Round 1 Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
I was temped to fabricate a trade with Cleveland that had the Browns, in a panic, move up to take Clowney (or Manziel. Does it really matter?) with the Texans getting Blake Bortles at number four and NT Louis Nix with Cleveland's other first rounder but then reality set in. Bridgewater is the highest rated quarterback on most teams' boards (according to me). He has the skills and mental make up to handle the pressure of being the top pick and he will deliver. I had Manziel going number one in my last mock but Bridgewater won me over with his Scouting Combine press conference in which he dropped a Johnny Unitas reference.
Round 2 Chris Borland, ILB Wisconsin
Before you freak out, think of this: Brian Cushing is coming off a major injury and Daryl Sharpton and Joe Mays are hitting free agency. Plus, this position group has been steamrolled by injuries in three of the last four years. Last year, Cushing was knocked out in week seven and everyone else missed at least a slice of time. The year before, Cushing went out in week five and the Texans were decimated down the stretch. '11 was a healthy ILB year and their best defensive year. And in '10, DeMeco Ryans was lost in week 6 and it killed the season. ILB is crucial and Borland, who had over 300 stops and over 40 TFLs in a good (and Texans worthy!) program is a nice pick here.
Round 3 Daniel McCullers, DT Tennessee
Okay, I'm not saying he's former Crennell 'vending machine type NT' Ted Washington but, my goodness! He's 6-7 and 350 . He moves well and will fit nicely next to J.J. Watt. If you need a NT, you'll watch the second round on pins and needles and pray he drops to this spot.
Round 4 Cyril Richardson, OT-G Baylor
It's day three and it's time to beef up the offensive line. Yes, you have David Quessenberry and Brennan Williams ready to hit the field. Richardson comes in handy outside and inside and until you really know what you have out of last year's rookies, you must add to the mix.
Round 5 Deion Belue, CB Alabama
You can never have enough, so the Texans strike with a CB here. Belue is a smart DB with great instincts and might lack some of the measurables to go higher. If Phillips Gaines from Rice was still here I would grab him in a heart beat but he's long gone so dip into the Nick Saban pool like you did with Kareem Jackson in '10.
Round 6 Rob Blanchflower, TE Massachusetts
I've never drafted anyone from UMass before (hey, I've never drafted ANYONE before). And some of you might think this is homerism because I used to be their play-by-play guy (ok, maybe a little. But do you see any Canes or Chippewas here?), Blanchflower drops this low because he missed some games and played for a horrid team. But he shows great size and promise. He's 6-4, 260 and had a 7 catch, 130 yard game this season against Western Michigan. He's a project but what are you thinking? It's the sixth round and trying to find blue chip talent is like trying buy batteries the day before a hurricane.
Round 7 Tom Savage, QB Pittsburgh
The Redskins might get a second round pick for Kirk Cousins. The Texans once traded sixth round pick Drew Henson to the Cowboys for a three. These guys are valuable. You need insurance and Savage looks the part of a serviceable NFL passer. Plus, O'Brien watched him work out recently (not that this means much. He would need over 400 draft picks to select everyone he's watched personally).
