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2013 Texans Draft Needs?

steelbtexan said:
Patterson reminds me alot of a young AJ. He has that kind of ability. He will shoot up the draft boards after the combine. Allen will end up as the only WR drafted higher than Patterson. (I think he will come out early.)

Hyde is small for a S. He got in trouble with the law. Doesn't seem like a future Texan to me. Give me Swearinger in the 4th. A CB I really like that could be available later is Tharold Simon from LSU. He's not flashy but he does his job. (3rd/4th rd.
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Hyde is perfect imo for our safeties & at 6'1" could pick up some weight.

Legal issue (misdomeaner) and I suggest you read the entire article:


The police confronted the group at the corner of Bowery and Gilbert St., told them to stop and flashed their lights. Hyde and the rest of the group ignored the command and started running.


Police chased Hyde, who was apprehended two blocks away. According to the report, Hyde had “bloodshot watery eyes and an odor of an alcoholic beverage” and showed 6 of 6 signs of impairment and refused a post arrest breathalyzer.


Hyde stated “he had drunk a vodka/Sprite, a shot and a Bud Light earlier in the night.”

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201210061231/NEWS01/121006001&nclick_check=1

Also:
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement released Saturday that he was disappointed because all three players have been "good citizens" during their time in our program.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/...starter-despite-weekend-arrest/#ixzz29giQ3s8g
 
steelbtexan said:
Patterson reminds me alot of a young AJ. He has that kind of ability. He will shoot up the draft boards after the combine. Allen will end up as the only WR drafted higher than Patterson. (I think he will come out early.)

Hyde is small for a S. He got in trouble with the law. Doesn't seem like a future Texan to me. Give me Swearinger in the 4th. A CB I really like that could be available later is Tharold Simon from LSU. He's not flashy but he does his job. (3rd/4th rd.
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I hope your right about Patterson coming out early that'll just add to the depth at WR and allow us to get a good one in the 2nd round. Personally I think he stays in school and is then in the top 10 in 2014.

I have to agree with BB when I look at Hyde I see a SS that would be very good depth behind Quin or in place of him if we lose Quin to FA. Thanks for the new name at CB, Tharold Simon, I haven't seen him yet.
 
Not a draft need, but I want Kirk Cousins from the Redskins. I think he has "it", and needs to spend a couple of years under Kubes learning the ropes.
 
steelbtexan said:
Patterson reminds me alot of a young AJ. He has that kind of ability. He will shoot up the draft boards after the combine. Allen will end up as the only WR drafted higher than Patterson. (I think he will come out early.)

Hyde is small for a S. He got in trouble with the law. Doesn't seem like a future Texan to me. Give me Swearinger in the 4th. A CB I really like that could be available later is Tharold Simon from LSU. He's not flashy but he does his job. (3rd/4th rd.
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We sure seem to have a bunch more chinks in the armor than we did in August . I don't know about mock drafts but I do have likes and concerns .

1. A 3/4 with no pass rush from the OLB is a concern .
2. A TE who is a big target ( 6'6 ) and a really good blocker would be nice .
3. ILB depth
4. OL help
5. WR help
6. QB to groom to challenge TJ .
6. DL help
7. I like the OU FB .
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
We sure seem to have a bunch more chinks in the armor than we did in August . I don't know about mock drafts but I do have likes and concerns .

1. A 3/4 with no pass rush from the OLB is a concern .
2. A TE who is a big target ( 6'6 ) and a really good blocker would be nice .
3. ILB depth
4. OL help
5. WR help
6. QB to groom to challenge TJ .
6. DL help
7. I like the OU FB .
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We are still banging heads and reviewing tape and bouncing ideas off each other but hopefully you will like the Bye Week mock Beerlover, RMartin65 and I are creating. Not sure we agree with you though on drafting a QB as Kubes really likes Case Keenum. If we do select one it will be late round about where you identify one.
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
We sure seem to have a bunch more chinks in the armor than we did in August . I don't know about mock drafts but I do have likes and concerns .

1. A 3/4 with no pass rush from the OLB is a concern .
2. A TE who is a big target ( 6'6 ) and a really good blocker would be nice .
3. ILB depth
4. OL help
5. WR help
6. QB to groom to challenge TJ .
6. DL help
7. I like the OU FB .
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1. Mercilus was drafted to be that guy. I trust Wade.
2. Agreed TE is a need, but there isn't much difference in a 2nd rd TE like Sims and a 5th rd TE like Lutzenkirchen. (Who I really like alot) IMHO
3. We think alike on ILB, Knott from Iowa St. would be a good fit with the Texans
4. OL help, depends on how you feel Jones/Newton will develop. I rate this as a higher need because the Texans are a run 1st team.
5. This is the #1 need IMHO, Luckily this is a very talented and deep draft class.
6. If one of the top QB's fall (Bray) I would take him in the 1st rd. Otherwise a 3rd rd guy I like is Murray from Georgia. He reminds me of Brees.
6. DL help, NT is #2 need on my list, because if Cody leaves Micthell cant handle NT on an every down basis.
7. Love Millard, this guy is just a football player.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
DT -- Obviously, Wade doesn't want a classic NT. So let's get a good DT who's better at what Shaun Cody does than either Shaun or Earl are.
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Its not that he doesnt "want" that type of player , its that those guy's are few and far between and come with a premium price tag .... He's making do at the position with less and taking advantage of the skills of the players around him.

I guarantee you if he could have that guy right now , he'd jump at the chance.

