Let's get on the Record with our Second-Guesses

[Hooston Texan]

I thought it would be interesting to create a thread where everyone who had a beef with some aspect of the Texans' draft declare whom they thought the Texans should have taken instead of the pick they made. Then, hopefully, a year or two from now, we can unearth this thread and see who was actually smarter than Rick Smith on draft day.

So consider this a contest: who had the best draft? Was it the Texans or someone posting here? We all love to second-guess the Texans, so let's set our own selves up for some second-guessing, too. If your "shoulda taken Y" take pans out, this thread will prove to everyone that you were, indeed, in favor of taking that player all along (before you had the benefit of hindsight). So, if it works as planned, this thread is basically a time capsule for the "I told you so"s of the world.

A couple of groundrules:

1. If you want to second-guess a pick, you must say whom they should have drafted instead. That "instead" player must have been available at the time (yes, I know if we undid an earlier pick, that would shake up the draft board a bit, but that variable is impossible to control).

2. The trades that affected this year's draft (Schaub, Myers, the trade-down) are included.

3. This thread is not intended to start debates on particular picks--I'd just like to get everyone on record (before any of these picks see the field) with who they thought we should have picked. This way, we can see who the true draft/personnel experts are. But feel free to give your reasons for the second-guess.

4. No fair saying "they should have made a trade". We have no idea what trade offers were available to the team, so we can only assess the trades that we actually did make.

So, without further ado, here's the transactions/picks at issue:

MOVE 1: Trading two-second rounders for Schaub. (If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have taken at #48. Yes, this one allows for a little hindsight, but I'm a late-arriver to this board.)

MOVE 2: Trading the #18 pick for the #26, #89 and #173. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans' should have taken at 18. Voiding this deal means you also void picks 89 and 173.

MOVE 3: Trading the #183 pick to Denver for Chris Myers. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have picked at #183

PICK 1: Selecting Duane Brown at #26.

PICK 2: Selecting Antwaun Molden at #79.

PICK 3: Selecting Steve Slaton at #89. Eliminate this pick if you believe the Texans should not have traded the #18 pick.

PICK 4: Selecting Xavier Adibi at #118.

PICK 5: Selecting Frank Okam at #151.

PICK 6: Selecting Dominique Barber at #173.

PICK 7: Selecting Alex Brink at #223.

Enjoy.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

Pick 6: I would have been more pleased if they had taken Darrell Robertson or Brian Johnston as a rush DE prospect opposite of Mario.

Pick 7: Peyton Hillis, FB. Someone convinced me during the draft day thread that Hillis could be an upgrade to our FB crew.

 

[Mike Kerns]

I actually was quite satisfied with the draft except for pick #7. I feel like a QB that has zero chance of making the roster was a waste of a pick. I know it was a 7th rounder, but try one of the DE's left. Wasnt Darrell Robertsen from Georgia Tech still there?

Thats my only gripe. Sure, I was interested like everyone else at a shot at Mendenhall, but knowing our staff I was fairly confident we wouldnt take a RB in the first round. I like the trading down because with the extra pick we got Steve Slaton whom I believe is seriously underrated.

Thats all I got.

 

[Hooston Texan]

Here's mine.

MOVE 1: Trading two-second rounders for Schaub. (If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have taken at #48. Yes, this one allows for a little hindsight, but I'm a late-arriver to this board.)

MOVE 2: Trading the #18 pick for the #26, #89 and #173. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans' should have taken at 18. Voiding this deal means you also void picks 89 and 173.

MOVE 3: Trading the #183 pick to Denver for Chris Myers. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have picked at #183

PICK 1: Selecting Duane Brown at #26.

PICK 2: Selecting Antwaun Molden at #79.

PICK 3: Selecting Steve Slaton at #89. Eliminate this pick if you believe the Texans should not have traded the #18 pick.

PICK 4: Selecting Xavier Adibi at #118.

PICK 5: Selecting Frank Okam at #151.

PICK 6: Selecting Dominique Barber at #173.

PICK 7: Selecting Alex Brink at #223.

