DX-TEX
#TomSavageDontCare
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-15-undrafted-free-agents-include-golics-kid/
Why does PFT say the Steelers signed Golics kid?
Why does PFT say the Steelers signed Golics kid?
Keep Texans Talk Google Ad Free!
Venmo Tip Jar | Paypal Tip Jar
Thanks for your support! 🍺😎👍
Texans UDFA Signings
- Thread starter Mari-OWNED!
- Start date
Because they did?
DX-TEX
#TomSavageDontCare
Well then...you need to make the fine print about the edits at the bottom bigger for us older folk.
Goldensilence
hipster elite
Forgot Klein was a senior this year. Ran more of a zone read at Kstate but its not for lack of a strong arm. Guy is a superb athlete who would kill teams on roll outs and bootlegs. I'd love to see him make the team at QB.. Easily has most upside of any qb we have, infortunately also by far the most raw.
7 tackles going forward, i don't think it'll be too hard to whittle the number down.
Woods nice signing along with johnson.
Reed probably swings inside, i'd like to have seen more depth added at ILB though.
Anyone else notice Pocic C is listed at 6-7 & 310?!
7 tackles going forward, i don't think it'll be too hard to whittle the number down.
Woods nice signing along with johnson.
Reed probably swings inside, i'd like to have seen more depth added at ILB though.
Anyone else notice Pocic C is listed at 6-7 & 310?!
Ranking these guys is a hard task due to the fact that most were not very highly publicized. I have not seen every player on this list, but here are my rankings. As always, take with a huge grain of salt, but hopefully it helps someone or inspires some conversation.
1) Ohio State CB Travis Howard, 6 200 lbs
2) Notre Dame RB Cierre Wood, 511 213 lbs
3) Florida DE Earl Okine, 67 284 lbs
4) Georgia WR Marlon Brown, 64 213 lbs
5) Ohio State SS Orhian Johnson, 63 215 lbs
6) Michigan State CB Johnny Adams, 510 185 lbs
7) Cincinnati RB George Winn, 511 218 lbs
8) Pittsburgh RB Ray Graham, 59 199 lbs
9) Illinois State OLB Evan Frierson, 61 237 lbs
10) Texas A&M WR Uzoma Nwachukwu, 511 192 lbs
11) Michigan ILB Kenny Demens, 61 245 lbs
12) Illinois OL Graham Pocic, 67 314 lbs
13) Syracuse WR Alec Lemon, 61 202 lbs
14) Langston CB Malik James, 511 189 lbs
15) SMU NT Torlan Pittman, 6 300 lbs
16) Arkansas RB Dennis Johnson, 57 196 lbs
17) Kansas State ILB Justin Tuggle, 63 244 lbs
18) Kansas State QB Collin Klein, 65 326 lbs
19) SMU OLB JaGared Davis, 6 238 lbs
20) Central Florida A.J. Bouye, 6 186 lbs
21) Stephen F. Austin OLB Willie Jefferson, 66 233 lbs
22) UCONN WR Michael Smith, 6 197 lbs
23) Western Michigan OT Dann ONeill, 68 326 lbs
24) Ohio State FB Zach Boren, 61 241 lbs
25) Louisville OG Alex Kupper, 63 300 lbs
26) USC S Jawanza Starling, 61 202 lbs
27) SMU OG Bryan Collins, 63 301 lbs
28) Montana OT Jon Opperud, 67 302 lbs
29) Miami (OH) WR Andy Cruse, 63 212 lbs
30) Fresno State P Andrew Shapiro, 6 198 lbs
31) Mary Hardin-Baylor OLB Javicz Jones, 6 224 lbs
1) Ohio State CB Travis Howard, 6 200 lbs
2) Notre Dame RB Cierre Wood, 511 213 lbs
3) Florida DE Earl Okine, 67 284 lbs
4) Georgia WR Marlon Brown, 64 213 lbs
5) Ohio State SS Orhian Johnson, 63 215 lbs
6) Michigan State CB Johnny Adams, 510 185 lbs
7) Cincinnati RB George Winn, 511 218 lbs
8) Pittsburgh RB Ray Graham, 59 199 lbs
9) Illinois State OLB Evan Frierson, 61 237 lbs
10) Texas A&M WR Uzoma Nwachukwu, 511 192 lbs
11) Michigan ILB Kenny Demens, 61 245 lbs
12) Illinois OL Graham Pocic, 67 314 lbs
13) Syracuse WR Alec Lemon, 61 202 lbs
14) Langston CB Malik James, 511 189 lbs
15) SMU NT Torlan Pittman, 6 300 lbs
16) Arkansas RB Dennis Johnson, 57 196 lbs
17) Kansas State ILB Justin Tuggle, 63 244 lbs
18) Kansas State QB Collin Klein, 65 326 lbs
19) SMU OLB JaGared Davis, 6 238 lbs
20) Central Florida A.J. Bouye, 6 186 lbs
21) Stephen F. Austin OLB Willie Jefferson, 66 233 lbs
22) UCONN WR Michael Smith, 6 197 lbs
23) Western Michigan OT Dann ONeill, 68 326 lbs
24) Ohio State FB Zach Boren, 61 241 lbs
25) Louisville OG Alex Kupper, 63 300 lbs
26) USC S Jawanza Starling, 61 202 lbs
