OLB Justin Houston Georgia 6'3" 260
S DeAndre McDaniel Clemson 6'0" 212
ILB Bruce Carter North Carolina 6'3" 230
OT Jason Pinkston Pittsburgh 6'4" 310
OG Danny Watkins Baylor 6'4" 310
QB Greg McElroy Alabama 6'2" 225
WR Jarvis Williams NC State 6'4" 218

Hopefully, I have a NT, DE, CB all signed after Free Agency.

CB Prince Amukamara is at the top of my wish list.
S DeAndre McDaniel or Rahim Moore or Jimmy Smith in the 2nd round
NT Jarvis Jenkins Or Jerrell Powe
OLB Sam Acho or KJ Wright
DB Jerrard Tarrant, Deunta Williams, Chris Conte, Jalil Brown, Will Hill, Chris Culliver

Then maybe another LB or DL :)

Draftsite.com 1.19.11
 

11 Justin Houston* DE Georgia 6' 3" 259
42 Lawrence Guy* DT Arizona State 6' 5" 300
73 Deunta Williams S UNC 6' 2" 205
104 Shareece Wright CB USC 6' 0" 185
135 Tim Barnes OC Missouri
173 Greg Salas WR Hawaii 6' 2" 200
203 Ricky Stanzi QB Iowa 6' 4" 218

I've fallen out of favor with Moch as a 1st rounder, will get a better read by this weekend on him.

11 Von Miller OLB Texas A&M 6' 3" 240
42 Mike Pouncey OG Florida 6' 5" 320
73 Deunta Williams S UNC 6' 2" 205
104 Kendrick Ellis DT Hampton 6' 5" 340
135 Shiloh Keo S Idaho 5' 11" 210
173 Niles Paul WR Nebraska 6' 1" 215
203 Chas Henry PT Florida 6' 3" 215

I REFUSE to be an insider, but Paul K @ the AFC South blog posted Kipers 1st (of probably 300) rd mock, and he has us with:
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth

Texans, 11th: Aldon Smith, OLB, Missouri

A late addition to the Big Board, Smith's declaration moved him up among draft-eligible pass-rushers. Smith is more athlete than refined pass-rusher at this stage, but he has a great wing-span and is a perfect size and speed combination to develop as an outside linebacker. We know Houston has to address the defensive side of the ball and Smith is the kind of high-upside player that will fly up the board as personnel people start seeing the tape. He'll improve a weak pass rush.

Kuharsky on fit: The Texans need to stock up at linebacker with their move to a 3-4, so Smith could make sense. Especially if there is no super value defensive back here.

Side note - Kiper currently has Von Miller going 8th to the.....Titans.

The need for LBs is really due to the fact that we don't know how strong Barwin and Ryans come back from injury, so I wouldn't mind taking two in the draft or getting one from Free Agency and drafting another. Bruce Carter of UNC would be a great fit in my opinion as an ILB who has the speed to cover a TE. An OLB like Aldon Smith makes sense if Patrick Peterson or Prince Amukamara are not available at #11. I'd almost be willing to trade up for one of those big CBs. Other OLB candidates include Justin Houston, Jabaal Sheard, Jeremy Beal, KJ Wright, or Sam Acho. If we want to groom an OLB and not use a high pick, then Brooks Reed, Wayne Daniels, Markus White, Ugo Chinasa, Eddie Jones, Cheta Ozougwu, or Steven Friday may be options to look at late.

I'm also targeting a NT like Jarvis Jenkins or Jerrell Powe in this draft.

What do ya'll think of Phillip Taylor as a DT, 6'4", 340 from Baylor in say second or third round if he lasts that long?

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1117626

There are currently 3 DTs in this draft that I'm looking at to play NT in our 3-4 defense. Jerrell Powe, Jarvis Jenkins, and Phil Taylor. Picking around #73

I'll add Kendrick Ellis Hampton 6' 5" 340 to the list of guys above as NTs I am interested in.

Taylor and Jenkins will be at the Senior Bowl next week, none of these guys will be at this weekends Shrine Game.

He has some 'red flags' that are making me shy away. He's also very tall, so I'd rather simply sign Gabe Watson or Alan Branch in Free Agency. I know what I'd get from them.

