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Olinemen in the 2019 draft.
- Thread starter Texansphan
- Start date
For the record, I'm not saying Dillard was/is overrated. Many of the draftniks mocked him to us at 23. He went at 22. I think the draftniks were right on him.
I think the Texans sht the bed in the draft. Dillard gone, they should have traded down.
So this is where I disagree. The rumors I heard was the Texans could have executed a trade for the 8th overall position. I'd have liked for the Texans to have made that trade to get their franchise LT. That's usually, I think, where franchise LTs go... in the first 15 picks.
In hindsight, knowing Dillard was available at 22, I'm glad the Texans didn't trade up to get him at 8. I'm not too upset they didn't trade up to get him at 22. They weren't feeling him, there was at least one other tackle they wanted on their board.
I didn't like any of the DBs in this class so not too upset they didn't take one. Same with WR. The Center I wanted was off the board. I liked Johnson, would have liked him there.
But they should have traded down imo.
TheRealJoker
Hall of Fame
Exactly. The undrafted Jalen Jelks who had 3.5 sacks last season would be considered a mediocre rusher. Dillard did not face stiff competition. Really only Jonah Williams and Jawaan Taylor could say that consistently.
OptimisticTexan
2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
Actually, you forgot Mitch Hyatt, LT for Clemson who started all 4 years as LT and on 2 CFB Champions. He was an UDFA and could've been had by the Texans without even using a draft pick. It was no accident that this guy remained the starter for 4 fairly injury free seasons and was recognized as one of the top college OL. I will not be surprised if Hyatt makes it in the NFL.
Why wasn't he drafted and who did he sign with?
OptimisticTexan
2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
The Cowboys signed him. The Cowboys were the team that won a post draft bidding war for his services. The coveted him enough to give him a contract that has enough guaranteed money to better the contracts that the RD6 and RD7 draftees will receive. The pursuit of Hyatt might've been to rich for the Texans blood. Some have even mentioned that Hyatt could be the steal of the UDFA class. It appears Hyatt will be in competition with Su'a-Filo for a spot on the 53 man roster.
One thing is for certain......no way in hail will the Cowboys be able to coach this guy up and then try and hide him on their PS......if they do, the Texans better have their eyes and ears open and pounce if the opportunity presents itself. The Cowboys will be coaching him up on the inside more than likely and with his solid 4 years of success as a LT in college......that would make him a versatile OL and we all know versatile OL can get OB dry humping the air in a second.
Pssshh... we drafted a FB
Wouldn't you really love to know how the Texans trulyrated the tackles in the Draft, I know I would ?
I don't believe for a moment they rated Howard higher than either Dillard or Williams, do you, but apparently they felt there was nearly parity between Howard
and Dillard else they would have kicked-in the third rounder to move for Dillard ?
I do not believe they rated Howard higher than Dillard. Nothing that happened in the draft suggests they did.
It is possible they thought Howard was a better fit. Again, no evidence by the way they drafted.
They did not think Dillard was worth their 1st & 3rd. That's clear.
They thought Howard was as good a prospect as Greedy Williams, Rock-Ya Sin & a slew of others. That's clear. Even if they consider it too Risky to try to trade down & still get Howard. Taking him at 23 in lieu of other players says they thought he was worth that pick to them.
I think they missed on Nate Solder, Martinas Rankin, Trent Brown, Donald Penn & didn't want to start training camp with Davenport & Kalil as our best & only options.
Like I said before, with these coaches we have to draft (acquire) 8 LTs to make sure we get one at LT.
TheRealJoker
Hall of Fame
Agreed. I think Dillard was higher on their board but not high enough to warrant giving up a top 100 (3rd round) pick to get him. Think that he was rated higher on their board than the OTs that went shortly after him via trade ups (Mcgary/Little/Taylor with medical red flag) that they did not want to risk losing him via trade down (because they would have been leapfrogged again...likely by the Falcons/Panthers/Jags who moved up to get their OTs.
AngryNateFTW
Veteran
It's only year 2 for Rankin?
throwANDREtheBALL
Waterboy
I don't think Rankin is a bust yet either.
I think he could turn into a solid LG or C.
I don't think he's a LT though...and I'm pretty sure they were hoping he was a LT
This front office has a lot of swinging and missing on finding a LT
That's the sad part
So anyone telling me Dillard was rated the same as Howard on the Texans board is either full of crap, or even worse, they are right which means the Texans have no idea what a LT really is
I think he could turn into a solid LG or C.
I don't think he's a LT though...and I'm pretty sure they were hoping he was a LT
This front office has a lot of swinging and missing on finding a LT
That's the sad part
So anyone telling me Dillard was rated the same as Howard on the Texans board is either full of crap, or even worse, they are right which means the Texans have no idea what a LT really is
Why do teams invest so much time studying players? Why bother evaluating the game film. Why interview the players, why go to pro days, etc...
All they got to do is watch a few YouTube cutups & look up a few mock drafts. Especially the mocks closer to the draft.
All they got to do is watch a few YouTube cutups & look up a few mock drafts. Especially the mocks closer to the draft.
Right. But steelbtexan says he's a Guard. I'm talking about missing on LT.
they just need to check in with ttmb and steelb to know everything
TheRealJoker
Hall of Fame
Lots of people thought he’d be moved inside in the pros due to size. Unfortunately got hurt in rookie minicamp and thrown out there with basically 1 week of practice once Henderson got hurt. I think he can be this team’s. Chester Pitts. Drafted LT and moved to LG due to size where he’s a solid player. A full offseason healthy will do wonders for him.
