you need to get the best players. Safety is a particularly weak class this year. So, you can overreach on a prospect and lose out on a great player just to fill a need.

You do not like Wilson(and I agree with that notion). I think Nolan could be serviceable as a stop gap FS. So, if you overreach on a FS prospect, will that player be any better than Nolan. If the answer is no, then you must ask yourself, can you use that pick elsewhere. In my mind, there are so many holes on the defense, we need to get the best players regardless of position.

Doppelganger1 said:

No. I wouldn't make Bailey a safety right away.

One thing to remember is that we only have a handful of picks, we don't have 20, we have 7. Within those 7 picks you need to get the best players. Safety is a particularly weak class this year. So, you can overreach on a prospect and lose out on a great player just to fill a need.

You do not like Wilson(and I agree with that notion). I think Nolan could be serviceable as a stop gap FS. So, if you overreach on a FS prospect, will that player be any better than Nolan. If the answer is no, then you must ask yourself, can you use that pick elsewhere. In my mind, there are so many holes on the defense, we need to get the best players regardless of position.

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I see this line of thinking from many fans but it will only get you so far. Sooner or later you have to pick the best player available for a position of need. Otherwise, you could end up with 3 or 4 players at a certain position that may already be a position of strength on your team. For example, we are pretty strong at the WR position. What if we picked 3 WR's in the Draft because they were the BPA at the time we picked? Would that help the team? Would all of those WR's get to play this coming season? Who would we cut from the WR's we already have? Plus, you just left the entire Defense and the rest of the Offense with only 4 picks. Does that make sense?

Insideop said:

I see this line of thinking from many fans but it will only get you so far. Sooner or later you have to pick the best player available for a position of need. Otherwise, you could end up with 3 or 4 players at a certain position that may already be a position of strength on your team. For example, we are pretty strong at the WR position. What if we picked 3 WR's in the Draft because they were the BPA at the time we picked? Would that help the team? Would all of those WR's get to play this coming season? Who would we cut from the WR's we already have? Plus, you just left the entire Defense and the rest of the Offense with only 4 picks. Does that make sense?

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You don't keep selecting the same position in the same draft over and over. If you have strong WRs and you take a great WR prospect early in the draft, you don't select a WR in the 2nd round if he's rated an 80 and other players are a 79, for example. BPA to me is generally regarded as an overwhelmingly better player.

I'm a big believer in BPA and building your team with the best players you can. I like filling clear holes with decent/solid veterans in free agency. If you keep selecting for need over and over, you're going to have an average team. If you take BPA you're team will have better talent in the long run. I don't like the idea of filling players in here or there... I like the idea of building a Super Unit. If we have two Elite DEs and a Great DT... if we keep addressing that, it's something the opposing offenses HAVE to gameplan for, scheme around, address. I think that's a big key to success.

I don't mean to ignore your "needs list"... but you'd be a fool to take a 3rd/4th round player at a position of need in the early 3rd when there was a player you had rated as a late 1st that was available.

Ole Miss Texan said:

You don't keep selecting the same position in the same draft over and over. If you have strong WRs and you take a great WR prospect early in the draft, you don't select a WR in the 2nd round if he's rated an 80 and other players are a 79, for example. BPA to me is generally regarded as an overwhelmingly better player.

I'm a big believer in BPA and building your team with the best players you can. I like filling clear holes with decent/solid veterans in free agency. If you keep selecting for need over and over, you're going to have an average team. If you take BPA you're team will have better talent in the long run. I don't like the idea of filling players in here or there... I like the idea of building a Super Unit. If we have two Elite DEs and a Great DT... if we keep addressing that, it's something the opposing offenses HAVE to gameplan for, scheme around, address. I think that's a big key to success.

I don't mean to ignore your "needs list"... but you'd be a fool to take a 3rd/4th round player at a position of need in the early 3rd when there was a player you had rated as a late 1st that was available.

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So what you're saying OMT is if there is a stud RB in the 1st round that everyone has rated the BPA when we pick at #11 we should take him even though we don't need a RB and it would mean loosing an OLB or DT that was rated a little lower. Is that correct? If it is I just don't understand this line of thinking. To me you only pick BPA regardless of position when your team is stacked at every position, otherwise you take BPA at a position of need, especially in the earlier rounds. The later rounds may not matter as much when you are looking for some depth.

Insideop said:

So what you're saying OMT is if there is a stud RB in the 1st round that everyone has rated the BPA when we pick at #11 we should take him even though we don't need a RB and it would mean loosing an OLB or DT that was rated a little lower. Is that correct? If it is I just don't understand this line of thinking. To me you only pick BPA regardless of position when your team is stacked at every position, otherwise you take BPA at a position of need, especially in the earlier rounds. The later rounds may not matter as much when you are looking for some depth.