Draftsite.com Jan.20
 

11 Justin Houston* DE Georgia 6' 3" 259
42 Jurrell Casey* DT USC 6' 1" 295
73 Deunta Williams S UNC 6' 2" 205
104 Shareece Wright CB USC 6' 0" 185
135 Dwayne Harris WR East Carolina 6' 0" 205
173 Zach Hurd OG Connecticut 6' 7" 315
203 Ricky Stanzi QB Iowa 6' 4" 218


For whatever reason I just don't see Justin Houston as an 11th pick. My take,

11 Robert Quinn* OLB/DE UNC 6' 5" 260 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuKdkjZf5uk
42 Ahmad Black S Florida 5' 9" 190 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9msQlgOziFE
73 Mike Pouncey OG Florida 6' 5" 320 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzjPIP3gKkU
104 Andy Dalton QB TCU 6' 3" 215 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rgEw2tT00Q
135 Quan Sturdivant ILB/OLB UNC 6' 2" 230 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id-wh...eature=related
173 Mike Blanc DE3-4 Auburn 6' 4" 290
203 Derrick Hill NT Cal 6'2" 308 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm5JMfyC1XM

UDFA:

Harrison Smith S Notre Dame 6'2" 214
Armando Allen Jr. RB Notre Dame 5'10" 205 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udN6v...eature=related
Cecil Shorts WR 6'2" 200 Mount Union http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfn3oxSbJ6A
Brandon Caleb WR Oklahoma 6'0" 195



I just can't help but think of Demarcus Ware when I see Quinn rush the QB. Ahmad Black is a no brainer, perhaps the best instincts of this safety class. Pouncy helps shore up our Oline and gives it a nasty streak its been severely lacking all these years. Dalton gives us a backup QB to groom and potentially take over some day, and him being a local kid only helps him. Quan is a LB with versatility to plug in the middle or outside. Mike Blanc is an underrated player who's solid against the run and can pressure the passer. Hill shores up the Dline at the NT, very stout against the run, his highlight reel is ridicules.

Smith and Allen out of Notre dame are probably the two best players at their postion's that nobody's heard of(I like that line), real sleepers of the draft. Our secondary and backup RB spots are some real areas of concern for me. As is our WR depth, Shorts and Caleb aren't too shaby for UDFA's.

I was hoping we could finally start to draft for BPA but with last years abominable defense, it looks like we will still be stuck in the NEED mode. Need being CB & FS followed closely by NT.

1.24.11
 

they have adjusted there mock with the completion of the playoffs.

11 Robert Quinn* DE UNC 6' 5" 260
42 DeAndre McDaniel S Clemson 6' 1" 190
73 Casey Matthews ILB Oregon 6' 2" 235
104 Joe Lefeged CB Rutgers 6' 1" 205
135 Ronald Johnson WR USC 6' 0" 190
173 Tyrod Taylor QB Virginia Tech 6' 1" 215
203 Brennan Olander DT Oregon State 6' 1" 276

I don't think Quinn is a McNair type guy, we will see.

11 Justin Houston* DE Georgia 6' 3" 259
42 DeAndre McDaniel SS Clemson 6' 1" 190
73 Sam Acho DE Texas 6' 3" 258
104 Jerrell Powe DT Mississippi 6' 2" 330
135 Shiloh Keo S Idaho 5' 11" 210
173 Niles Paul WR Nebraska 6' 1" 215
203 Roy Helu Jr. RB Nebraska 6' 0" 215

My OLBs are Houston, Acho, Barwin and Anderson
My DEs are Mario and Antonio, and a FA
MY NTs are Cody, Powe and Mitchell?
ILBs Ryans, Cushing, Sharpton and Bentley
Safeties are McDaniel, Keo, Nolan and Quinn or Barber
CBs are Jackson, FA, ?Quinn, Allen, McMannis

My RBs are Foster, Tate, Helu

Say bye bye to Okoye, Pollard, Wilson, Diles, Owen Daniels and Jacoby Jones. Time for a do over at a few positions, sign some Veteran FAs.

