My thought is that we need to pick up a Center in Free Agency. Whether that is Nalen, Bentley, or another rock-solid center, that is for better people than me to decide. With a second round pick, if he is available, I hope the Texans take Dave Thomas. Of the Longhorns out there on the free market, he is the one who has impressed me most over the past year. Plus, he is not ranked as high, so I think there is a good chance he will be available in Round 2. This is the upgrade needed at TE. Then, if another player is available in the third round, take Eric Winston. Put Eric on IR for this year to let him heal, the way Buffalo did McGahee. I am betting the future on this one. It means this year we have the upgrade at Center that is the lodestone/linchpin in this line, and next year I can move Eric in at RT as our right side is showing its age.
Assuming we are going to a 4-3, we need an upgrade at LB. That is where I am out of ideas. To be honest, I have not kept up on this position as well as I have the offensive line. Is the linebacker position very deep this year? I don't know, but I would put money into a second rounder.
A lot of people want to do a major overhaul on the defense, and I can appreciate that sentiment. The loss of key veteran players like Sharper really showed last year. However, I think that unless we are bringing some guys in via free agency, we are not going to get the immediate upgrade we all want. Second, the defense was green last year. Really, really green. It was hard to find somebody who had played more than two years for the Texans (on last year's D). So I think this is where I would look to coaching to improve the game. Give some people in secondary and on the line that second chance to show what they can do with a new scheme and new coaching.
That is all I have. Basically, two new faces on the O-line next year, Eric the year after that, and one new face on the defensive front four.