MOVE 1: No disagreement with the Schaub trade. This deal, along with the hiring of Kubiak/Smith and the 2006 draft are going to propel us into the playoffs by 2010.

MOVE 2: No disagreement here even with Otah, Mendenhall and Jenkins on the board.

MOVE 3: No-brainer. Even if Myers bombs, a 6 is a cheap price for an NFL starter.

PICK 1: DISAGREE. We should have taken Antoine Cason. I think Smith & Co. panicked after the run on OTs and thought they would not get another shot. As it turned out, there were no OTs taken betwen #26 and #79. Now, maybe Brown gets picked before 79 if we don't take him, but there were some other OTs on the board.

PICK 2: Had we taken Cason at #26, I'd have then taken Anthony Collins here (assuming Brown would have been picked by then). So my full second guess is that Cason/Collins > Brown/Molden.
With Brown as the pick, I'm OK with taking Molden.

PICK 3: I am not sold on Slaton, so I disagree. Though he's not without his gifts, his numbers are the product of the spread. I would have taken DE Cliff Avril.

PICK 4: Adibi is great value at this pick. No problem here--in fact, I was hoping that we'd take him in the third round, so Rick was definitely smarter than me here.

PICK 5: No problem taking a DT. From what I heard, I thought Athyba Rubin was the superior DT option, but I don't know enough about either Rubin or Okam to say it was the wrong pick. Plus, ties should go to the local players.

PICK 6: This is where I'd have taken a RB (instead of an RB's brother). So I would have taken Chauncey Washington or Mike Hart here--probably Washington.

PICK 7: I think we're good at QB. I'd have bolstered the OL with Eric Young at Tennessee. But if we had not taken an RB by this point, I would have gone with Peyton Hillis.

So my second-guessing draft is as follows:

1: Antoine Cason
3: Anthony Collins
3: Cliff Avril
4: Adibi
5: Okam (but tracking Rubin)
6: Chauncey Washington
7: Eric Young

 

[eriadoc]

I just felt like they should have found a way to wrangle a second round pick by trading back 8 spots, even if it meant a swap of later round picks as well (like the Redskins did). Aside from that, I have no heartburn, and I am very excited about this draft.

 

[Texaninlild]

I just felt like they should have found a way to wrangle a second round pick by trading back 8 spots, even if it meant a swap of later round picks as well (like the Redskins did). Aside from that, I have no heartburn, and I am very excited about this draft.

Have you found out how many points our position was worth vs what we were given?

Every draft position is assigned points. Most GM's stick with that system as a guide.

 

[PapaL]

Well didn't the pick after ours get traded for a 2nd and 5th this year and 1st next year (aka no 1st this year) or something to that extent?

 

[Texaninlild]

Well didn't the pick after ours get traded for a 2nd and 5th this year and 1st next year (aka no 1st this year) or something to that extent?

I believe you are correct. Would folks been ok with us trading away this year's first to the Ravens in exchange for next year? It is a gamble.

 

[PapaL]

I think that is the most enticing move out there. Depending on where in the second that pick was it could have worked out.

 

[Texaninlild]

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/features/valuechart.html

I found the chart.

The pick was worth 900 pts @ 18.
We received 867.5 pts in return for 26 (700), 89 (145) and 173 (22.5)

The Ravens had pick 55 in the second worth 350 pts and you couple that with 26, the Ravens probably didn't want to do.

The Texans I am sure felt Brown would have been gone by pick 55 anywho and didn't want to trade too much further back to acquire him.

 

[Hooston Texan]

I think that is the most enticing move out there. Depending on where in the second that pick was it could have worked out.

The trade you're referring to is Carolina trading up for the #19 pick. They gave up, in addition to next year's #1, #43 and #109 (early fourth round). I would have taken that deal in a heartbeat if it was offered to us, but it would have been alot of nailbiting before that 43rd pick came up if Brown was indeed our guy.

 

[eriadoc]

What were the terms of the Redskins trade-back? They traded back 4 spots, I believe, and gave up their 4th rounder, and in return got a 2nd rounder. That's what I heard, anyway.