27) SMU OG Bryan Collins, 63 301 lbs
28) Montana OT Jon Opperud, 67 302 lbs
29) Miami (OH) WR Andy Cruse, 63 212 lbs
30) Fresno State P Andrew Shapiro, 6 198 lbs
31) Mary Hardin-Baylor OLB Javicz Jones, 6 224 lbs
nero THE zero
All Pro
Players from Gil Brandt's positional UDFA top 10 rankings:
Collin Klein, QB (8)
Cierre Wood, RB (2)
Ray Graham, RB (5)
Marlon Brown, WR (9)
Alec Lemon, WR (10)
Johnny Adams, CB (7)
Collin Klein, QB (8)
Cierre Wood, RB (2)
Ray Graham, RB (5)
Marlon Brown, WR (9)
Alec Lemon, WR (10)
Johnny Adams, CB (7)
drs23
Veteran
From 76's link:
Dayum! I think I like the guy already. This is the SEC and a shoddy line!
drs23
Veteran
A punter for a camp leg? Shirley he's not there to push Shane L., huh?
IMHO, Klein is never gonna make it as an NFL QB.
An emergency QB, yes.
A wildcat QB, may be.
And if he works really hard and improves his QBing skills tremendously, the we can start talking about a back-up position.
He's a good athlete and a good college QB though.
Did you watch the video in that link?
There were times he looks like a miniature Earl Campbell.
Don't know if he can last in the NFL that way, but if he can take care of the ball, he might be of use for at least a few years.
That is if he can even make the roster at some point.
For me, the percentage favors Cierre Wood the most.
The three guys from Ohio State also have possibilities.
I watched their first two games, and both DBs already made some nice plays.
Both are tall guys for their respective positions.
The CBs #7 Travis Howard had 3 interceptions playing in a combo man-zone scheme.
The Buckeyes had different game plan for each.
The first one against Zac Dysert, they played mostly zone, keeping things in front.
Howard did misplay a pass, being too aggressive.
He was supposed to drop back into a 5-3 deep zone, but instead, he tried to jump a side line route, this giving up a corner route to the inside receiver.
Other than that, he played very well.
He broke up a couple of passes and intercepted three balls, showing good reaction and awareness.
From what I read, he doesn't have much of a back pedal, but I can't tell from these two games since the defensive scheme didn't call for it, and the viewing angle is limited.
I was thinking Wade may draft a tall CB who may not have the ability to mirror receiver but can match up with the tall ones, or at least bring one in as an UDFA.
I was thinking about the UCLA guy as an UDFA, but Howard also looks like a decent prospect. He was regarded as a highly recruited CB, so we'll see what Vance Joseph can do with him.
Anothe position where I wanted the Texans to draft late or bring in as UDFA is a tall hybrid safety to play in Quin's spot against the TE. I was hoping for Dexter McCoil out of Tulsa, but Orhian Johnson doesn't look too bad as a prospect either. He also broke up a pass or two, deflected one that Howard picked off, and intercepted one himself. Also, he played the run quite decently.
Again, the schem didn't allow us to see whethe he can run with TEs or not, so I'll just wait to see if it ever happened in later games.
(I like to watch these games in chronological order to see their progress.)
However, I read that both of them played through some minor injuries the whole season.
Howard actually went down 3 times in the second game.
It looks like a shoulder contusion when he went down the first time, making a tackle on a run play. After making plays on two other occasions, he stayed down for a while; I believe it was due to the same injury.
Johnson didn't play much in the first game for some reason.
In the second game, he mostly played the nickel position where Quin often did.
Zac Boren played FB and HB (Casey-like) and looked pretty good in his blocking assignments, taking on DEs and LBs with authority.
He was moved to LB when injury depleted their corp in mid season.
I think he was originally drafted as a LB.
He might be too small for the next level though, unless he can bulk up some without losing too much agility and speed.
His best bet is to try to make the PS, I think.
