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What grade would you give this draft?

What grad would you give our draft?


  • Total voters
    158

LikeMike

Veteran
It´s a wrap. What grade would you give our draft? Here´s how it went:

First Round

1.1 Jadeveon Clowney DE/OLB

Second Round

2.1 Xavier Su’a-Filo G

Third Round

3.1 C.J. Fiedorowicz TE

3.19 Louis Nix NT

Fourth Round

4.35 Tom Savage QB

Sixth Round

6.1 Jeoffrey Pagan DE

6.5 Alfred Blue HB

6.35 Jay Prosch FB

Seventh Round


7.1 Andre Hal CB

7.41 Lonnie Ballentine FS
 

rmartin65

Phil Kessel: Nice Guy. Tries Hard.
Well, the 2014 draft is over. The Texans have added ten new players to the team. How do you think they did? **I know grades following the draft are meaningless. This thread is purely for amusement and discussion of the new additions. If you don’t want to participate, then please leave the thread for those of us that do. Thanks for not being a ***********

Round 1, Pick 1: South Carolina OLB Jadeveon Clowney Grade: B+
I don’t think anybody is really surprised with this pick. In short, Clowney has all the physical ability he needs to become a dominate pass rusher in the NFL, but there are concerns over his motivation, injury history (bone spurs), and production (just 3 sacks this past year). I strongly believe that the Texans tried to trade out of this pick, but received no satisfactory offers. In sum, I think this is a B+ pick. While I would have taken Robinson, the Texans must be commended for not getting cute and trying to be the smartest in the room. They took the near consensus top prospect, whose upside is undenyable. Whether he reaches it or not is another question. Day 1 starter.

Round 2, Pick 33: UCLA OG Xavier Su’a-Filo Grade: A
I think we all knew the Texans needed to upgrade the OL, and this pick does just that. XSF (I am not going to write his name, ever) is a strong, athletic, and nasty interior line prospect, who reportedly has a very strong work ethic. Truthfully, I am surprised that he was not taken earlier. Day 1 starter.

Round 3, Pick 65: Iowa TE CJ Fiedorowicz Grade: A
I can’t tell you guys how much I like this pick; Fiedorowicz has been on my radar for years. Fiedo possesses a large frame, and is much more athletic than people give him credit for. He is a dominant in-line blocker, and is a great red zone target and short-to-intermediate safety blanket for whatever QB becomes the starter. Day 1 starter.

Round 3, Pick 83: Notre Dame NT Louis Nix III Grade: A
The Front Office nailed another pick, trading up to get, in my opinion, the top NT prospect in the draft. Louis Nix III is the space-eater most of us have been coveting for years, and, unlike most other big guys, exhibits quick feet and good effort on most plays. There are concerns over his weight and injury history, but I am going to put some trust in the FO. Day 1 starter.

Round 4, Pick 135: Pitt QB Tom Savage Grade: B+
First, I want to say that, while I liked Bridgewater, I am glad the Texans did not reach for a QB despite an organizational need for one. Savage has prototypical size, a big arm, and has demonstrated that he can learn a variety of offenses. Now, I am concerned that he did not play for over 1,000 days, largely as a result of his double transfer. It really worries me that he transferred from Rutgers instead of gritting his teeth and battling, but you have to remember, he was young. People make mistakes, people mature. Again, I am putting some trust in the FO. Savage should not start this year, but weirder things have happened.

Round 6, Pick 177: Alabama DE Jeoffrey Pagan Grade: A
I don’t know a ton about this guy, but what I do know, I like. A big guy with excellent strength and surprising agility, Pagan seems to be a perfect fit as a 3-4 end. He should not start this year, but I do expect him to see significant playing time.

Round 6, Pick 181: LSU RB Alfred Blue Grade: C
I am a little surprised here, and confess that I don’t know much about Blue. A big back with average speed, Blue was mainly utilized as a member of a RB rotation at LSU. Runs hard, does not have great lateral agility, and apparently has good hands out of the backfield (per pro day reports). Honestly, I would have gone with another position, or even a different RB. That said, it is becoming clear the type of offense the new HC wants, and Blue seems to be a fit. I have high hopes, but pretty low expectations.