 

[edo783]

Sooo, our spot was worth 900 points in value and we got 917.5. Looks like we got what we were supposed to get.

 

[Vinny]

The trade you're referring to is Carolina trading up for the #19 pick. They gave up, in addition to next year's #1, #43 and #109 (early fourth round). I would have taken that deal in a heartbeat if it was offered to us, but it would have been alot of nailbiting before that 43rd pick came up if Brown was indeed our guy.

there would have been zero nail biting about Brown being there at 43. I don't think there is much of a chance the Falcons take Baker over him....taking that scenario meant that we would concede getting Brown and would have been stuck with no LT this year since there is little chance that Brown is there at 43. Kubiak stated that Brown was the last tackle on the board with the skillset Gibbs desired.

 

[Specnatz]

there would have been zero nail biting about Brown being there at 43. I don't think there is much of a chance the Falcons take Baker over him....taking that scenario meant that we would concede getting Brown and would have been stuck with no LT this year since there is little chance that Brown is there at 43. Kubiak stated that Brown was the last tackle on the board with the skillset Gibbs desired.

Also going by what Kubiak said about the additional trade offer, of dropping two more spots down, who is to say that someone would not trade up in between 26- 28 and draft him ahead of us, especially with as much movement that had already taken place.

 

[keyser]

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/features/valuechart.html

I found the chart.

The pick was worth 900 pts @ 18.
We received 917.5 pts in return for 26 (700), 79 (195) and 173 (22.5)

We didn't get pick 79, we got pick 89, worth 145 points. So, we received 867.5 in exchange for 900.

I really don't like to hold to the chart too closely, but some "fairer" trades with Baltimore would have been for:
Pick 26 (700), 86 (160), and 173 (22.5) = 882.5 (I'm really surprised Smith didn't get this, although I don't know that it really made any difference in the end).
Pick 26 (700), 89 (145), and 4th round 106 (82) = 927 points, and we also throw in 5th round pick 151 (31 points), for a net loss of only 4 points.

 

[badboy]

The LTs went as I was concerned about. STewart and the CBs I was hopeful of were gone also & Jenkins did not seem to fit our D scheme as he voiced a desire not to tackle. Smith felt as did I that LT was priority although when Mendenhall was there I expected that to be the call. I had always rated J. Stewart 2nd best back.

Everything points to D. Brown being the best remaining LT for Gibbs although I liked Baker. I had Brown projected to RT but was very intrigued by his speed 5.0 and quickness of foot. When a trade was announced, I did not find out for a very long time what the deal consisted of but hoped for a 2nd thinking a third was more realistic. When I knew we also got a 6th, I was jubilant.

Molden 6'2" 195 is a huge CB with 37" vertical and 4.4 speed and could be a starter on right sooner than later though he might not beat Reeves out initially. In our four team world, we need good CBs and should be one.

Slaton was not on my list of favorites in first or 2nd round but in 3rd? Wow, to me this is perhaps the most intriguing pick we got. Almost 4,000 yards in 3 years. If Brown is as good as Smith thinks, Slaton could get 8-900 yds and could be much more than a "third down back".

With these three selections, team suddenly got faster. Time will tell, but I have to go with what I know and that is Smith and Kubes have done pretty well so far. I guess we get to see if Alex Gibbs still has it.

 

[Texaninlild]

We didn't get pick 79, we got pick 89, worth 145 points. So, we received 867.5 in exchange for 900.

I really don't like to hold to the chart too closely, but some "fairer" trades with Baltimore would have been for:
Pick 26 (700), 86 (160), and 173 (22.5) = 882.5 (I'm really surprised Smith didn't get this, although I don't know that it really made any difference in the end).
Pick 26 (700), 89 (145), and 4th round 106 (82) = 927 points, and we also throw in 5th round pick 151 (31 points), for a net loss of only 4 points.

You are correct sir.

 

[rmartin65]

I dont like pick 6 and pick 7.
I dont really know who I would have taken in the 7th, but in the 6th I would have grabbed either Joe Mays, Andy Studebaker, or Brian Johnston.

