I remember back during the 2003 Draft, before we took Andre Johnson. I thought we should draft a Defensive Tackle, because that was our greatest need, in my opinion, and there were a number of apparently excellent DT's available, including Dwayne Robertson, Jonathan Sullivan, and Jimmy Kennedy. I came around to the AJ pick pretty quickly, as we were a second year team, and quite frankly, we needed a lot of things, including a receiver. AJ was an excellent pick. However, we did not pick a DT until the sixth round (Keith Wright, DE - Missouri), and I do not recall him impressing anyone as a keeper.
Last year, I felt the same way again - with the 10th pick in the 2004 draft, surely we would pick a DT. The DT's in the 2004 draft appeared to be even better than the previous year, with Tommie Harris and Vince Wilfork, both of whom Houston passed on. Once again, I came around quickly, as we sure did need a stud Cornerback as well, and the number 10 pick was a great place to get one. However, I still perceived this as the Texan's biggest area of concern. Again we did not take a DT in the draft, although we did get Robaire Smith in the off season - an excellent move by Charley Casserly.
Well, by the time this year's draft rolled around, I had pretty well given up hoping for the Texans to choose a DT in the first round, as either Charley Casserly or Dom Capers was quoted as saying they did not believe in using first round picks on DT's in the 3-4, as you could get perfectly serviceable DT's in later rounds. Heck, Gary Walker was a sixth round pick, and none of our guys was picked in the first round, so I just basically stopped considering the possibility of picking a DT in the first round.
So, now I ask myself a question. What was the Texan's biggest weakness, the greatest area of failure during the 2004 season? That's easy, isn't it - it was the defensive line. Charley Casserly stepped out yesterday, and boldly selected the best DT in the draft with the Texan's first round pick. Aside from the fact that we were all surprised, and that we had been conditioned not to look for a DT in the first round, this was really a pretty obvious pick.
I don't know how many people are aware of this, but we currently have 16 linebackers on the Texans roster. And we could draft another one later today, the second day of the draft. I do not know how many of these guys are serious players, but it does appear that we will have some competition in this area. We will probably carry 8 linebackers into the season. This will probably be the most dynamic area of the team during preseason, with perhaps even one or two surprises.
I am a big Derrick Johnson fan, and I am a graduate of UT. But I really like the Travis Johnson pick. This being the Texan's fourth draft, it seems like it is about time that we finally went after a high profile DT. If last year's play on the defensive line is any indication, this is just what the doctor ordered. And with all of the competition, we still may be OK at Linebacker, too.