Round 6, Pick 211: Auburn FB Jay Prosch Grade: B
Well, if we are going to run a power offense, Prosch is a good player to have. Not a huge threat in the passing game, Prosch is a run-blocking monster. Squares up well, and really hits the defenders in the mouth. Should make the roster due to his skill set (blocking ace) and special teams ability.

Round 7, Pick 216: Vanderbilt CB Dre Hal Grade: C
To be honest, this is the first time I have heard about him. We need a CB and he returns kicks, so he fits an organizational need, but after reading some scouting reports, I have to wonder if he even makes the roster. However, the guy at BRB likes him a bunch, so hopefully he has it right. Since I have no eval of my own, I have to go with a C here. Subject to change once I get around to finding some film.

Round 7, Pick 256: Memphis S Lonnie Ballentine Grade: C
Again, I don't know anything about this guy. A quick look at some draft sides show that he is more athlete than football player at this point. A good project guy for the future.

Overall Grade: A
Easy. This draft was awesome.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
Gotta give it an "A" on the weight of the early picks, even though I felt we left some talent "on the table" with some later picks.
 

eriadoc

Texan-American
For the first time in a long time, I felt like the staff had a plan and they pursued it. There's no doubt after this draft what the identity of the team will be. I'm not sure I ever felt that way about the team before. On top of that, they didn't cave to the pressure to take a QB that they didn't feel was worth the pick.

A+
 

texanhead08

All Pro
I love this draft we got tougher and more physical and with how soft we were last year this is a welcome change in philosophy.
 

Wolf

100% Texan
I liked it .. but I can't grade it being we need need to see results on the field ..plus what good does it do if everyone in the AFC south gets the good grades.. we need to make up ground on the foes :)
 

Marshall

Not pretty, but ALIVE!
It´s a wrap. What grade would you give our draft? Here´s how it went:

First Round

1.1 Jadeveon Clowney DE/OLB A+

Second Round

2.1 Xavier Su’a-Filo G A

Third Round

3.1 C.J. Fiedorowicz TE B-

3.19 Louis Nix NT A+

Fourth Round

4.35 Tom Savage QB B-

Sixth Round

6.1 Jeoffrey Pagan DE B-

6.5 Alfred Blue HB C

6.35 Jay Prosch FB A

Seventh Round


7.1 Andre Hal CB B-

7.41 Lonnie Ballentine FS D+
Grades are next to the position.

Overall B+
 

BigBull

Rookie
On paper no doubt an A. The real grade will come in 2-4 years when we see how they actually play on the NFL level.
 

LikeMike

Veteran
I think we`ve got ourselves 5 early season starters out of this draft:

Clowney
XSF
Fiedorowicz
Nix
Prosch

Add to that 3 rotational players in

Pagan
Blue
Hal

Anf two projects in:

Savage
Ballentine

So, 5 starters, 3 rotational player, 2 guys with a buttload of talent that could help us in the future. That is a great draft in my book. Of course it never plays out this way, but I still think we`ve got a whole lot better the past 3 days.
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
To me, the "grade" is -- what is your opinion of how well this group of players is going to do. To say you can't give a grade, to me, is just saying that you think you're being asked something you aren't being asked.

No one's going to know how good these guys are going to do but it is entirely possible to have an opinion on how well you THINK they're going to do.
 

WolverineFan

Hall of Fame
Really like how we started out. The later rounds were hit or miss but overall I loved the draft.

1 (#1) Jadeveon Clowney - DE/OLB, South Carolina
- Really can't hate the pick. The guy has all the physical talent in the world, but needs to put it all together. He needs to be coached up and I think he can be and he will obviously start somewhere on the defense, likely at SOLB.
- A

2 (#33) Xavier Su'a-Filo - OG, UCLA
- Loved this pick. This is the pick that made me realize that Kubiak is truly gone and so is our random drafting strategy. He's just about a lock to start at LG and he was my favorite OG in the draft.
- A+

3 (#65) C.J. Fiedorowicz - TE, Iowa
- Great pick. I love his game and think he will be a huge part of BoB's offense going forward.
- A