Insideop said:
The Packers game should have exposed why we need a "classic NT." With a classic NT being the guy that takes 2 O-linemen to block him, that frees up JJ Watt and/or your LB's to make plays. In the GB game Watt was taking the double coverage leaving Cody to make the play. Ain't happening! :smiliepalm: Don't know if Wade will draft a bigger NT, but we definitely need on that will command 2 blockers, so Watt or the LB's can do their thing.
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The DL has had issues in earlier games being run against but the Packers definately exposed them. I really wonder how much missing Cushing has to do with what happened to the DL against GB.
Offenses have to account for Cushing on every play .... Not having to gameplan for both Cushing and Watt made their jobs significantly easier.

Either way , Cody will be a FA after the season and I have no idea if they will retain him or look to replace him in FA or the draft.

Considering really good DT/NT's tend to go early , finding that guy in the draft might be problematic , paying for that player in FA may be expensive too.



Right now , I dont know how I would rank the Texans needs in the coming draft , injuries , FA , players aging and some just not producing , even tho they are 5-1 I see a lot of improvement that could be made.


RG , RT , NT/DT , ILB , WR in no particular order.


RG/RT spots havent come along as well as most of us hoped .... maybe they improve over the course of the season. If not , these are positions in need of help considering how important the running game is to the execution of this offense.

NT/DT discussed above. Lots of options.


ILB - Expect Cushing back to his normal self and James hasnt been horrible but could be upgraded as well as the depth at the position. Sharpton isnt that guy.

WR - drafted a couple this year but they havent really produced , Going to hold off on calling it a serious need until further notice , hoping they rookies develop. Both have speed to burn .... and Jean will be back soon and he's a gamer.
 
steelbtexan said:
1. Mercilus was drafted to be that guy. I trust Wade.
2. Agreed TE is a need, but there isn't much difference in a 2nd rd TE like Sims and a 5th rd TE like Lutzenkirchen. (Who I really like alot) IMHO
3. We think alike on ILB, Knott from Iowa St. would be a good fit with the Texans
4. OL help, depends on how you feel Jones/Newton will develop. I rate this as a higher need because the Texans are a run 1st team.
5. This is the #1 need IMHO, Luckily this is a very talented and deep draft class.
6. If one of the top QB's fall (Bray) I would take him in the 1st rd. Otherwise a 3rd rd guy I like is Murray from Georgia. He reminds me of Brees.
6. DL help, NT is #2 need on my list, because if Cody leaves Micthell cant handle NT on an every down basis.
7. Love Millard, this guy is just a football player.
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Wade also drafted Brandon Harris, roc Carmichael and Shiloh keo....he brought in bradie James and ball too...

I'm not going to say any of those guys are busts, but they haven't made any kind of impact either.

Also, if barwin leaves we need another Olb. Hell, if barwin stays we need to find someone that can consistently pressure qb's in one on one situations.

Dion Jordan.

And I completely disagree on wr. No room. They are not going to shelve posey, jean or Martin this early. Kw looks good catching the ball this year. And Andre is not going anywhere. At least he shouldn't.

We have plenty of receiving weapons.
 
Rey said:
Wade also drafted Brandon Harris, roc Carmichael and Shiloh keo....he brought in bradie James and ball too...

I'm not going to say any of those guys are busts, but they haven't made any kind of impact either.

Also, if barwin leaves we need another Olb. Hell, if barwin stays we need to find someone that can consistently pressure qb's in one on one situations.

Dion Jordan.

And I completely disagree on wr. No room. They are not going to shelve posey, jean or Martin this early. Kw looks good catching the ball this year. And Andre is not going anywhere. At least he shouldn't.

We have plenty of receiving weapons.
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I love Jordan, however after the combine he will probably be a top 15 pick. I think Mercilus will get the 1st shot if Barwin walks. For the same reason you think Posey will get more PT next yr. Barwin $$$$ is going down by the game. Barwin needs to lose weight and Wade has changed his scheme slightly. With that said Barwin has vastly underperformed.

Patterson or Dobson have potential to be available late in the 1st rd, where the Texans should be picking. They not only would be BPA, but a position of need. IMHO You should check out their highlights. I've seen Patterson play many times and he reminds me of a younger version of AJ. If he's there late in the 1st rd you run your card to the podium and call it a night.
 
Rey said:
Wade also drafted Brandon Harris, roc Carmichael and Shiloh keo....he brought in bradie James and ball too...

I'm not going to say any of those guys are busts, but they haven't made any kind of impact either.

Also, if barwin leaves we need another Olb. Hell, if barwin stays we need to find someone that can consistently pressure qb's in one on one situations.

Dion Jordan.

And I completely disagree on wr. No room. They are not going to shelve posey, jean or Martin this early. Kw looks good catching the ball this year. And Andre is not going anywhere. At least he shouldn't.

We have plenty of receiving weapons.
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Only if you include TE/RB position. Andre the great has fallen, out of the top 20, currently ranked 29th. He has 25 receptions, 358 yards, 2 TD's big Whoop! After him it gets even worse, all the way down to 81st, Keven Walter with 15 receptions 205 yards & one TD. Really. Plenty of receiving weapons? Martin is now taking over kick return duties, he has dropped as many passes as he's caught (6 catches targeted 16 times). Lestar Jean had two receptions for 53 yards before season ending injury, last year he missed entire season & now your suggesting he can be counted on (ultimate shelf player so far). Posey??? Can't decide his biggest play the off sides call that allowed Green Bay another opportunity that resulted in a TD or the fumble recovery in the Packers end zone for a TD? so far he has a big gooses egg (0) heck even Matthew Stafford has at least one catch, ridiculous.

The Texans are in dire need of WR help & the best source of addressing this need is early in 2013 draft. Once Andre Johnson career is over people will look back *****, whine & complain how did the Texans not see this coming & find at least a suitable replacement (will probably never be fully replaced). :toropalm:
 
Ok, well ill just agree to disagree that wr is a top priority.

Guess our mocks will be completely different. :tiphat:
 
Rey said:
Ok, well ill just agree to disagree that wr is a top priority.

