I'm surprised at the number of RBs that were picked and the number of OL that weren't.

He's got seven vowels in his name. But there are only five vowels total. Yet he's missing at least one pure vowel.

Confusing.

But it's the first name that counts. W-H-I-T-N-E-Y. If he didn't have the N, he could join the Cracker Sack Attack. :p

Good point! I think we can count him as an honorary member.

You liked our pick but preferred Perry ? Why ? Apparently Wade disagrees with you since he had the choice ?
Jenkin was maybe the fastest receiver in the Draft, along with Hill. And Hill and
Randle are both still there - very encouraging.
We are off to a good start, I'm real happy with our first-rounder.
But still trying to get over the Irvin pick in the top half of the first - stunning !

The more I read on Mercilus, the more I like the pick. He hasn't played all that much football so he's got a lot of upside on technique. Very strong, nimble hands despite missing one fingertip. Big wingspan will help swat down passes. Played soccer in high school which means he's already skilled at changing directions quickly and pursuing. He's probably worthless in pass coverage but so was Mario. He's not developed as a run defender either but he projects like a Demarcus Ware at the position and we all know Ware really was asked to do just one thing.

Well! That was a rousing session of bulletin board activity. There were upwards of three or four members participating. Thanks, Ric, for all you did.

Sorry, missed the festivities tonight managing my son's weeknight baseball game. Remember the good ol' days when this draft used to be a 16-hour weekend marathon?

Here's video the official site is hosting from NFLN's coverage of the Texans selection.

http://www.houstontexans.com/media-l...2-c3b79dec00b2

Personally, I'm thrilled with the pick. I love adding pass rush. This guy's burst is nice. Watching this team play defense on third and long is going to be fun.

I just can't believe the team picks Mercilus, and there is not a single reference in here to Mersilus... aka James Allen. Shameful.

I was driving throw rural Virginia while the draft was going on. My nephew was giving me a blow by blow. It looked like a stud OL guy might fall into our laps but at the last minute that dream was squashed. I had seen McClain talking about Mercilus, I had no opinion of the guy. I had wanted McClellin, when he was taken earlier I was lost. I had no idea who we would take.

As it stands a solid pick, raw kid with a huge upside. Nice.

Rick Smith is doing a solid job.

I think it goes like this:

Sounds like a good DE/LB name to me....

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Round 1 in the books (ESPN grade on the end):

1 Andrew Luck QB Colts 99
2 Robert Griffin III QB Redskins 97
3 Trent Richardson RB Browns 97
4 Matt Kalil OT Vikings 96
5 Justin Blackmon WR Jaguars 95
6 Morris Claiborne DB Cowboys 97
7 Mark Barron S Buccaneers 95
8 Ryan Tannehill QB Dolphins 94
9 Luke Kuechly ILB Panthers 96
10 Stephon Gilmore DB Bills 93
11 Dontari Poe DT Chiefs 92
12 Fletcher Cox DT Eagles 95
13 Michael Floyd WR Cardinals 93
14 Michael Brockers DT Rams 94
15 Bruce Irvin OLB Seahawks 83
16 Quinton Coples DE Jets 94
17 Dre Kirkpatrick DB Bengals 92
18 Melvin Ingram DE Chargers 93
19 Shea McClellin OLB Bears 92
20 Kendall Wright WR Titans 89
21 Chandler Jones DE Patriots 94
22 Brandon Weeden QB Browns 86
23 Riley Reiff OT Lions 93
24 David DeCastro OG Steelers 93
25 Dont'a Hightower ILB Patriots 91
26 Whitney Mercilus DE Texans 89
27 Kevin Zeitler OG Bengals 88
28 Nick Perry DE Packers 88
29 Harrison Smith S Vikings 89
30 A.j. Jenkins WR 49ers 82
31 Doug Martin RB Buccaneers 90
32 David Wilson RB Giants 84

Wow, I totally missed that. I hang my head in disgrace. My mind was filled with lame Flash Gordon references... like that it would be awesome if next year the Texans drafted LSU's Barkevious Mingo as the almost ideal bookend for Mercilus...

I think this is a great pick, 16 sacks, 9 forced fumbles, 6'4", 260, junior. Our pass rush should be really good ongoing.

I had to visit a friend in hospital who had surgery last night.

I guess best of WR or OL coming in rnd 2 and 3.

All these "I couldn't be there" stories makes me question whether the NFL made a mistake trying to make the draft a three-day prime time event. I know they'll never go back to a Sat-Sun weekend but I wish they would.

As for Mercilus, it's a great pick because he'll cost so much less than Mario and he doesn't have to start right away. I can't wait to see what he's like after a year of being coached up. He's big enough to be a DE on third downs and a rush OLB on earlier downs. I also like all the forced fumbles. He says he has a knack for knowing when to strip and that's a great quality to have.

Since Martin and Glenn are still there, I wonder if the Texans might not be tempted to trade up in the second round with one of their 4ths to get the guy they want. I could see that happening.

Wow. At this point, I am really happy with the pick. I did not think he would be available at 26. I also thought Cordy Glenn and J. Martin would be gone. Thought the pick could have been either one of those guys, or Nick Perry when the Texans were on the clock. I thought it was very exciting. I like Perry, but his motor isn't as consistent as Mercilus, from what I've read. Mercilus' back story is awesome, as well. He has overcome a lot, and I'm very happy for him. High motor, try hard guy with skills.

I'd like to ask the legion (:D) of posters here, if they would be onboard with an interior defensive lineman in the 2nd round, if a very good one were there? One site is mocking the Texans taking Ta'amu in the second. Are you okay taking OL and WR in the 3rd and 4th rounds if a really good DL is there at their pick in the 2nd?

Some who might be available:

Ta'amu
Mike Martin
Devon Still
Jerel Worthy
Kendall Reyes
Brandon Thompson
Jared Crick
Andre Branch

I am going to say we get WR Marvin Jones in the 2nd Round..but I would be just fine with taking Brandon Mosely to play RT and waiting for a WR like Nick Toon in the 3rd round.

The Packers just took my NT Jerel Worthy to rotate with BJ Raji