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Then you sign VY and run the option. Wishbone FTW.

Doppelganger1 said:

No. I wouldn't make Bailey a safety right away.

One thing to remember is that we only have a handful of picks, we don't have 20, we have 7. Within those 7 picks you need to get the best players. Safety is a particularly weak class this year. So, you can overreach on a prospect and lose out on a great player just to fill a need.

You do not like Wilson(and I agree with that notion). I think Nolan could be serviceable as a stop gap FS. So, if you overreach on a FS prospect, will that player be any better than Nolan. If the answer is no, then you must ask yourself, can you use that pick elsewhere. In my mind, there are so many holes on the defense, we need to get the best players regardless of position.

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All the more reason to move Champ to FS right away and look for another CB in Free Agency / Draft. The Texans have been fatally weak at FS for YEARS. It's time to fix that first and then start seeing how bad our CB play really is.

Some thoughts, what about Quin @ FS? He was ranked #7 in nation by NFLdraftscout.com the year he came out. Don't forget McMannis is more of a cover Cb than K. Jackson. Also, the FS Allen (sp) we pick up late from one of the Florida teams (Dolphins?) ended up with 5 or 6 INTs I think ( I have not verified) but heard during one of the games he had 4 before being cut then had two with Texans. If this is correct, he should be considered.

Insideop said:

So what you're saying OMT is if there is a stud RB in the 1st round that everyone has rated the BPA when we pick at #11 we should take him even though we don't need a RB and it would mean loosing an OLB or DT that was rated a little lower. Is that correct? If it is I just don't understand this line of thinking.

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First thing, I was addressing redrafting the same position in the same draft just because they were BPA. As in, RB in the 1st, another RB in the 2nd, another RB in the 4th all because they were rated the highest on your list. That's is not something I think anyone would do even though technically that player is best player/prospect available.

Secondly, It doesn't matter how 'everyone' has a prospect ranked, it just matters how YOU have him ranked. Just b/c everyone has him rated high doesn't mean he's going to be the best player that's available. To me there's a gray area on a player's ranking. For example: at #11 if the highest rated player you have is a RB at 92 but there is a DT, OLB, CB etc rated as 90-91... that's insignificant to me and I of course address the need position b/c that player is rated "similarly/closely" albeit not necessarily "the highest". What I don't do is pass on that "great" talent and address a need position if there's a significant variance in how I rate the players. Say a Top 5/10 player vs. an End of the 1st/beginning of 2nd. An A+ vs a B+.... or a 94 vs a 84

Thirdly, and to address the RB issue you addressed. If the Texans had Ingram rated as a Top 5 player in the draft and a 96 overall or so and he was available it may be enticing. I like our RB situation with Foster, Ward and the injured Tate but if you have an overall excellent prospect that you think is can't miss, you consider it. If you have other players rated SIGNIFCANTLY lower then you try and trade down possibly. If not, I take that player I think is special and overwhelmingly better than all the others available. We just turned a strength from last year into a crushing power. Tate, while I'm high on him is a complete unknown. Foster has been awesome but has 1 year left on his contract. Part of what I'm a fan of is building a Super Unit, a unit of your team that is so good that the other teams simply cant defeat it. Keep in mind though that Kubiak/Smith may not value RB as high as other teams across the league. Not because of the current players on the roster but because of their scheme, the attributes they look for, etc. Would you turn down the next Earl Campbell just because you have Foster? Especially if the Defensive players available are guys you don't view as "difference makers"? I don't.

Insideop said:

To me you only pick BPA regardless of position when your team is stacked at every position, otherwise you take BPA at a position of need, especially in the earlier rounds. The later rounds may not matter as much when you are looking for some depth.

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Or if you have absolute crap, you take BPA. If you have holes to fill all over, you take the absolute best players you can. I'm actually a fan of BPA in later rounds too because that's how you truly build a great overall team. Otherwise your depth are guys that as a whole are okay and not any better than every other team. If you stock up on guys that are damn good players at any and every position you can, when injuries occur, players leave in FA, and so forth you've got guys that can step in and perform better than if you passed on that position/player just because it wasn't a particular need at that time.

Your needs can drastically change in an instant. A strength can quickly become a weakness. I think Sharpton was a BPA kind of selection. They really liked him and thought he was going to be a good football player so instead of passing on him because we had Demeco they took him and everyone said WTF? Instead they could have addressed another more pressing position with a player that wasn't as good. In the long run you get a bunch of okay players if you do that. If you go BPA, in the long run the overall talent on your team at all positions will be higher.

That's just my opinion and what I like to see. Others view it differently and that's cool.