Guess our mocks will be completely different. :tiphat:
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Im with you on the WR position at least for the time being. I want to see how these young guy's perform thru the rest of the season before I pass judgement.


NT , ILB and OL are my top priorities as it stands now and picking late in the first round (one would assume) would be a good use of assets in picking one of those positions as the early picks tend to be used at more glamour positions. There is value to be found.
 
Corrosion said:
Im with you on the WR position at least for the time being. I want to see how these young guy's perform thru the rest of the season before I pass judgement.


NT , ILB and OL are my top priorities as it stands now and picking late in the first round (one would assume) would be a good use of assets in picking one of those positions as the early picks tend to be used at more glamour positions. There is value to be found.
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As I posted earlier, I don't see Kubiak going against history and moving any of our current WRs; however, BL has an accurate eval of our guys. None have done anything much including AJ. I love the guy but he is not the AJ of old. Not sure of reason.

If there is a guy that is a vast improvement over what we have, especially if he is an eventual replacement for Johnson, I pull trigger in first.
 
i think regardless of how our young guys perform, it's way past time to go after a #1 receiver. we may have some talent to develop, but i dont see anyone on our roster taking the job from andre. walter's going to get cut as soon as the next guy shows up, and martin looks to have the slot position. with 'dre slowing down i would move him to walter's spot and use our first on a #1 receiver - possibly moving tate to trade up.

ILB is the second position of need for me, but i'd be looking for a complete 3 down player if at all possible. someone who stays on the field with cushing when we go to nickel instead of rotating in another safety. more and more teams are spreading the field and we need to be more complete up front in nickel formations.

NT for obvious reasons is still something to look at, though one i'd probably look more towards free agency to find one - we know how well early round defensive tackles can be evaluated.

TE, OL, DB - late round players to continue adding depth.
 
Scooter said:
i think regardless of how our young guys perform, it's way past time to go after a #1 receiver. we may have some talent to develop, but i dont see anyone on our roster taking the job from andre. walter's going to get cut as soon as the next guy shows up, and martin looks to have the slot position. with 'dre slowing down i would move him to walter's spot and use our first on a #1 receiver - possibly moving tate to trade up.

ILB is the second position of need for me, but i'd be looking for a complete 3 down player if at all possible. someone who stays on the field with cushing when we go to nickel instead of rotating in another safety. more and more teams are spreading the field and we need to be more complete up front in nickel formations.

NT for obvious reasons is still something to look at, though one i'd probably look more towards free agency to find one - we know how well early round defensive tackles can be evaluated.

TE, OL, DB - late round players to continue adding depth.
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damn fine job scooter, I like the way you made it sound so simple :toast2:
 
Scooter said:
i think regardless of how our young guys perform, it's way past time to go after a #1 receiver. we may have some talent to develop, but i dont see anyone on our roster taking the job from andre. walter's going to get cut as soon as the next guy shows up, and martin looks to have the slot position. with 'dre slowing down i would move him to walter's spot and use our first on a #1 receiver - possibly moving tate to trade up.

ILB is the second position of need for me, but i'd be looking for a complete 3 down player if at all possible. someone who stays on the field with cushing when we go to nickel instead of rotating in another safety. more and more teams are spreading the field and we need to be more complete up front in nickel formations.

NT for obvious reasons is still something to look at, though one i'd probably look more towards free agency to find one - we know how well early round defensive tackles can be evaluated.

TE, OL, DB - late round players to continue adding depth.
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Yep let's go get a free agent nose to start and who will agree to play for nothing. lol
 
Honoring Earl 34 said:
Yep ... 300 plus guys who have a high motor and can move are called multi millionaires and are worth every penny .

The SEC has some huge NG types this year .
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Evaluating one now and Sylvester Williams plays @ 6 against Duke and Jesse Williams plays @ 6 against Tennessee (WR Cordarelle Patterson).
 
badboy said:
Yep let's go get a free agent nose to start and who will agree to play for nothing. lol
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We already have something pretty close in Cody, I think it's possible he resigns. But, I think Scooter's point is the FO can likely find comparable production via FA as opposed to sinking a high draft pick in an NT.

I'm with Scooter far as where our top two choices should be, personally I'd go ILB because the depth there is lacking but also because I don't think Bradie James is going to be here next year. Texans need a second 3 down ILB who can cover.

I'm not overly concerned at OLB right now and after dropping a first last year ona guy who is supposed to turn into a monster rusher last year I think the FO can look later in the draft for depth.
 
badboy said:
Yep let's go get a free agent nose to start and who will agree to play for nothing. lol
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we have 2 on the team now. smith did as much a few years ago, filling our ranks will well playing walk ons. sure the big names are going to command big money, but there are plenty of motivated heavies each year. my point was you're more likely to get production out of an overlooked free agent than amobi okoye or travis johnson - DT appears to miss more than hit in early rounds.
 
Scooter said:
we have 2 on the team now. smith did as much a few years ago, filling our ranks will well playing walk ons. sure the big names are going to command big money, but there are plenty of motivated heavies each year. my point was you're more likely to get production out of an overlooked free agent than amobi okoye or travis johnson - DT appears to miss more than hit in early rounds.
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Yep ... but you have to draft Vince Wolfork and Casey Hampton .
 
Goldensilence said:
We already have something pretty close in Cody, I think it's possible he resigns. But, I think Scooter's point is the FO can likely find comparable production via FA as opposed to sinking a high draft pick in an NT.

I'm with Scooter far as where our top two choices should be, personally I'd go ILB because the depth there is lacking but also because I don't think Bradie James is going to be here next year. Texans need a second 3 down ILB who can cover.