No grade for any player yet, as I'd like to study them a whole lot more.
This is only first impressions.
I watched their first two games, and both DBs already made some nice plays.
Both are tall guys for their respective positions.
The CBs #7 Travis Howard had 3 interceptions playing in a combo man-zone scheme.
The Buckeyes had different game plan for each.
The first one against Zac Dysert, they played mostly zone, keeping things in front.
Howard did misplay a pass, being too aggressive.
He was supposed to drop back into a 5-3 deep zone, but instead, he tried to jump a side line route, this giving up a corner route to the inside receiver.
Other than that, he played very well.
He broke up a couple of passes and intercepted three balls, showing good reaction and awareness.
From what I read, he doesn't have much of a back pedal, but I can't tell from these two games since the defensive scheme didn't call for it, and the viewing angle is limited.
I was thinking Wade may draft a tall CB who may not have the ability to mirror receiver but can match up with the tall ones, or at least bring one in as an UDFA.
I was thinking about the UCLA guy as an UDFA, but Howard also looks like a decent prospect. He was regarded as a highly recruited CB, so we'll see what Vance Joseph can do with him.
Anothe position where I wanted the Texans to draft late or bring in as UDFA is a tall hybrid safety to play in Quin's spot against the TE. I was hoping for Dexter McCoil out of Tulsa, but Orhian Johnson doesn't look too bad as a prospect either. He also broke up a pass or two, deflected one that Howard picked off, and intercepted one himself. Also, he played the run quite decently.
Again, the schem didn't allow us to see whethe he can run with TEs or not, so I'll just wait to see if it ever happened in later games.
(I like to watch these games in chronological order to see their progress.)
However, I read that both of them played through some minor injuries the whole season.
Howard actually went down 3 times in the second game.
It looks like a shoulder contusion when he went down the first time, making a tackle on a run play. After making plays on two other occasions, he stayed down for a while; I believe it was due to the same injury.
Johnson didn't play much in the first game for some reason.
In the second game, he mostly played the nickel position where Quin often did.
Zac Boren played FB and HB (Casey-like) and looked pretty good in his blocking assignments, taking on DEs and LBs with authority.
He was moved to LB when injury depleted their corp in mid season.
I think he was originally drafted as a LB.
He might be too small for the next level though, unless he can bulk up some without losing too much agility and speed.
His best bet is to try to make the PS, I think.
No grade for any player yet, as I'd like to study them a whole lot more.
This is only first impressions.
bckey
All Pro
I'm the opposite. I think it favors Dennis Johnson not only because I think he is a better rb but because he has good return skills which is something the Texans sorely need. Like you said though he needs to take care of the football. It will be a fun battle to watch in camp.
Malloy
Hall of Fame
One hand on the ball in traffic, he'll give me a heart attack
He's fast though, good vision and is tough to get Down!
Porky
Hall of Fame
I can only talk about the guys I know a little about. The QB is a non-issue.. If he thinks he will be a pro QB, he needs to get off the crack. He can't throw the ball. Good runner though. Much worse version of you know who.
And if he does finally wake up and tries to transition to TE, it might be too late as he will be raw as hell.
Cierre Wood I think has a real shot to make the roster. He'll be a PS guy at worst imo and someone we can call upon if injury strikes.
Dennis Johnson is a good candidate due to versatility. He'll get a shot at return duties and might be another PS squad guy at worst. He has ball control issues, short and stocky like a little bowling ball. He has a shot though.
Outside of these guys I'm mostly ignorant so keep the reports coming guys. Good stuff.
And if he does finally wake up and tries to transition to TE, it might be too late as he will be raw as hell.
Cierre Wood I think has a real shot to make the roster. He'll be a PS guy at worst imo and someone we can call upon if injury strikes.
Dennis Johnson is a good candidate due to versatility. He'll get a shot at return duties and might be another PS squad guy at worst. He has ball control issues, short and stocky like a little bowling ball. He has a shot though.
Outside of these guys I'm mostly ignorant so keep the reports coming guys. Good stuff.
He was in my mock fot the texans and i drafted him in the TT mock for GB. He fits this team perfect. He'll become a fan favorite.
Hopefully this signals a very competitive camp, where the best guy wins. No more waiting on guys to get healthy & stay healthy.... Tate & Sharpton. I like them, I'm rooting for them, but we missed being in the Super Bowl twice, because guys couldn't stay healthy & we weren't prepared. Garret Graham & Derek Newton get hurt & our run game to a wide left turn. Ben Tate was nowhere to be seen all season. Losing Cushing hurt, then losing Sharpton, Dobson, & James hurt. We even had issue at safety when Quin got hurt for a little bit.