Drafttek.com 2011 Consensus Mock Draft In-Season Revision #17 1.25.11
 

11 J.J. Watt Wisconsin DE34 42 DeAndre McDaniel Clemson SS 73 Johnny Patrick Louisville CB
104 Christian Ballard Iowa DE34
141 Justin Boren Ohio State OG
172 Jeremy Kellem Middle Tennessee FS
202 Kenny Rowe Oregon OLB34

Where I like Watts and Ballard, I have many more needs with the conversion, and DE is not biggest need. Unless I am trading Mario, I do not see two 34 DEs in this draft.

WalterFootball.com 1.27.11 mock
 

And the climb begins, Von Miller has had a wonderful week at Mobile and this mock has him going #5 to Arizona, wow!

11 Houston Texans: Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri
42 Houston Texans: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
73 Houston Texans: Deunta Williams, FS, North Carolina104 Houston Texans: Ian Williams, NT, Notre Dame I'm going to suggest something that it seems I do every year, if the draft falls like this does, trade down. Someone will be looking at a QB and not wanting to pay top 10 money, trade down and get picks for later.

But I will play with what is here:

11 Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri top 34 OLB available
42 Quinton Carter, S, Oklahoma
73 Brooks Reed, DE/OLB, Arizona
104 Greg Salas, WR, Hawaii

There are 3 OL guys that I would consider: Stefen Wisniewski, Mike Pouncey, and John Moffitt, Might be willing to take one of htese guys instead of a defensive need pick.

My picks...

11. DE Cameron Heyward Ohio St 6'5" 288 4.92
42. CB Jimmy Smith Colorado 6'2" 205 4.49
73. DT Jarvis Jenkins Clemson 6'3" 310 4.98
104. CB Davon House New Mexico St 6'0" 190 4.46
S Chris Conte California 6'3" 212 4.54
OLB Wayne Daniels TCU 6'2" 250 4.79
OLB Markus White Florida St. 6'4" 262 4.69
ILB Scott Lutrus Connecticut 6'3" 240 4.68


Just guessing what's available in rounds 5-FA

I have a couple of questions after the Senior Bowl week of practice and the game.

1) How high will Phil Taylor NT Baylor rise before the draft? Is he going to be like Raji and jump into the 1st round? Raji went #9 to Green Bay in 09.

2) Is Von Miller overhyped?

3) Should we go NT in the 1st and then take Reed later to play OLB?

4) Is our middle of the OL OK if we pass on guys like Wisniewski, Pouncey, Hudson, Moffitt or Danny Watkins Baylor? Anyone of those guys would improve our interior OL in the long run. But how else are we going to get defensive guys that we need?

Is this mock to far of a reach?
17 Brandon Harris* CB Miami 5' 11" 195 ***trade down with NE
42 Phil Taylor DT Baylor 6' 4" 355
60 Stefen Wisniewski OG Penn State 6' 3" 297 ***for the trade down from NE
73 Sam Acho DE Texas 6' 3" 258
104 Brooks Reed OLB/DE Arizona 6'3" 255
135 Shiloh Keo S Idaho 5' 11" 210
173 Tejay Johnson S TCU 6' 1" 210
203 Chas Henry PT Florida 6' 3" 215

We would need to sign a FA or two from some other team.

1. I look at Phil Taylor and think about a few recent drafts...
Dan Williams - #26
Ron Brace - #40
Torell Troup - #41
Linval Joseph - #46
Terrence Cody - #57
Terrence Knighton - #72
Pat Sims - #26
----There isn't a BJ Raji type player in this draft. I'm hopeful that Jarvis Jenkins will be around in the 3rd round sort of like Roy Miller was, but we may just have Sean Cody as our NT this year unless we sign a Free Agent.

2. Yes, he is a bit overhyped. I liked Brian Orapko better than Miller and he was drafted #13.

3. No to the first and yes to the second. A CB would be my preference in the 1st, but only if they are a stud. Otherwise, a trade down and selecting a 5-Tech may be best.

4. I think a decent OL prospect can be selected in the 4th or possibly 5th round. John Moffit or Tim Barnes?

Hadn't validated this, but heard one of TV guys say Green Bay DL has 4 guys of 320lbs they sometimes rush together. That is a big DL. Led by Raji now.