 

[Texaninlild]

The LTs went as I was concerned about. STewart and the CBs I was hopeful of were gone also & Jenkins did not seem to fit our D scheme as he voiced a desire not to tackle. Smith felt as did I that LT was priority although when Mendenhall was there I expected that to be the call. I had always rated J. Stewart 2nd best back.

Everything points to D. Brown being the best remaining LT for Gibbs although I liked Baker. I had Brown projected to RT but was very intrigued by his speed 5.0 and quickness of foot. When a trade was announced, I did not find out for a very long time what the deal consisted of but hoped for a 2nd thinking a third was more realistic. When I knew we also got a 6th, I was jubilant.

Molden 6'2" 195 is a huge CB with 37" vertical and 4.4 speed and could be a starter on right sooner than later though he might not beat Reeves out initially. In our four team world, we need good CBs and should be one.

Slaton was not on my list of favorites in first or 2nd round but in 3rd? Wow, to me this is perhaps the most intriguing pick we got. Almost 4,000 yards in 3 years. If Brown is as good as Smith thinks, Slaton could get 8-900 yds and could be much more than a "third down back".

With these three selections, team suddenly got faster. Time will tell, but I have to go with what I know and that is Smith and Kubes have done pretty well so far. I guess we get to see if Alex Gibbs still has it.

Can you imagine Slaton hitting the same holes as Ron Dayne did last year? There is a slight difference in speed.

 

[HOU-TEX]

Can you imagine Slaton hitting the same holes as Ron Dayne did last year? There is a slight difference in speed.

That's the first thing that came to mind at the time of the selection. I'm giddy of the thought ofno longer having to see that sloth trying to make it outside only to be caught by the entire defense.

Gibbs + Oline + RB with speed = (my smiley for giddy)

 

[The Pencil Neck]

Can you imagine Slaton hitting the same holes as Ron Dayne did last year? There is a slight difference in speed.

To get the same effect, Slaton would have to get the ball, lay down on his back for a few seconds, pop back up, and then he'd STILL hit the hole earlier than Dayne.

Think about some of the big wide open spaces that Walker and Dayne occasionally found themselves in. If Slaton hits something like that, it's over.

 

[Fox]

there would have been zero nail biting about Brown being there at 43. I don't think there is much of a chance the Falcons take Baker over him....taking that scenario meant that we would concede getting Brown and would have been stuck with no LT this year since there is little chance that Brown is there at 43. Kubiak stated that Brown was the last tackle on the board with the skillset Gibbs desired.

Not sure I follow. If I'm reading this right you're suggesting the Falcons would've taken Duane Brown over Sam Baker if they had the chance, but they traded up to draft Baker at 21. We didn't draft Brown until 26, 5 picks later. Not saying Brown wouldn't have been taken before 43, but doubtable it would've been by the Falcons.

 

[Fox]

To get the same effect, Slaton would have to get the ball, lay down on his back for a few seconds, pop back up, and then he'd STILL hit the hole earlier than Dayne.

Think about some of the big wide open spaces that Walker and Dayne occasionally found themselves in. If Slaton hits something like that, it's over.

Good point. Some of those 20-30 something yard scampers by Dayne were the result of enormous holes and good play calling. Given the same circumstances (which is bound to occur again and probably more often considering the upgrades in personnel and coaching), Slaton goes the distance. Same could be said for Brown and probably Green.

 

[Rex King]

I have another one - not trading Sage for the Vikings 3rd. If they didn't have that other 3rd, would they have been able to make the trade with the Chiefs? Would the Chiefs have been able to take Albert? Would some other team still have taken him?

 

[Hottoddie]

I'm sorry about bringing this back up, but I never put in my second guesses & wanted to. So, here goes.

MOVE 1: Trading two-second rounders for Schaub. (If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have taken at #48. Yes, this one allows for a little hindsight, but I'm a late-arriver to this board.)

While he was a bit pricey, I'm cool with this trade.

MOVE 2: Trading the #18 pick for the #26, #89 and #173. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans' should have taken at 18. Voiding this deal means you also void picks 89 and 173.