I'm not overly concerned at OLB right now and after dropping a first last year ona guy who is supposed to turn into a monster rusher last year I think the FO can look later in the draft for depth.
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Cody has played better than I expected but still our middle is a sieve. We can get a starter as low as third round. Cody is 30 in Jan & has back disk problems. Te'o is considered top 15 & Kevin Minter 2nd rated ILB (I like him) only got one tackle today against Texas A&M; was a sack but only one tackle? We have an ILB that can replace James and start but later than 2nd round.
 
Scooter said:
we have 2 on the team now. smith did as much a few years ago, filling our ranks will well playing walk ons. sure the big names are going to command big money, but there are plenty of motivated heavies each year. my point was you're more likely to get production out of an overlooked free agent than amobi okoye or travis johnson - DT appears to miss more than hit in early rounds.
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Two what? I think Wade Phillips has convinced most fans he knows how to draft. We are a SB contender with no cap room & we should not be signing low cost free agents to play significant minutes let alone start. See Alan Ball & Bradie James. This team is now where we should be drafting not signing FAs.
 
badboy said:
Cody has played better than I expected but still our middle is a sieve. We can get a starter as low as third round. Cody is 30 in Jan & has back disk problems. Te'o is considered top 15 & Kevin Minter 2nd rated ILB (I like him) only got one tackle today against Texas A&M; was a sack but only one tackle? We have an ILB that can replace James and start but later than 2nd round.
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Yep really would love to get Te'o and Cushing on the field, that'd be sick, too bad it's very unlikely to happen.

Saw the LSU game, but they had to play differently than they usually do, containing Manziel as opposed to the way they usually play downhill.

Who replaces James? Dobbins? Sharpton?

I guess I just think getting an ILB would give more immediate results than tagging another DT high, they're just so boom or bust.
 
76Texan said:
Anybody knows much about Ezekiel Ansah (BYU)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JxQlaxBHU

I saw him played anywhere on the line, from NT to OLB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JxQlaxBHU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O4NawUsjtc

During the BYU/ND game today, Mike Mayock mentioned that some scout told him Ansah may even slip into the first round. Can you believe that?
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Anything can happen. I think first is a bit high (due to him being so raw), but the athleticism is there. The comparisons to JPP are quite accurate, in my opinion.
 
badboy said:
Two what? I think Wade Phillips has convinced most fans he knows how to draft. We are a SB contender with no cap room & we should not be signing low cost free agents to play significant minutes let alone start. See Alan Ball & Bradie James. This team is now where we should be drafting not signing FAs.
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I think for a team to be truely successful , you have to do both - draft well and supliment your roster with quality signings from the FA market. That doesnt necessarily mean high priced , but high production for the cost.

The FA market tends to be the more expensive route to filling roster spots especially when dealing with veteran players as they have a higher minimum salary to go along with a body of work to base pay on. And premium positions /players expect a premium salary (See Mario Williams).
 
Corrosion said:
I think for a team to be truely successful , you have to do both - draft well and supliment your roster with quality signings from the FA market. That doesnt necessarily mean high priced , but high production for the cost.

The FA market tends to be the more expensive route to filling roster spots especially when dealing with veteran players as they have a higher minimum salary to go along with a body of work to base pay on. And premium positions /players expect a premium salary (See Mario Williams).
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Salary cap has just about eliminated free agent movement & that is what NFL wanted. We will see an occasional pick up like Harris who may give you a year or two at cheap cost but draft is way to go in future.
 
badboy said:
Salary cap has just about eliminated free agent movement & that is what NFL wanted. We will see an occasional pick up like Harris who may give you a year or two at cheap cost but draft is way to go in future.
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Eliminated FA movement.... I think that's a pretty overboard statement. I mean look at the Texans this year far as who got picked off the team via FA straight up and who had to be let go for cap reasons.

Corrosion is right in you have to be able to know how to draft and find good value in the FA market. I'm not really expecting the Texans to make another big splash like J. Joseph and Manning again soon, but if there's space next year and the FO feels like theres a player out there that is going to put the team over the top into the SB...I'd like to see them make that move.
 
OLine is the biggest need at this point. I don't like either guard. I also have to apologize to Winston cus I thought he was over-rated but after watching Newton I wish Eric was back.
 
Goldensilence said:
Eliminated FA movement.... I think that's a pretty overboard statement. I mean look at the Texans this year far as who got picked off the team via FA straight up and who had to be let go for cap reasons.

Corrosion is right in you have to be able to know how to draft and find good value in the FA market. I'm not really expecting the Texans to make another big splash like J. Joseph and Manning again soon, but if there's space next year and the FO feels like theres a player out there that is going to put the team over the top into the SB...I'd like to see them make that move.
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That is just it, there will be no space next year or years after; point being all the vet contracts being re-done to open up money under the cap. 2012 is first full year under cap after a full off season. As I stated in another thread couple months ago, examples like Mario support my position as teams like Buffalo come into line with the new CBA of spending percentage. IIRC, 2013 all teams must spend 90 % and only a few did not meet the 80% criteria this season. Also, many of the players who renegotiated their deals, like AJ so they could get upfront money and offer space under cap, that "Bonus" or upfront money is prorated and if player gets cut all of the prorated is forced into the cap.

This could be a good thing for us allowing us to keep good players without overpaying or losing to other teams: Barwin, Quin, Caldwell, Forsett, Casey, Cody, McCain, Butler (?), Demps, Dobbins, Gardner, Shane Graham, Harris, James, Donnie Jones, Nading, and Nolan. It is debatable which are "good."
 
badboy said:
That is just it, there will be no space next year or years after; point being all the vet contracts being re-done to open up money under the cap. 2012 is first full year under cap after a full off season. As I stated in another thread couple months ago, examples like Mario support my position as teams like Buffalo come into line with the new CBA of spending percentage. IIRC, 2013 all teams must spend 90 % and only a few did not meet the 80% criteria this season. Also, many of the players who renegotiated their deals, like AJ so they could get upfront money and offer space under cap, that "Bonus" or upfront money is prorated and if player gets cut all of the prorated is forced into the cap.

