ESPN on this draft's defensive talent:
So folks, how do you rank the defensive talent and what will each guy improve Texans D?
This year's draft, most personnel chiefs agree, is not especially deep on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, most scouts have trouble predicting which prospect might be the first defensive player to go off the board and just how high the initial defender will be selected. The two names most often mentioned, Antrel Rolle of Miami and Adam "Pacman" Jones of West Virginia, are cornerbacks. A few talent evaluators suggest that Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson, a guy who surprisingly gets some mixed reviews because there are scouts who feel he's a "runaround" player who doesn't take on blocks very well, could be the first defender off the board.
But if you're looking for a player who is on the rise, hybrid defender Shawne Merriman of Maryland is certainly a name to remember. Merriman demonstrated at his Wednesday pro day workout on campus just what an incredible athlete he is. At 6-foot-4 3/8 and 274 pounds (two pounds more than he weighed at the combine), he clocked 40-yard performances that scouts timed in the 4.57-4.65 range. He had a vertical jump of 40 inches and a 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump. "The guy," said one NFC scout, "is an absolute freak. You'd better keep your eye on him because, based on some teams' needs, he could be the first defensive guy [taken]. It really is a possibility." Depending on the team, and how it projects him, Merriman could be a linebacker in either a 4-3 or 3-4 defense. Certainly he fits the new age model of a hybrid edge defender in a 3-4 front. For some 4-3 teams, he could play end, for sure. "That's where we'd have him," said the coordinator for a team that plays a 4-3 as its base defense. "I'd put his hand on the ground and let him rush the quarterback. I think, as he matures, Merriman would be a 12- to 15-sack guy."
So folks, how do you rank the defensive talent and what will each guy improve Texans D?