3 (#83) Louis Nix - NT, Notre Dame
- Finally got our NT. Nix has 1st round talent, but has dealt with injuries. He's a sure-fire starter in the middle if he can stay healthy.
- A

4 (#135) Tom Savage - QB, Pittsburgh
- I'm not a Savage fan at all, but getting him here is much better than getting him in the 2nd-3rd round like many "experts" were predicting. He has potential, but he will 24 this year and is a major project. O'Brien likes him though and I trust his judgement.
- B

6 (#177) Jeoffrey Pagan - DE, Alabama
- Pagan is a perfect scheme fit and is a young player who offers a ton of upside.
- B+

6 (#181) Alfred Blue - RB, LSU
- High upside pick at RB. Not a ton of production and has dealt with injuries, but has the measureables. Would have preferred a few other RB's here though.
- C+

6 (#211) Jay Prosch - FB, Auburn
- I would have preferred Millard, but he does need a redshirt and Prosch is considered the best pure blocking FB in the draft.
- B

7 (#216) Andre Hal - CB, Vanderbilt
- Decent player, but not a lot of upside. He's also strictly a slot CB. Not a horrible pick, but not a great one.
- C

7 (#256) Lonnie Ballentine - S, Memphis
- This is what you look for in the later rounds. Sure, the production wasn't always there, but 6'3 220 lbs and he runs a 4.3? Yea, I'll take that chance.
- A

Overall: A
 

Nawzer

Alienz
I give this draft an A simply because we got that fatboy in the middle. NT has been a need for such a long time and to see it finally addressed in a legitimate manner made me really happy. Oh Clowney ain't too shabby either.
 

Texecutioner

Hall of Fame
Every year the majority in here seem to feel like we had one of the best drafts in the league despite the fact that the Texans have historically been a bad team. I'm not surprised to see that majority gave it an A as usual. Most fans always seem to think "their team" got all of these guys that should have been drafted earlier and look for all of the pros and tend to ignore the cons.

I gave it a B. It's hard to see really since we got so many guys on the line. Not mad about that at all though. It's good to build the trenches when you get a new regime. Didn't like the Clowney pick due to his reputation, but maybe it will work out. I like it a little better since we added that DT in the middle. I really like that Guard we got with the 2nd round pick. Have no idea what this TE is about, but I'm hoping that he's a sleeper type of guy. Way to many unknowns that could go North or South and we won't know for at least two seasons. Savage looks to have a really nice arm, but isn't really mobile which is disappointing. He's tough though and will take a big hit to make a throw.
 

JCTexan

Hall of Fame
First Round

1.1 Jadeveon Clowney DE/OLB Best player in the draft. A

Second Round

2.1 Xavier Su’a-Filo G One of the top OG's in the draft. Should start at LG right away. A

Third Round

3.1 C.J. Fiedorowicz TE A TE that fits the mold of O'Brien offense B

3.19 Louis Nix NT A beast of a NT that this defense has needed for years. A+

Fourth Round

4.35 Tom Savage QB A tough developmental QB B

Sixth Round

6.1 Jeoffrey Pagan DE A rotational DE that is a mammoth B

6.5 Alfred Blue HB Solid downhill runner that catches the ball out of the backfield, he's built like Adrian Peterson & he doesn't fumble the football. B-

I won't rate the final two picks since I know very little about them.

Overall I would give this draft an "A".
 

Honoring Earl 34

Something Witty !
Every year the majority in here seem to feel like we had one of the best drafts in the league despite the fact that the Texans have historically been a bad team. I'm not surprised to see that majority gave it an A as usual. Most fans always seem to think "their team" got all of these guys that should have been drafted earlier and look for all of the pros and tend to ignore the cons.

I gave it a B. It's hard to see really since we got so many guys on the line. Not mad about that at all though. It's good to build the trenches when you get a new regime. Didn't like the Clowney pick due to his reputation, but maybe it will work out. I like it a little better since we added that DT in the middle. I really like that Guard we got with the 2nd round pick. Have no idea what this TE is about, but I'm hoping that he's a sleeper type of guy. Way to many unknowns that could go North or South and we won't know for at least two seasons. Savage looks to have a really nice arm, but isn't really mobile which is disappointing. He's tough though and will take a big hit to make a throw.
The only time you have is now and until the start of the season to be giddy . Coaching youth sports is the same thing . Everybody says they killed at the draft . :runaway:
 

Marshall

Not pretty, but ALIVE!
Really like how we started out. The later rounds were hit or miss but overall I loved the draft.