This could be a good thing for us allowing us to keep good players without overpaying or losing to other teams: Barwin, Quin, Caldwell, Forsett, Casey, Cody, McCain, Butler (?), Demps, Dobbins, Gardner, Shane Graham, Harris, James, Donnie Jones, Nading, and Nolan. It is debatable which are "good."
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I dunno if my understanding is right the cap has increased under the new CBA, not saying that directly helps the Texans given that they are currently going through a spell of having to decide who their core is going to be the next few years.

The real good, stable long terms teams have been that way for a while because they have learned to manage the cap teams like Pitt, N.E., Balt, Philly, and I think you gotta add the NYG to that list now.

I do think there is going to be some dead money coming off the books next year so that might help.

To me this is why guys like Wade and Gary in terms of being an offensive guru come into play. You need guys who have a system in place where you know what you are looking for and can plug them in and get production. You pay big performers the money and get what you can out of the draft and finding reasonable picks ups in FA.

I think the biggest gripe in the past for fans of the Texans was not being a big player in the FA market when there wasn't the kind of team core you could build around. Right now they've JUST entered that phase were you CAN point to guys and say... this is who we're going to build around. It's not hard to me atm to justify pretty much every extension the team has given out this year. I think for the first time we're seeing that.
 
TEXANRED said:
OLine is the biggest need at this point. I don't like either guard. I also have to apologize to Winston cus I thought he was over-rated but after watching Newton I wish Eric was back.
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I know Newton had some bad plays today but you can't give up on him yet. He's basically a Rookie just learning the ropes right now. It's the same as when Brown played his 1st year. He got schooled for at least the first half the season, and then slowly started improving until now being regarded as one of the best LT's in the game. That 1st year was pretty brutal for him and people on this board wanted him gone, and thought the Texans had "another blown 1st round pick." Don't give up on Newton yet. He still has a lot to learn. As for the 2 guards, well that's another story.....
 
Insideop said:
I know Newton had some bad plays today but you can't give up on him yet. He's basically a Rookie just learning the ropes right now. It's the same as when Brown played his 1st year. He got schooled for at least the first half the season, and then slowly started improving until now being regarded as one of the best LT's in the game. That 1st year was pretty brutal for him and people on this board wanted him gone, and thought the Texans had "another blown 1st round pick." Don't give up on Newton yet. He still has a lot to learn. As for the 2 guards, well that's another story.....
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I totally agree. I see a lot of potential in Newton, and to me, he's a better pass blocker than Winston. We definitely need to replace Wade & Caldwell. I'm really hoping Brooks will step up next season and challenge to start, like what Newton did this year.
 
Goldensilence said:
I dunno if my understanding is right the cap has increased under the new CBA, not saying that directly helps the Texans given that they are currently going through a spell of having to decide who their core is going to be the next few years.

The real good, stable long terms teams have been that way for a while because they have learned to manage the cap teams like Pitt, N.E., Balt, Philly, and I think you gotta add the NYG to that list now.

I do think there is going to be some dead money coming off the books next year so that might help.

To me this is why guys like Wade and Gary in terms of being an offensive guru come into play. You need guys who have a system in place where you know what you are looking for and can plug them in and get production. You pay big performers the money and get what you can out of the draft and finding reasonable picks ups in FA.

I think the biggest gripe in the past for fans of the Texans was not being a big player in the FA market when there wasn't the kind of team core you could build around. Right now they've JUST entered that phase were you CAN point to guys and say... this is who we're going to build around. It's not hard to me atm to justify pretty much every extension the team has given out this year. I think for the first time we're seeing that.
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Nope. Last season under old CBA 2009: The cap was due to increase $7 million to $123 million this season, but additional adjustments stipulated in the current CBA will increase the total amount that teams can spend on player compensation to about $128 million. The $12 million increase is the largest in three years. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4169590


2010: uncapped

2011: first under new CBA : Earlier this week it was revealed that the salary cap for the 2011 NFL season would be 120 million. John Clayton also reported that there could be an addition 20 million available in ancillary benefits. The biggest development is that the cap floor will be 90% of the cap. Raising the cap floor will force all teams to spend at least 108M.http://nflfootballnow.com/2011/07/21/2011-nfl-salary-cap-and-floor-where-32-teams-stand/

2012: The salary cap for next season has been set at $120.6 million, according to league sources. As expected, the figure is almost identical to last year’s salary cap of $120 million.The league later confirmed the figures'

2013: ESPN’s John Clayton previously reported that the cap is supposed to go from $120.6 million to roughly $120.9 million in 2013. That’s an increase of only $300,000 -- not good news for any NFC South team.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/33468/nfc-south-cap-woes-to-continue-in-2013

Also: 2013: Minimum team spending begins: One of the highlights of the labor deal, from the perspective of the players, comes from the requirement that each team muat spend at least 89 percent of the salary cap in cash on an annual basis. “We cannot have teams like KC spend only 67% of the cap like they did in 2009,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees wrote in an e-mail to his teammates. “It doesn’t matter how high the cap is if they are only going to spend that much. So with a minimum in place, it requires all teams to be at or above that minimum. More money in players pockets.”