OptimisticTexan
2024 / Rebuilding Block 4 After Playoffs / Texans
Wouldn't it be nice if both Davenport and Rankin take big steps forward in their development this season. If Howard and Scharping turn out to be solid picks....it could be the makings for a big turnaround by a young Texans OL.
TheRealJoker
Hall of Fame
“Rising tide lifts all boats” rings true for OL play. All it takes is one stud to emerge and the dominos start to fall making the rest of the OL’s job easier and thus creating an improved OL!
Texansphan
Football connoisseur
I think this is true - one good player on the line can raise the performance of his cohorts. One only has to look at Colts line last season - once Nelson got acclimated and started getting used to things, their whole line's character/performance changed pretty noticeably and Andrew Luck became the Luck we hoped would not resurface.
Their running game also became something to be 100% aware of.
An average QB with a good line becomes so much better and a good QB with a good line becomes excellent.
I am hoping our line can start to gel by midseason and we will start to see what Watson is really capable of.
Yep, but you also need a LT, all good OL's have a good/great LT.
We all hope they get better and gel.
Texansphan
Football connoisseur
Of course that is optimal, but can you name Colts LT without looking it up? I can't.
My point stands - Colts line became decent in short order with the emergence of not a LT, but a top flight Guard.
1st rd pick Anthony Costanzo.
Costanzo took over for another 1st rd LT Tarik Glenn.
Commitment to protecting their QB, minus the Grigson yrs.
I still believe using such a high pick on an interior OLineman as was done with Nelson is unwise but he is apparently an excellent NFL lineman.
For me the key to the Colts line was drafting Auburn guard Braden Smith in he second round who the Colt converted to a RT and he's become their consistant starter there.
Lots of college tackles fail to make it and end up indsie but sometimes a really good college guard successfully converts and succeed at tackle in the NFL.
The investment in the OL, plus the talent evaluation is what matters most.
Texansphan
Football connoisseur
Nelson was apparently the best Giard to come out in a while.
I bet he could have transitioned outside too.
The commitment, resolve and guts to build the best offensive line possible, and stand with the courage of your convictions, while spending mostly first and second round picks on unsexy offensive linemen .... commonly referred to as character ! Damn the torpedoes .... full steam ahead ! Our front office, whatever the pecking order may be, need to take a road trip to OZ, and plead for the same thing that Bert Lahr, (cowardly lion), did .... in spades !
In a round about way that's kinda my point, which is IF he was that good he'd be playing on the outside.
Texansphan
Football connoisseur
He may yet - that was his rookie season plus they have Costonzo at LT and Braden Smith at RT.
If he was really good he would be playing QB.
C'mon man don't be silly but give us a serious response on this question about why a truly superior offensive lineman (in terms of his skills & talents in pass pro)shouldn't be moved to offensive tackle, basically on the left side where the QB (most are right-handed) has the most exposure to pressure from the pass rush, as opposed to remaining inside @ guard ?
Some would say size, but also the fact that he hasn't played tackle since HS
I thought we were talking Nelson. Matthews played all 5 spots, center was probably his best
He played as much or more at C as he did RG
That's basically old school 3 yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust back in the 20th century football when stud rush blockers like Munchak & Matthews were being drafted high in the first round.
As you know SteelB the NFL is a a different game today, but I do like it when you wax nostalgic about the good ole days, so tell us stories about the Single-Wing.
I think you mean Pennison
Apparently you didn't see when Munchak and Matthews played. I will give you a hint.
Moon run and shoot ring a bell? Fartherest thing from the 3 yds and a cloud of dust offense as there could ever possibly be.
Munchak was talking about what an elite athlete Mathews was. Someone asked him if it was true that Mathews was really the back up punter. Munchak said, " he always kicks a spiral .... when he turns one over, it's amazing .... "heck, he can dropkick a 50 yard FG ! "
The 1980s when they played was an entirely different era than todays NFL.
But back to our discussion about the value of having offensive lineman who are very talented at pass pro. So you know that's why so many of us wanted BG to draft Andre Dillard, in spite of his rep as an OT who was thought to have scant experience as a run blocker.
Dillard is 6' 5"315 lbs and a gifted athlete. It won't be difficult for him to improve his run blocking. You probably heard that Carson Wentz just signed a large, multi-year contract. Someone finally told him who the Eagles drafted in the 1st round !
Offensive Lineman isn't a position. At least not anymore. I agree Tackles need to be more athletic than Guards. But a guy might be a better Guard than Tackle. That doesn't make him an inferior football player.
For me it's not so much the lack of run blocking. It's about not playing in an NFL offense. It's the same thing about QBs not playing under Center. Not reading the defense but looking to the sidelines. Only using half the field.
I don't know how much that affects Dillard but I do believe it should be a concern.
That just rang a bell in my head .... and that is why Dillard surprised many by lasting until #22 1/2 .... I know .... everyone else figured this out on day one !
That just rang a bell in my head .... and that is why Dillard surprised many by lasting until #22 1/2 .... I know ...
Things that can be taught by a competent OL coach to a young and extremely athletic young OT. I'm betting on Dillard's athletic ability.