When the "Big 3" LT's & "Big 2" CB's came off the board before our pick, I expected a trade down of some sort. While we should've gotten more, this was a good trade.

MOVE 3: Trading the #183 pick to Denver for Chris Myers. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have picked at #183

This was a no-brainer trade. Good trade.

PICK 1: Selecting Duane Brown at #26.

I'm good with this trade. I wanted Baker when they moved back, but Atlanta traded up & stole him from us. Since Brown was the best remaining LT available, he had to be the pick.

PICK 2: Selecting Antwaun Molden at #79.

This was a great pick.

PICK 3: Selecting Steve Slaton at #89. Eliminate this pick if you believe the Texans should not have traded the #18 pick.

Here's where I had my first issue with the Texan's draft. With both Kevin Smith & Forte off the board, I would've changed my focus & selected Red Bryant (DT).

PICK 4: Selecting Xavier Adibi at #118.

This pick could be the steal of our draft.

PICK 5: Selecting Frank Okam at #151.

With Red Bryant on board, I would've turned my attention back to RB & taken Xavier Omon.

PICK 6: Selecting Dominique Barber at #173.

I believe we've got a very good FS in Will Demps. But what we don't have, is an intimidator at SS. I would've selected Caleb Campbell (SS) with this pick.

PICK 7: Selecting Alex Brink at #223.

I would've taken Eric Bakhtiari (DE) with this pick.

 

[mussop]

Pick 6: I would have been more pleased if they had taken Darrell Robertson or Brian Johnston as a rush DE prospect opposite of Mario.

Pick 7: Peyton Hillis, FB. Someone convinced me during the draft day thread that Hillis could be an upgrade to our FB crew.

That could of been me. I was and still am really high on Peyton Hillis. I bet he blows it up in Denver. I beleive he will be a star in tis leauge.

I really liked every player we selected in this draft except the last 2. In the
6th round I would of been happy with any of the following players.

Geno Hayes Linebacker Florida State
Spencer Larsen Linebacker Arizona
Ahtyba Rubin Defensive tackle Iowa State
Brian Johnston Defensive end Gardner-Webb
Chauncey Washington Running back USC

In the 7th round I would of been happy with any of these guys.

Peyton Hillis Fullback Arkansas
Marcus Monk Wide receiver Arkansas
Kirk Barton Offensive tackle Ohio State
Mario Urrutia Wide receiver Louisville


My actual picks would of been
6th round Ahtyba Rubin Defensive tackle Iowa State
7th round Peyton Hillis Fullback Arkansas

 

[b0ng]

I am completly fine with the draft and offseason moves this team has made. I Think duane brown will be a decent lineman as well.

 

[BattleRedToro]

I'm sorry about bringing this back up, but I never put in my second guesses & wanted to. So, here goes.

MOVE 1: Trading two-second rounders for Schaub. (If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have taken at #48. Yes, this one allows for a little hindsight, but I'm a late-arriver to this board.)

While he was a bit pricey, I'm cool with this trade.

MOVE 2: Trading the #18 pick for the #26, #89 and #173. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans' should have taken at 18. Voiding this deal means you also void picks 89 and 173.

When the "Big 3" LT's & "Big 2" CB's came off the board before our pick, I expected a trade down of some sort. While we should've gotten more, this was a good trade.

MOVE 3: Trading the #183 pick to Denver for Chris Myers. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have picked at #183

This was a no-brainer trade. Good trade.

PICK 1: Selecting Duane Brown at #26.

I'm good with this trade. I wanted Baker when they moved back, but Atlanta traded up & stole him from us. Since Brown was the best remaining LT available, he had to be the pick.

PICK 2: Selecting Antwaun Molden at #79.

This was a great pick.

PICK 3: Selecting Steve Slaton at #89. Eliminate this pick if you believe the Texans should not have traded the #18 pick.

Here's where I had my first issue with the Texan's draft. With both Kevin Smith & Forte off the board, I would've changed my focus & selected Red Bryant (DT).

PICK 4: Selecting Xavier Adibi at #118.

This pick could be the steal of our draft.