The players got what they wanted. But it doesn’t apply until 2013.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/30/per-team-spending-minimum-doesnt-apply-until-2013/

GS, here is a great tool for cap questions http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/FAQ.aspx
 
I'm going to assume Wade & Gary were right & their "projects" work out. Caldwell & Newton, already as good as Brisiel & Winston in pass pro step it up & we again have the best line in the NFL at the end of the season. Myers & Brown go to the Pro-Bowl & first team All-pro. Garrett, Casey, & OD become the best trio of TE/FBs in the league. & Jean & Martin solidify our recieving needs & Posey shows flashes of why he was drafted (he's been out of football for a long time, expecting him to be uber productive with the number of young WR talent + Andre + Walter + TEs/FB + Foster/Tate is asking for a bit too much).

Reed blows up, Barwin blows up, Merci blows up, Crick takes over at NT, Watt stays Watt, Kareem & Jjo go to the Pro-bowl, Joseph is also All-Pro, Jackson is 2nd team, Quin & Manning are the best safety tandem in the league....

In short, we have no glaring needs.

Assuming this, I'd hope the Texans would draft...... the most dynamic punt/kick returner in the draft.
 
Fiddler said:
I'm going to assume Wade & Gary were right & their "projects" work out. Caldwell & Newton, already as good as Brisiel & Winston in pass pro step it up & we again have the best line in the NFL at the end of the season. Myers & Brown go to the Pro-Bowl & first team All-pro. Garrett, Casey, & OD become the best trio of TE/FBs in the league. & Jean & Martin solidify our recieving needs & Posey shows flashes of why he was drafted (he's been out of football for a long time, expecting him to be uber productive with the number of young WR talent + Andre + Walter + TEs/FB + Foster/Tate is asking for a bit too much).

Reed blows up, Barwin blows up, Merci blows up, Crick takes over at NT, Watt stays Watt, Kareem & Jjo go to the Pro-bowl, Joseph is also All-Pro, Jackson is 2nd team, Quin & Manning are the best safety tandem in the league....

In short, we have no glaring needs.

Assuming this, I'd hope the Texans would draft...... the most dynamic punt/kick returner in the draft.
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As you know there are some red flags waving in your post. Jean has to remain healthy enough to get on field and then do something. Posey to be worth a third should be able to line up out of the neutral zone even if he missed last year. I have little to no expectations of him this season but he better get it together next season same as Brandon Harris who should be cut if he can't do much better by game 2-3 next year if McCain gone. I think FA Caldwell is gone & why we drafted Jones and Brooks & Smith placed rookie Cody WHite OG on roster when another team tried to sign him off PS.
Crick is doing all he can to earn a spot at DE but is not a nose. Cody is FA and Mitchell is not a starter. In short a glaring need.

AJ as of now is an average WR1 and there is no deep threat on the roster. In short a glaring need.

You completely ignore ILB with James doing little and absolutely nothing behind him. In short a glaring need.

If Barwin blows up, we cannot afford to re-sign him most likely and if he does not do much more than he has prior to Baltimore, why should we keep him. OLBs in our scheme are not assigned to get close to QB but to disrupt and sack QB. If he is gone (Mario) we have basically same package as last year. Mercilus plays the Brooks Reed role as new starter & if we continue with script fom last draft, we go OLB in first round. In short a pretty glaring need.

If FA Quin wants more than we can pay, in short a glaring need.

If FA McCain leaves who replaces him? Carmichael and Harris cannot get on field. In short a glaring need.
 
Now that the season is halfway over and we've had a good chance to evaluate the team, let's see yalls updated list of team needs in the 2013 draft in order. You can take into affect who you think we'll lose/retain in FA. Does DE become a need with the injury to Jamison, if so what round? Do you have faith in Newton to be the answer at RT, will he anchor the position for years to come, and if not what round to select his replacement?
 
Wolf6151 said:
Now that the season is halfway over and we've had a good chance to evaluate the team, let's see yalls updated list of team needs in the 2013 draft in order. You can take into affect who you think we'll lose/retain in FA. Does DE become a need with the injury to Jamison, if so what round? Do you have faith in Newton to be the answer at RT, will he anchor the position for years to come, and if not what round to select his replacement?
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I don't think Jamison changes our draft plans. We were likely to draft a DE anyways to groom in case Antonio leaves in the near future. Newton's play at RT has net been as good as expected making that our biggest need.

I see us re-signing Quin and Casey and one of the vet ILBs. I think Barwin gets paid more elsewhere and Cody is replaceable. With that said here's how I see our draft needs:

Early:
RT - Newton has failed IMO but would be a good swing tackle. Unfortunately, most of the top this OT class are juniors so it remains to be seen if there will be one for us at the end of round 1.

Middle:
ILB - Need a starter here. This is not a higher need because it's a 2-down position. I think the biggest question is whether we want a coverage LB or a thumper type. Our ILBs this season have struggled in coverage but generally the 2-down ILB is used in running and not passing downs.
DT - Similar to ILB. Don't think we go for a behemoth as ability to penetrate is more important in this system.
OG/C - Caldwell replacement and potential heir to Wade Smith. If they can play OC even better given that our backup OC is now our starting RG.
CB - McCain is a FA and we seem to draft a mid-round CB often.

Late or BPA in earlier rounds:
DE - Will Antonio price himself out of our range?
S - Can we find somebody better that Quintin Demps as our dime back?
WR - Will Kubiak give up on Posey this early? Walter also only has 1 more season with no guaranteed money left.
RB - Tate might be trade-bait
TE - no true blocking TE on the team anymore.
OLB - Just for depth. Mercilus can replace Barwin's production.
 
dsorc said:
I don't think Jamison changes our draft plans. We were likely to draft a DE anyways to groom in case Antonio leaves in the near future. Newton's play at RT has net been as good as expected making that our biggest need.

I see us re-signing Quin and Casey and one of the vet ILBs. I think Barwin gets paid more elsewhere and Cody is replaceable. With that said here's how I see our draft needs:

Early:
RT - Newton has failed IMO but would be a good swing tackle. Unfortunately, most of the top this OT class are juniors so it remains to be seen if there will be one for us at the end of round 1.