I know it happens to every team, but some teams seam to be a little bit more prepared. Hernandez & Vareen filled in very well for Gronk & Woodhead down the stretch.
I hope we get some fresh young talent on this team, a deep practice squad, & a list of players to call as a matter of last resort.
The website says the Texans have signed 24 guys (http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Report-Texans-agree-to-terms-with-24-undrafted-FAs/7141a0f2-ee8b-4b3f-850f-c8a3b47f0002)
To be fair the first year you can't pin on him. He was great his 2nd year and last year was ineffective and knicked up. Foster, despite his total yards, wasn't great either last year so some of that you have to put on the line. Tate will have to be much, MUCH, better this year though.
Another fairly good game for the Buckeyes trio, deserving more reviews.
Against Keenan Allen's Cal Bears, Howard gave up a ten-yard catch to Allen in the zone; otherwise, Maynard stayed away from him.
Johnson missed a tackle, coming in too high and let the short guy spin away from him; I guess being a tall nickel does have some negative.
Both guys were pretty active in support, both in the pass and the run.
Pretty good job, though both could be better to make an NFL roster.
(But they did better as compared to some Texans' DBs.) Guys like Kyle Wilson, Patrick Robinson, and McCourty had their shares of miss-tackles in college, so basically, these two DBs did well in comparison... so far.
More efficient blocking by Boren, but nothing devastating.
In three games, his lead block was good enough for the run game, including quite a few red zone TDs.
Against Keenan Allen's Cal Bears, Howard gave up a ten-yard catch to Allen in the zone; otherwise, Maynard stayed away from him.
Johnson missed a tackle, coming in too high and let the short guy spin away from him; I guess being a tall nickel does have some negative.
Both guys were pretty active in support, both in the pass and the run.
Pretty good job, though both could be better to make an NFL roster.
(But they did better as compared to some Texans' DBs.) Guys like Kyle Wilson, Patrick Robinson, and McCourty had their shares of miss-tackles in college, so basically, these two DBs did well in comparison... so far.
More efficient blocking by Boren, but nothing devastating.
In three games, his lead block was good enough for the run game, including quite a few red zone TDs.
NitroGSXR
Super Sic #58
Keep in mind that the coaching staff wasn't all that enamored with Tate all year long. Kubiak kept stating his displeasure one way or another.
I'm a Tate fan myself so no hate coming from me. Just noting some buggy observations from last year.
No doubt he had his issues last year. He got banged up in preseason and he never got back to where he needed to be. I think he also got frustrated by his lack of carries early on understandably. He needs to mature this year and the coaching staff needs to feed him more. It will benefit all parties in the long run including Arian and Matt Schaub. Fresh backs all game means Schaub isn't forced into those 3rd and long situations that he and Kubiak are terrible in.
SAMURAITEXAN
All Pro
I agree TK. The key is quality depth and trying out many UDFA prospects only increase our chance to find such player/s.
Brisco_County
Apples and roadmaps
Ray Graham would be very interesting in a ZBS. I've never seen lateral movement like that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfHd112U2nY
Note the impossible cut during the play at 3:10.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfHd112U2nY
Note the impossible cut during the play at 3:10.
I'm with you and said the same thing when i first heard we signed him. He ran a 4.8 at the combine, but his measureables don't reflect his ability. He's had some injury problems at Pitt, but I'm curious to see what he can do. We're gonna have some incredible competitions through training camp on both sides of the ball, and this is one I'll be keeping a close eye on.
Edit: I noticed the play you were talking about, and this kid has special jump cut ability. You just don't see that everyday.
The Pencil Neck
Hall of Fame
He looks faster than 4.8 to me from that tape.
Yeah, it shocked me too when I looked it up. I just don't trust 40 times in cases like this. He and Dion Lewis went to Pitt at the same time, and I always thought Graham had more ability. Lewis is with the Eagles now, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if Graham became a coaching favorite early. His change of direction skill is better than all of the backs we signed which should help him quite a bit.
EllisUnit
Vote RED!!!
Reminds me a lot of foster with his cuts and his ability to catch the ball. Could be a good pick up.
deucetx
Rookie
Eh, I wouldn't put too much stock in it. Like he said himself, he's more quick than fast. He also ran a 4.58 which was his fastest time so he's probably around the 4.5-4.6 range. I like his vision and lateral movement more than anything. He's small of course but not like he would be asked to handle the load.
Had a bit brush with the law so that along with the 4.8 at the combine and his size probably had him fall. I still remember watching him carve up that vaunted Notre Dame defense and Teo last year.