PICK 5: Selecting Frank Okam at #151.

With Red Bryant on board, I would've turned my attention back to RB & taken Xavier Omon.

PICK 6: Selecting Dominique Barber at #173.

I believe we've got a very good FS in Will Demps. But what we don't have, is an intimidator at SS. I would've selected Caleb Campbell (SS) with this pick.

PICK 7: Selecting Alex Brink at #223.

I would've taken Eric Bakhtiari (DE) with this pick.

I will go on record that I think that the combination of Frank Okam and Steve Slaton will outperform the combination of Red Bryant and Xavier Oman.

 

[ObsiWan]

4. No fair saying "they should have made a trade". We have no idea what trade offers were available to the team, so we can only assess the trades that we actually did make.

I love that rule....

MOVE 1: Trading two-second rounders for Schaub. (If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have taken at #48. Yes, this one allows for a little hindsight, but I'm a late-arriver to this board.)
MOVE 2: Trading the #18 pick for the #26, #89 and #173. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans' should have taken at 18. Voiding this deal means you also void picks 89 and 173.
MOVE 3: Trading the #183 pick to Denver for Chris Myers. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have picked at #183
PICK 1: Selecting Duane Brown at #26.
PICK 2: Selecting Antwaun Molden at #79.
PICK 3: Selecting Steve Slaton at #89. Eliminate this pick if you believe the Texans should not have traded the #18 pick.
PICK 4: Selecting Xavier Adibi at #118.
PICK 5: Selecting Frank Okam at #151.
PICK 6: Selecting Dominique Barber at #173.
PICK 7: Selecting Alex Brink at #223.

Move one - Pre-trade, I was for letting Carr & Rosenfels duke it out for the #1 spot and maybe bringing a third guy in to spice up the competition. Once I got a feel for who Schaub was, I got okay with it.
Move two - I was surprised and elated. We needed the extra picks very badly.
However, I anticipated a great uproar since that meant we passed on Mendenhall.
I was not disappointed.
Move three - A potential starting center for a 6th round pick... what's not to like?
Draft Picks - I trust the F/O to know what kind of players they need. However, I DID have an issue with our 7th round pick. Why we got another "project QB" instead of taking a flyer on another OL like Brandon Keith or Cory Clark so Gibbs would have more toys to play with. If not an OL then why not a DE or LB. We had four QBs on the payroll already.

 

[ObsiWan]

To get the same effect, Slaton would have to get the ball, lay down on his back for a few seconds, pop back up, and then he'd STILL hit the hole earlier than Dayne.

Slaton seen perfecting his Ron Dayne-timing

 

[adam]

Hindsight shows us that we would have been perfectly well off had we not acquired Schaub, as both he and Rosenfels played on about the same level. Granted, Schaub is younger and has more time to develop. That said, I think we may have vastly over paid for him. If I was going to get that 2nd rounder back, I may very well have drafted Quentin Groves (DE) to play opposite Mario down the line.

All hindsight though. I am pleased with our draft.

 

[BigBull17]

there would have been zero nail biting about Brown being there at 43. I don't think there is much of a chance the Falcons take Baker over him....taking that scenario meant that we would concede getting Brown and would have been stuck with no LT this year since there is little chance that Brown is there at 43. Kubiak stated that Brown was the last tackle on the board with the skillset Gibbs desired.

I agree 100%. Even if we reached a little, it doesnt matter. My thinking is he would have been nabbed by the Rams. Ill live with a reach if he is the guy they want.

Can you imagine Slaton hitting the same holes as Ron Dayne did last year? There is a slight difference in speed.

Like Earth is slightly bigger than the Moon...?