1 (#1) Jadeveon Clowney - DE/OLB, South Carolina
- Really can't hate the pick. The guy has all the physical talent in the world, but needs to put it all together. He needs to be coached up and I think he can be and he will obviously start somewhere on the defense, likely at SOLB.
- A

2 (#33) Xavier Su'a-Filo - OG, UCLA
- Loved this pick. This is the pick that made me realize that Kubiak is truly gone and so is our random drafting strategy. He's just about a lock to start at LG and he was my favorite OG in the draft.
- A+

3 (#65) C.J. Fiedorowicz - TE, Iowa
- Great pick. I love his game and think he will be a huge part of BoB's offense going forward.
- A

3 (#83) Louis Nix - NT, Notre Dame
- Finally got our NT. Nix has 1st round talent, but has dealt with injuries. He's a sure-fire starter in the middle if he can stay healthy.
- A

4 (#135) Tom Savage - QB, Pittsburgh
- I'm not a Savage fan at all, but getting him here is much better than getting him in the 2nd-3rd round like many "experts" were predicting. He has potential, but he will 24 this year and is a major project. O'Brien likes him though and I trust his judgement.
- B

6 (#177) Jeoffrey Pagan - DE, Alabama
- Pagan is a perfect scheme fit and is a young player who offers a ton of upside.
- B+

6 (#181) Alfred Blue - RB, LSU
- High upside pick at RB. Not a ton of production and has dealt with injuries, but has the measureables. Would have preferred a few other RB's here though.
- C+

6 (#211) Jay Prosch - FB, Auburn
- I would have preferred Millard, but he does need a redshirt and Prosch is considered the best pure blocking FB in the draft.
- B

7 (#216) Andre Hal - CB, Vanderbilt
- Decent player, but not a lot of upside. He's also strictly a slot CB. Not a horrible pick, but not a great one.
- C

7 (#256) Lonnie Ballentine - S, Memphis
- This is what you look for in the later rounds. Sure, the production wasn't always there, but 6'3 220 lbs and he runs a 4.3? Yea, I'll take that chance.
- A

Overall: A
The last pick harkens back to the days of Tex Schramm and Tom Landry. Tom told Tex, "Just get me athletes and I'll make them Football Players."

I don't know if it's possible to do that in this day of instant success or failure.
 

Texecutioner

Hall of Fame
The only time you have is now and until the start of the season to be giddy . Coaching youth sports is the same thing . Everybody says they killed at the draft . :runaway:
Even Patriots fans think they had a good draft, and they totally stunk at their draft. Bellicheck taking a QB in round 2 and a project player in round 1? :vincepalm:


Fans always want to look for the positives.

I think in our draft the coaches did what they intended to do for the most part. Nothing goes as planned the entire time, but they probably wanted to bring in their guys for the system they want to implement which will need to start in the trenches. My favorite pick is that NT assuming he ends up being a good space eater in the middle who can cause some havoc as well. With him going in there, it makes me feel better about the Clowney pick.
 

Honoring Earl 34

Something Witty !
Even Patriots fans think they had a good draft, and they totally stunk at their draft. Bellicheck taking a QB in round 2 and a project player in round 1? :vincepalm:


Fans always want to look for the positives.

I think in our draft the coaches did what they intended to do for the most part. Nothing goes as planned the entire time, but they probably wanted to bring in their guys for the system they want to implement which will need to start in the trenches. My favorite pick is that NT assuming he ends up being a good space eater in the middle who can cause some havoc as well. With him going in there, it makes me feel better about the Clowney pick.
I liked the 3rd round because we went from smaller NGs and TEs to bigger guys who are athletic . A 6'6 265 TE can help on blocking and the red zone .
 

santo

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
I gave it a B. Love the defensive picks, but I really wanted either Garappolo or McCarron. But either way, solid job and hopefully we get many starters from this group.
 
