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Tight End Pick

Texans Horror

Texans Horror

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I was thinking about one of my favorite Longhorn players, Dave Thomas, and I was wondering what people thought about taking him. Certainly we have upgraded this offseason with Putzier, and there is always the hope of Joppru playing, but TE still feels like a position where we could add some fresh blood. I compared him to Lewis and Pope, two of the higher-ranked TEs in this year's draft, and Owen Daniels (Wisconsin), a lower-end TE, and I was surprised to see the results.

........................Lewis.............Pope...........Daniels.........Thomas

Receptions............58.................39................22..............50

Yards..................741...............541...............268.............613

Average..............12.8..............13.9..............12.2............12.3

Height...................6'6"..............6'7"...............6'3"............6'3"

Weight..................256..............250.................243.............245

Daniels missed two games in the middle of the year, which is probably why his receptions are so much lower than the other three. Ten of Thomas' catches came in the Rose Bowl.

What surprised me about Thomas is that I used to think he would be a steal, but I don't think the Texans will take him or that he is even on their radar. I have always felt he is a great TE. He was a big part of Texas' victory over Oklahoma State and USC, and he has the head to make the conversion play. However, according to what I am reading, he is not a good blocker, and I don't think the Texans are going to pull TEs that can't block. If they get a TE, they want one who can help defend Carr.

However, one last interesting tidbit was comparing "big games." Lewis was pretty ineffective in games against USC and UCLA, and he did not make it to the Sun Bowl vs. Northwestern. Pope was relatively effective against Auburn and in the Sugar Bowl loss to the Mountaineers. Owen was ineffective against Michigan and Minnesota and the Capital One Bowl against Auburn. Thomas, of course, shined much better.
 
I think Klopfenstein is going to be pretty good along with Pope. I wouldn't mind at all if the Texans somehow managed to get one of them. Thomas seems too small to be a real TE, maybe he could be like frank wychek.
 
........................Lewis.............Pope...........Daniels.........Thomas

Receptions............58.................39................22..............50

Yards..................741...............541...............268.............613

Average..............12.8..............13.9..............12.2............12.3

Height...................6'6"..............6'7"...............6'3"............6'3"

Weight..................256..............250.................243.............245


Size matters in the NFL, so I wanted to compare heights and weights.

..........Breuner....Clark....Shockey....Wrighster (Jags)....Joppru

height.....6'4".......6'3"........6'5".................6'2".............6'4"

weight.....258......252.........253................260.............262

You know, if Thomas put on a few pounds (and I know, the trick is putting on muscle, not fat), he could really improve his stats. This shows he still has a very real shot in the NFL. Guy has some real moxie, though. Too bad they don't have a moxie wonderlic test at the combine...
 
CoastalTexan said:
I think Klopfenstein is going to be pretty good along with Pope. I wouldn't mind at all if the Texans somehow managed to get one of them. Thomas seems too small to be a real TE, maybe he could be like frank wychek.
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Nuttin wrong with Wychek , was one of the top TE's for several seasons . The Titans did a real good job of utilizing his strength's and masking his weaknesses during his career . Having Eddie George in the backfield went a long way tward doing that .

As for Thomas . He's just a good football player . The kind of guy who just goes out and gets the job done , nuttin flashy just effective . The kind of player who plays his best in the biggest of games . Those are the type of players I'd like to see on this Texans team .
 
He was one of my favorite players at UT, and by October I was thinking he would make an impression in Houston. Since then, we have done some patchwork to fix our TE problems. I'm not sure which ranks as a higher priority now: TE, Safety, or CB. (I'm assuming a lineman is still the highest draft priority after Reggie.)
 
i really hope thomas's stock falls because we just cant afford a TE real early with all the other holes we need to fill (especially after wasting a pick on a runningback):hide:. we could deffinately still use another TE, but i dont think we could use anything before a 4th to get one. if thomas is there in the 4th, i'd pick him.

it probably wouldnt hurt to tack on 5-10lbs, but otherwise his size is fine.
 
Thomas is considered as an H-Back prospect more than anything by scouts. He does offer value at a low enough round however, but if Joppru is good to go I don't see it happening. (that is a pretty big IF though)
 
oso said:
I was thinking about one of my favorite Longhorn players, Dave Thomas, and I was wondering what people thought about taking him. Certainly we have upgraded this offseason with Putzier, and there is always the hope of Joppru playing, but TE still feels like a position where we could add some fresh blood. I compared him to Lewis and Pope, two of the higher-ranked TEs in this year's draft, and Owen Daniels (Wisconsin), a lower-end TE, and I was surprised to see the results.