 

[El Tejano]

MOVE 1: Trading two-second rounders for Schaub. (If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have taken at #48. Yes, this one allows for a little hindsight, but I'm a late-arriver to this board.)
I liked this trade. At the time, our FO finally realized that HWNWNBM was not going to be the answer, we weren't going to try and start over with another rookie. Schaub was a hot commodity at the time with the most upside.
MOVE 2: Trading the #18 pick for the #26, #89 and #173. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans' should have taken at 18. Voiding this deal means you also void picks 89 and 173.
I would've taken Rashard Mendenhall. However, I've always stated that you can't argue with Houston for taking an OL in the first round. Alot of people thought Duane Brown could've been taken in the 2nd but the fact we didn't have a 2nd makes it all a mute point. Plus we got back our 6th and picked up Steve Slayton by doing so. I agreed with this move.
MOVE 3: Trading the #183 pick to Denver for Chris Myers. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have picked at #183
No issue with this at all

PICK 1: Selecting Duane Brown at #26.
See move 2

PICK 2: Selecting Antwaun Molden at #79.
Agree with this pick.

PICK 3: Selecting Steve Slaton at #89. Eliminate this pick if you believe the Texans should not have traded the #18 pick.
Agree with this pick.

PICK 4: Selecting Xavier Adibi at #118.
I agreed with this pick if it was in the 3rd round. So yes, I like

PICK 5: Selecting Frank Okam at #151.
Nice!!!

PICK 6: Selecting Dominique Barber at #173.
Didn't know much about him. Bringing in a safety late makes no difference to me.
PICK 7: Selecting Alex Brink at #223.
I'll go ahead and say I didn't agree. Mike Hart was there and a QB isn't on list of needs. That being said, next year we will have to get used to life without Sage.
Enjoy.

a

Those are my thoughts. Put'em down.

 

[beerlover]

nobody here is smarter (Texans draft wise) than Rick Smith.

I'm not for sure but I think Porky nailed the pick "which off the radar prospect could the Texans draft," as usual despite hundreds of hours digesting, reading & watching I completely missed the Texans 1st rd. pick. thats already on record. did pick Slayton & Molden however. never suspected Adibi or Okam to still be on the board. never heard of Barber, though I like what I've read & seen of him. Alex is going to really surprise y'all.

on the trade front I always want more picks so any trade that adds I'm in favour of any trade that substracts I'm against unless teams are willing to part ties with starting material.

 

[NBT]

Well didn't the pick after ours get traded for a 2nd and 5th this year and 1st next year (aka no 1st this year) or something to that extent?

You must take into account the fact that S.D., picking at #27 right behind us, has publicly stated they would have taken OLT Duane Brown there. It is awfully easy to hindsight Rick Smith & Kubiak, but I would give this Draft a couple of years to show its true colors before I started to carp!

 

[pappy]

I thought it would be interesting to create a thread where everyone who had a beef with some aspect of the Texans' draft declare whom they thought the Texans should have taken instead of the pick they made. Then, hopefully, a year or two from now, we can unearth this thread and see who was actually smarter than Rick Smith on draft day.

So consider this a contest: who had the best draft? Was it the Texans or someone posting here? We all love to second-guess the Texans, so let's set our own selves up for some second-guessing, too. If your "shoulda taken Y" take pans out, this thread will prove to everyone that you were, indeed, in favor of taking that player all along (before you had the benefit of hindsight). So, if it works as planned, this thread is basically a time capsule for the "I told you so"s of the world.

A couple of groundrules:

1. If you want to second-guess a pick, you must say whom they should have drafted instead. That "instead" player must have been available at the time (yes, I know if we undid an earlier pick, that would shake up the draft board a bit, but that variable is impossible to control).

2. The trades that affected this year's draft (Schaub, Myers, the trade-down) are included.

3. This thread is not intended to start debates on particular picks--I'd just like to get everyone on record (before any of these picks see the field) with who they thought we should have picked. This way, we can see who the true draft/personnel experts are. But feel free to give your reasons for the second-guess.

4. No fair saying "they should have made a trade". We have no idea what trade offers were available to the team, so we can only assess the trades that we actually did make.

So, without further ado, here's the transactions/picks at issue:

MOVE 1: Trading two-second rounders for Schaub. (If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have taken at #48. Yes, this one allows for a little hindsight, but I'm a late-arriver to this board.)

MOVE 2: Trading the #18 pick for the #26, #89 and #173. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans' should have taken at 18. Voiding this deal means you also void picks 89 and 173.