They got what should be 4 starters and I think Savage has a chance to be a quality backup QB. The rest address some of their depth issues.

A-
 

EllisUnit

Vote RED!!!
I really like our NT Nix, the kid seems to have a high motor, and he is pretty good at batting down passes as well. Man our D-Line is going to be nasty with Clowney, Nix, Watt not to mention the safties we picked up in FA. Man we look tough on D
 
I give us an A overall. I like the way they had a plan and philosophy and stuck to it.

My favorite pick: we finally got our bubble-butt NT. Thank-you, BOB!
 

IDEXAN

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
Looks like a tremendous Draft right now, but of course we really won't know for atleast 2 or 3 years. Hey when can I get a Clowney jersey/T-shirt ?
 

Scooter

Funky
i absolutely give it an A. assuming health, i see 4 guys who are likely to start game one (5 if you count FB) and play at an NFL level. we set a direction and most definitely achieved it with draft, getting bigger and tougher. along with great value, i think that's really where we won - not with the individuals, but with the group as a whole.

clowney will start, and casserly (i know) is already putting him in next year's top 100 show.

XSF will start and strengthens the entire line.

feido will start and adds a rare combination of blocking and receiving tightend that we dont have. is already being compared to 2 probowlers.

nix will rotate with powe and will start as early as game 1.

savage had possibly the highest upside of the quarterbacks in this draft, and was taken when value made it a great pick.

pagan will be part of the rotation immediately and will probably beat out crick by next year.

blue will be part of the depth.

prosch will start-ish. i dont think there's anything more underrated than a great blocking fullback, and prosch is a thumper.

hal and balentine ... 7th rounders that might make the squad as special teamers. one site was extremely high on hal, so there may be real potential there to assume a nickel role as early as next year.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
I gave them a B.

I thought they were doing everything right, until they got to the second 6th round pick. Then it was like they left Rick Smith alone while everyone else went for nachos.
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
I enjoyed this draft immensely and think we did good. I think we got better on both sides of the ball. Our defense has a chance to be really special over the next few years. One thing I thought about this morning as I looked over the haul from days 1 & 2 was how similar this draft was to the 2006 draft. In Kubiak's first season here when he worked with Casserly he was also fortunate to get a really deep draft and we picked well in it.

We got a bunch of starters that year. Mario, DeMeco, Spencer, Winston, and Daniels all were great picks. Spencer got hurt but I don't think of him as a bad pick. Nobody could have predicted that. It really was a "5 starter draft" and both Mario and DeMeco were special players.

This year we just might have matched it. Clowney, Su'a-Filo, Fiedorowicz, and Nix look like locks to start to me. Just one more guy works out and that matches the kind of quality we got in 2006. The thing is I'm more excited about these guys than I was that group.

I'd rather have had Mettenberger than Savage but that's splitting hairs at this point. Neither would have been picked to start (Though Mettenberger will displace Locker quickly in Nashville I expect). Maybe Pagan will step up and be the 5th starter. Who knows?

I give this an "A" knowing that grading the draft on the last day is kind of pointless. Still, very optimistic about this one.
 
We got a bunch of starters that year. Mario, DeMeco, Spencer, Winston, and Daniels all were great picks. Spencer got hurt but I don't think of him as a bad pick. Nobody could have predicted that. It really was a "5 starter draft" and both Mario and DeMeco were special players.

This year we just might have matched it. Clowney, Su'a-Filo, Fiedorowicz, and Nix look like locks to start to me. Just one more guy works out and that matches the kind of quality we got in 2006. The thing is I'm more excited about these guys than I was that group.
This would be a crazy good class if it turned out like 2006. You had 3 pro bowlers and one of the best RTs in the NFL for several seasons come out of that class.

I like this class, but I don't see it being anywhere near 2006. That was one of the 10-15 all time great drafts for any franchise.
 

Norg

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
is this a Patriots draft 2002 draft outta /10

reminds me of it LOL


We are now Patriots SOUTH a bunch of blue collar no name players bring your lunch pail BIGGGG UGLY PLAYERS
 
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