........................Lewis.............Pope...........Daniels.........Thomas

Receptions............58.................39................22..............50

Yards..................741...............541...............268.............613

Average..............12.8..............13.9..............12.2............12.3

Height...................6'6"..............6'7"...............6'3"............6'3"

Weight..................256..............250.................243.............245

Daniels missed two games in the middle of the year, which is probably why his receptions are so much lower than the other three. Ten of Thomas' catches came in the Rose Bowl.

What surprised me about Thomas is that I used to think he would be a steal, but I don't think the Texans will take him or that he is even on their radar. I have always felt he is a great TE. He was a big part of Texas' victory over Oklahoma State and USC, and he has the head to make the conversion play. However, according to what I am reading, he is not a good blocker, and I don't think the Texans are going to pull TEs that can't block. If they get a TE, they want one who can help defend Carr.

However, one last interesting tidbit was comparing "big games." Lewis was pretty ineffective in games against USC and UCLA, and he did not make it to the Sun Bowl vs. Northwestern. Pope was relatively effective against Auburn and in the Sugar Bowl loss to the Mountaineers. Owen was ineffective against Michigan and Minnesota and the Capital One Bowl against Auburn. Thomas, of course, shined much better.
Click to expand...
First thing right off, 245 is Thomas' playing weight for his junior season. He play at 250 + his senior season and weighed in at 252# at the combine.

Second, with the added weight, he developed into an excellent blocker. In fact, he graded out and was rated as the best blocker at his position in Division I. His only weak spot as a blocker is in-line blocking on DE's who have 20, 30 or more pounds on him. Of course, this is true for all TE's at that weight.
 
Lewis, Fasano and Byrd all have serious limitations. I have the TE's rated : Davis, Pope, Klopfeinstein and then Thomas, although Lewis will probably be drafted in front of Thomas. General opinion also has Fasano and Byrd going before him, but this is more iffy. Thomas has no major athletic weak spot in his TE play and really his only physical limitation is lack of one or two more inches in height. Davis is the only prospect clearly superior to Thomas and Thomas could go anywhere from the second round on, depending on team needs and offensive system.
 
If Anthony Fasano somehow fell to round 4, I dont see how the Texans could pass on him. He can block well and he is a great receiving threat. He would be a true every down TE.
 
Number19 said:
First thing right off, 245 is Thomas' playing weight for his junior season. He play at 250 + his senior season and weighed in at 252# at the combine.

Second, with the added weight, he developed into an excellent blocker. In fact, he graded out and was rated as the best blocker at his position in Division I. His only weak spot as a blocker is in-line blocking on DE's who have 20, 30 or more pounds on him. Of course, this is true for all TE's at that weight.
Click to expand...
I thought it was interesting that I have heard people talk about how his thinness being a problem. I think that's overanalyzing a player a tad. He has the weight and the numbers to prove it. Whether he is 245/252, he would not be the largest TE, but I think he would still make a positive addition to the team.

To me, the end result is that he was a consistent player and he showed he could really aid a team when the time mattered (unlike Lewis, etc.). He's a go-to receiver, and I have seen him power through some rough plays. I am biased towards it and would like to see him come to Houston. However, I still do not think the Texans will take him, not because of him, but because their needs lie elsewhere.
 
Tight end is not a required impact position in the NFL. Nice to have though. Requirements are defensive end or offensive tackle and we need both of those desperately.

Thomas is a good tight end and a good prospect, but we have kept Joppru on injured reserve for 3 years, and we have Putzier and Bruener. It just seems like a log jam at tight end when we need to fill in other spots on the roster first.

Further take into consideration that tight end position is not a high value position and we already taking a running back at #1 and it really isn't a need.

Also, keep in my mind that our roster will include Carr, Johnson, Moulds, Davis, Bush, and Putzier at the start of the season. There is more than enough offensive firepower there and there could be a problem of not getting the ball passed around enough for all these guys.

We really don't need another tight end right now no matter who it is unless some guys go.

I understand he could be developed for the future, but when are we ever going to develop the lines on both sides of the ball for the future? Which seems to be a continuing problem with this organization.
 
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