MOVE 3: Trading the #183 pick to Denver for Chris Myers. If you take issue with this trade, declare whom the Texans should have picked at #183

PICK 1: Selecting Duane Brown at #26.

PICK 2: Selecting Antwaun Molden at #79.

PICK 3: Selecting Steve Slaton at #89. Eliminate this pick if you believe the Texans should not have traded the #18 pick.

PICK 4: Selecting Xavier Adibi at #118.

PICK 5: Selecting Frank Okam at #151.

PICK 6: Selecting Dominique Barber at #173.

PICK 7: Selecting Alex Brink at #223.

Enjoy.

I would have picked
5 9 (144) DeMario Pressley instead of Steve slaton
7 6 (213) Chauncey Washington instead of Dominique Barber
7 33 (240) Allen Patrick instead of Alex Brink

 

[Hooston Texan]

OK, I'm digging up this time capsule. Just after the 2008 draft, I started this thread in hopes of getting folks here "on the record" with any second-guesses they had. That way, anyone who wants to be an "I told you so" will have the ammunition (and, conversely, anyone who claims to have told us so can be shut up if they didn't post in the thread--assuming they saw it, of course).

So review if you wish, but please disregard my comments doubting the Slaton pick. Guess I'm not smarter than Rick Smith!

 

[Polo]

This is a funny thread.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

So review if you wish, but please disregard my comments doubting the Slaton pick. Guess I'm not smarter than Rick Smith!

On the other hand, my comment about Slaton getting loose in space was pretty much spot on.

 

[drewmar74]

This is a funny thread.

Damn right.

I didn't look at the dates and I was thinking "Whoa - wtf? Who's still questioning Slaton as a draft choice no matter what round he was taken in..."

Feeling kind of foolish now - but probably not as foolish as some that posted in here originally!

 

[Vinny]

Damn right.

I didn't look at the dates and I was thinking "Whoa - wtf? Who's still questioning Slaton as a draft choice no matter what round he was taken in..."

Feeling kind of foolish now - but probably not as foolish as some that posted in here originally!

I remember posting mine 'cause the time was obviously beer:30 that day. I knew nobody would ever make any sense of gems like that I guess. I made sure to post carefully, going on the record and all.

 

[ObsiWan]

On the other hand, my comment about Slaton getting loose in space was pretty much spot on.

where's the :dislocates shoulder patting himself on the back: smiley?
j/k

this is amusing looking back to see what was said.
the funniest stuff - SWT going supernova when we passed on Mendenhall - isn't in this thread though

 

[Texaninlild]

I just love when I am right. I will be telling fortunes in the small tent up North.

 

[Ole Miss Texan]

I just went through and wrote a response for each question, then deleted it because I realized nobody wants answers today for last years draft.

But what I found out when answering in support of each move last year along with the draft and free agency moves this offseason... I realized that I think that I'm possibly, maybe sort of a Texans homer.

OMT: Hello, I'm Ole Miss Texan and I'm a Homer.
Group: [in unison] Hi Ole Miss.

 

[Mike Kerns]

This thread is great. I forgot how many people werent in favor of the Steve Slaton pick. It happens. Im not gloating.

I ate my crow about not taking Reggie in '06.

It was delicious.

 

[Ole Miss Texan]

This thread is great. I forgot how many people werent in favor of the Steve Slaton pick. It happens. Im not gloating.

I'm glad I don't have anything in writing.

Preseason he sounded like a 1st round and was put there in the mocks. I liked that we got him, I loved him as a player... but I totally bought into the "hype" that he was strictly a 3rd down back. I felt like we needed a RB that we could count on for more carries. Turns out he can and should have been a 1st rounder!!

That's a perfect example of why you draft BPA, so to speak. I could be wrong, but I don't think Kubiak initially thought he could be an everydown back. He chose him because he was arguably the best player on the board and had upside. He struck gold here. That of couse was assuming Ah-man-I'm-hurt was good to go.

I hope some of our picks like James Casey turns out this way. Not a need but chosen because he'd fit this team and was rated too high to pass up. I have a good feeling about this.