Middle:
ILB - Need a starter here. This is not a higher need because it's a 2-down position. I think the biggest question is whether we want a coverage LB or a thumper type. Our ILBs this season have struggled in coverage but generally the 2-down ILB is used in running and not passing downs.
DT - Similar to ILB. Don't think we go for a behemoth as ability to penetrate is more important in this system.
OG/C - Caldwell replacement and potential heir to Wade Smith. If they can play OC even better given that our backup OC is now our starting RG.
CB - McCain is a FA and we seem to draft a mid-round CB often.

Late or BPA in earlier rounds:
DE - Will Antonio price himself out of our range?
S - Can we find somebody better that Quintin Demps as our dime back?
WR - Will Kubiak give up on Posey this early? Walter also only has 1 more season with no guaranteed money left.
RB - Tate might be trade-bait
TE - no true blocking TE on the team anymore.
OLB - Just for depth. Mercilus can replace Barwin's production.
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I disagree with you on Newton. He gave up the sack to Mario but compare him to D. Brown's first season. Derek is in second year but only had about 17 snaps last season.
 
Texans or any football organization will always have needs. One concept that is hard to diagnose are cap ramifications as player career's transcend, evolve in scheme, clubhouse impact on field production. Can they be replaced & what is the cost? Texans draft based on best player available who can help improve/sustain team. So in essence it could be any position if that player is deemed best player on their board. WR, NT, ILB, DE, OT, CB & Safety are all valued positions, could be any of them, whoever falls into their laps. My focus & others who study the draft are to find & select elite talent who fit on this team. It's not enough just to say he has a high motor, prospect should also have athletic ability to become a play maker. Speed alone won't cut it, must also block, run correct routes & play smart. A prospect can plug the middle but also demonstrate ability to penetrate & collapse the pocket. Linemen maybe asked to kick inside or play outside so versatility is a plus. A corner who can play on an island yet physical with size & competent in run support or blitz the QB another favorite.

For each position they are layers of skill sets Texans grade out as important, ultimately built into their draft grade so when the moment comes in April all the research & evaluation allow them to see clearly in the ultra competitive environment that is the NFL Draft. :wesmantexanfan:
 
Wolf6151 said:
I know it's a bit early but what do you think our team needs will be in the 2013 draft? Take into account players reaching FA, expensive players about to reach FA, salary cap casualties, needs not addressed in 2012 draft, under performing players, etc... I can forcast the needs being:

DE, I think Antonio Smith is a salary cap casualty and depending on value may be replaced early unless Crick just becomes a beast.
DT/NT, I think Sean Cody is a salary cap casualty and a new rotation at NT will be Mitchell and 2013 draft pick unless Fangupo becomes a beast from UDFA.
CB, you can never have to many good CB's and next season we'll see what we have in Jackson, Carmichael, and Harris. If someone lets us down this could be an early pick.
RB, Tate will be a FA after 2013 season so we may look for a replacement a year early depending on value on the board and trade Tate after next season, like the Pats do, unless he agrees to a very team friendly extension which isn't likely.
OT, Butler will be a FA after next season and thus will become quite expensive unless we're sure he's the future of the RT position and we extend him in mid season for a team friendly price.
WR, regardless of the 2012 draft we probably still have a big hole at #2 WR.
QB, we had a thread devoted to the possible trade up in 2013 draft for a future franchise QB unless we see alot of improvement in Yates next season.
TE, OD is getting more expensive and he's just not as good as he was 2-3 yrs. ago.

Opinions?
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Decided to read your original thread again at 7-1. I may have posted this before but it is so obvious to me (lol) Crick may eventually replace Smith but maybe not if Smith plays as he has last two seasons. Texans would save his last contract year bonus $2.5m count against 2013 cap but could save his $6m salary if cut after this season. That is significant and at 32 next year, I cannot see him being extended even to lower his salary. How do we replace him? I use to think Earl Mitchell, not so sure now. If we see more of Crick that should tell us something.

Nose in draft is a must.

Corner? I think we are solid UNLESS Joseph's injury get's worth or reduces his ability. He is good at 90 % but we need him to be JJ of last year rest of his career. He plays such an important role.

Tate I cannot get a grasp of him or what to do going forward. He is rib-eye on the field but if you can only look at it on the menu, it does nothing to feed the hunger. I think his trade value is dropping every missed game. Hopefully, he will be back soon & have solid games. We were in driver's seat with trading him for value or playing him thru his cheap 2013 contract.

Forsett is all over the board even if his over all avg is good 4.4. How he got there is crazy first and last game less than 2 yds avg with second and third very good 5.3 (Baltimore) 6.7 GB. Too crazy to figure out. He's probably gone in free agency.

WR if a Woods or Allen (injury out for season) drops we should draft him first round as a franchise type player. I do not see that. I am hoping Nix falls to us in second so we can use first for a special guy I am reviewing. Problem is, how do you allow the best Nose to get past you in first and sweat 32+ picks? See above..Nose is a must.

TE: are you feeling silly yet about OD not as good as 2-3 years earlier? At mid season, he is avg 4.62 receptions/game x 13.9 yds per catch= 64.2875 per game x 8 remaining games= 514.3 yds. He has 478 + 514= 992 yards. As he is 30 (Nov 9th) with two years left = $8.5, do you bonus him & extend him a couple years non guaranteed to lower cap hit? Could Casey step into OD's shoes next season and we cut Daniels & save 8.5m? If so, better find a FB. Would Graham be a possible FB?

OLB (not on your list) nothing has changed to convince me Barwin returns.
 
Funny thing about Crick, one even two years ago on this very board members discussed merits of Crick playing nose for the Texans. Now that very moment may be upon us. :kitten:
 
Wow doing Texans 2013 draft needs in order of importance is tough, harder than I thought it would be. I think the Texans take a BPA at a position of need approach to the draft.