Thorn
Dirty Old Man
Graham does look interesting, as do one or two of the other RBs. The last two backs we drafted highly are Slayton and Tate, neither of which has panned out. Our best backs seem to come from trades, free agent signings and UFDAs.
That was just an unskilled observation on my part. LOL
That was just an unskilled observation on my part. LOL
dalemurphy
Hall of Fame
I think there is a clear message from Smith/Kubiak (bringing in 40 rookies) to a 12-4 team:
all marginal and/or overpaid veterans better impress the heck out of the coaching staff during training camp or be at great risk of being cut.
I think that 2010 meltdown was the best thing to happen to this organization, because I think it shifted the organizational power (or philosophy at least). My sense is that Rick Smith is in charge these days, and he does not have a problem making cold, calculating personnel decisions- something Kubiak (God bless him) is not good at.
all marginal and/or overpaid veterans better impress the heck out of the coaching staff during training camp or be at great risk of being cut.
I think that 2010 meltdown was the best thing to happen to this organization, because I think it shifted the organizational power (or philosophy at least). My sense is that Rick Smith is in charge these days, and he does not have a problem making cold, calculating personnel decisions- something Kubiak (God bless him) is not good at.
He was caught up by a Notre Dame player (whose name I didn't catch), in that clip; and then I noticed Zeke Motta also catching up. Motta ran a 4.75 at the combine so I don't think Graham has the long speed.
I used to like Motta when I watched him play until his performance at the combine.
Graham could be good in the short area, but he definitely looked lacking in the blocking department. I remember vaguely the Connecticut game (when I scouted Sio Moore) so I rewatched it briefly. Your QB is going to get killed in the NFL if you have Graham blocking. Being strictly a change of pace back might be a disadvantage to Graham. He does look pretty good, but you have to wonder if it's enough for him to make a roster. Personally, I doubt it.
I'm not sure whether he has problem with the ball or not, but I know he fumbled at least 3 times last year; and he had a fumble in the Shrine game, too.
Just watched some clips of Ja'Gared Davis and I think he has a good shot to make the team. Tough player with excellent instincts. I don't know his 40 time and all that, but he moves well. he's 6'1" 235 ish. Based on his film he fits right in with this aggressive class we brought in. Solid wrap up tackler but brings some hmpf! to his hits. Plays with a lot of fire. Has a knack for making plays.
Was primarily used as a stand up edge rusher, but apparently he's projected as an ILB. He looks like James Harrison to me.
Was primarily used as a stand up edge rusher, but apparently he's projected as an ILB. He looks like James Harrison to me.
Honestly I'd leave him at QB.
Looking at his clips he actually attempts to read defenses and go through progressions. He will also at times scramble to make a throw vs scrambling to run.
He would be a good player to have on the practice squad because he can emulate some of these more mobile QB's like Wilson and Kaepernick that we'll have to play and the offenses they run. And I actually like the way he plays the game...He's more QB than Tebow, but I get the comparison...
If Kubiak can coach him up on his footwork and stuff, he could be a surprise at the QB position down the road. I think it's worth the gamble...You just never know...
76, could you look through some of Florida's games focusing on Okine? I have a note (just one- "would make a nice developmental 3-4 DE... tools are there, but needs coaching"), but I would like to get your read on him.
Not just 76, actually. If anybody has film/notes, let me know what you think.
Not just 76, actually. If anybody has film/notes, let me know what you think.
I had that in mind; you know I would have gotten to it if I have the time.
Right now I'm on the Buckeyes guys, a nice trio of prospects that intrigue me every game I watch. Sometimes I hate spending too much time on one game, but the Spartans game also features J Adams. I watched it last night, but I need to go back today because Urban M rolled out a different defensive scheme, mostly man coverage. I was able to gauge Howard's ability quite a bit in the first half.
Obviously, I had to spend time watching the other 3 guys, too.
A pretty good glimpse overall.
As an OSU alum, I am pretty stoked we got the two DBs. I think both have a shot at the roster, but are more likely PS candidates. Boren I liked going into the season, but he did not have an impressive season in my opinion. With the recent FA acquisition at FB, I think Boren is little more than a camp body.
The Pencil Neck
Hall of Fame
Why are we listing Tuggle as an ILB? From what I've seen from his highlights so far, he's a Will. I could be really wrong about this but he doesn't look like he'd be good on the inside.
Looking at him on film he looks like a utility guy. I could easily see him playing inside. Ja'gared Davis was a stand up rush LB at smu and I think he's going inside too. I like both of them as ilb prospects, but I like Davis a little more. I think Davis is going to make the team. He's a much better looking player than louiseau was last year. He and toggle both are IMO.