1. NT, Cody will be a FA, not worthy of an expensive FA contract, and Mitchell isn't ready to be a full time NT. I think Mitchell should be moved to DE depth with the injury to Jamison and solve our DE depth issues. 1st or 2nd round pick.

2. WR, I like Martin at #3 in the slot but Jean has shown nothing, and I think Posey was just a mistake. Obvious need, 1st - 3rd round pick.

3. O-line, RT is the giant elephant in the room that's obvious to everyone but no one knows what to do yet. I guess we'll know more about Newton at the end of the season. I still think a quality OT/OG pick is a necessity as the future of the O-line looks to be changing in the next couple years (Caldwell, W. Smith, and possibly Newton). This might be addresses twice in rounds 2 - 5.

4. ILB, provided Cushing is back next year it sure would be nice to have a young talented 2 down ILB playing next to him, one with potential for the future. 3rd - 5th round.

5. CB, I think we lose McCain to FA so some depth here would be nice. We still don't know what we have in Harris and Carmichael. 4th - 5th round.

6. FB & P, they're not glaring needs but solidifying these positions for years to come sure would be nice with some young inexpensive talent. 6th or 7th round.


DE is a possibility if like BB says and we save the 6 mil. salary but pay out the 2.5 mil. bonus to Antonio Smith. He's been playing really well and I'd hate to lose him in a money saving venture. Also if we cut Antonio to save money we'd be replacing 2/3 of our D-line at one time, and that can't be good.

TE is also a possibility but I think OD contract makes it unwise to cut him to try and save some money and he has also been playing extremely well this year, contrary to what I thought would happen. Got that one wrong obviously. Wrap some bacon around it and even crow tastes good.

RB is another possibility depending on what we do with Tate in the offseason. His trade stock sure seems to be going down this year though with little use and injuries. Hopefully he gets better and plows us into the playoffs and raises his trade stock again. With so many other needs/places to improve we sure could use the extra picks.

Safety, if we re-sign Quin this isn't really much of a need, I like Demps and Nolan as depth. They aren't starters but they're not bad either, maybe some late round Safety competition that moves Keo off the roster.

OLB, another position that's only a possibility if we lose Barwin to FA. I sure don't want him to go but I can only see him staying if we really get a sweet heart deal from him. I think BB might be right here, we may lose him, I'm 50/50 on the issue at this time. We won't be keeping Mercilus on the bench next season but we could possibly move Reed to ILB so that we can keep all 3 (Barwin, Reed, and Mercilus) and also solve our ILB issues at the same time. Food for thought.
 
Wolf6151 said:
Wow doing Texans 2013 draft needs in order of importance is tough, harder than I thought it would be. I think the Texans take a BPA at a position of need approach to the draft.

1. NT, Cody will be a FA, not worthy of an expensive FA contract, and Mitchell isn't ready to be a full time NT. I think Mitchell should be moved to DE depth with the injury to Jamison and solve our DE depth issues. 1st or 2nd round pick.

2. WR, I like Martin at #3 in the slot but Jean has shown nothing, and I think Posey was just a mistake. Obvious need, 1st - 3rd round pick.

3. O-line, RT is the giant elephant in the room that's obvious to everyone but no one knows what to do yet. I guess we'll know more about Newton at the end of the season. I still think a quality OT/OG pick is a necessity as the future of the O-line looks to be changing in the next couple years (Caldwell, W. Smith, and possibly Newton). This might be addresses twice in rounds 2 - 5.

4. ILB, provided Cushing is back next year it sure would be nice to have a young talented 2 down ILB playing next to him, one with potential for the future. 3rd - 5th round.

5. CB, I think we lose McCain to FA so some depth here would be nice. We still don't know what we have in Harris and Carmichael. 4th - 5th round.

6. FB & P, they're not glaring needs but solidifying these positions for years to come sure would be nice with some young inexpensive talent. 6th or 7th round.


DE is a possibility if like BB says and we save the 6 mil. salary but pay out the 2.5 mil. bonus to Antonio Smith. He's been playing really well and I'd hate to lose him in a money saving venture. Also if we cut Antonio to save money we'd be replacing 2/3 of our D-line at one time, and that can't be good.

TE is also a possibility but I think OD contract makes it unwise to cut him to try and save some money and he has also been playing extremely well this year, contrary to what I thought would happen. Got that one wrong obviously. Wrap some bacon around it and even crow tastes good.
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i think we resign cody. he wont demand much money we will be able to resign him but i agree that NT is still a massive need. you get another playmaker on that line and it becomes a force for the next 10 years! THINK ABOUT THAT !!!

i dont think WR is a need this season, to call posey a mistake this early i think is a little rash i would give one more year. unless one of the top WR's fall.
Im all for bringing in another TE over a WR. THe 2nd TE is a lot more important in our Offence the the 2nd WR.

everything else im with you
 
aussie_texan said:
i think we resign cody. he wont demand much money we will be able to resign him but i agree that NT is still a massive need. you get another playmaker on that line and it becomes a force for the next 10 years! THINK ABOUT THAT !!!

i dont think WR is a need this season, to call posey a mistake this early i think is a little rash i would give one more year. unless one of the top WR's fall.
Im all for bringing in another TE over a WR. THe 2nd TE is a lot more important in our Offence the the 2nd WR.

everything else im with you
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FYI, some of us (mostly mockers) watch and talk about players way before they get to NFL.

WR: I tend to agree with you on WR especially Posey being given another year. Still, if a super good WR drops, I'd be all over that as you said. Also agree with you on TE. Will be adding a thread (not a mock) to NFL Mock section soon. Appreciate your comments.
 
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