Cullen Jenkins will be a Free Agent....and I want HIM!

If the draft were tomorrow using PK's trade:

17. J.J. Watt* 3-4DE Wisconsin 6' 6" 285
42. Jabaal Sheard OLB3-4 Pittsburgh 6' 4" 260
60. Bruce Carter OLB UNC 6' 3" 230
73. Chimdi Chekwa CB Ohio State 6' 0" 190
104. Jerrell Powe DT Mississippi 6' 2" 330
135. Ricky Stanzi QB Iowa 6' 4" 218
173. Niles Paul WR Nebraska 6' 1" 215
203. Chris Culliver S South Carolina 6' 0" 190

Not my dream draft, but not too bad. I do think I have around 6 players that will see the field, if not start, unlike previous drafts.

draftsite.com 2.1.11
 

post senior bowl mock

11 Von Miller OLB Texas A&M 6' 3" 240
42 Quinton Carter S Oklahoma 6' 1" 195
73 Lawrence Guy* DT Arizona State 6' 5" 300
104 Johnny Patrick CB Louisville 5' 11" 190
135 Brian Rolle ILB Ohio State 5' 11" 220
173 Niles Paul WR Nebraska 6' 1" 215
203 Greg McElroy QB Alabama 6' 3" 220


I could be happy if this were the actual draft.

My attempt

11 Von Miller OLB Texas A&M 6' 3" 240
42 Quinton Carter S Oklahoma 6' 1" 195
73 Stefen Wisniewski OG Penn State 6' 3" 297
104 Sione Fua DT Stanford 6' 2" 307
135 Shiloh Keo S Idaho 5' 11" 210
173 Ricky Stanzi QB Iowa 6' 4" 218
203 Roy Helu Jr. RB Nebraska 6' 0" 215

1st a pure pass rusher that is better than we have had to team with Barwin, two solid safeties to groom, a solid middle of the offensive line type, a solid force in the middle of the DL (not a push the pocket type but a plugger), a good developmental backup type QB, and a very nice 3rd RB option.

If we sign Nnamdi Asomugha(I can dream), we're gonna break the bank and therefore not be able to resign a few notable FA this offseason, mainly Pollard and Jacoby Jones, who'll be looking to get paid.
So now we have new holes to fill.

11. Justin Houston* DE Georgia 6' 3" 259
42. Quinton Carter S Oklahoma 6' 1" 195 (Pollards replacement)
73. Casey Matthews ILB Oregon 6' 2" 235
104. Danny Watkins OT Baylor 6' 4" 310
135. Greg Little WR UNC 6' 3" 220 (JJ replacement)
173. Mike Blanc DE3-4 Auburn 6' 4" 290
203. Dane Sanzenbacher WR Ohio State 5' 11" 185

Draftsite.com 2.8.11
 

11 Von Miller OLB Texas A&M 6' 3" 240
42 Drake Nevis DT LSU 6' 1" 300
73 Tyler Sash* S Iowa 6' 1" 210
104 Darvin Adams* WR Auburn 6' 3" 185
135 Caleb Schlauderaff OG Utah 6' 4" 300
173 Chris White ILB Mississippi State 6' 4" 245
203 Andrew Rich CB BYU 6' 3" 215

My cherry pick:

11 Von Miller OLB Texas A&M 6' 3" 240
42 Jimmy Smith CB Colorado 6' 2" 205
73 Stefen Wisniewski OG Penn State 6' 3" 297
104 Sione Fua DT Stanford 6' 2" 307
135 Jerrell Powe DT Mississippi 6' 2" 330
173 Roy Helu Jr. RB Nebraska 6' 0" 215
203 Brooks Reed DE Arizona 6' 3" 255

A fun trade down that will never happen

11 traded to NE for #28 and #33

28 Rahim Moore* S UCLA 6' 1" 195
33 Phil Taylor DT Baylor 6' 4" 355
42 DeAndre McDaniel S Clemson 6' 1" 190

Of course the later picks would change, but this would give you some safety talent to develop and a NT with size and wiggle.

Drafttek.com 2011 Consensus Mock Draft In-Season Revision #19 2.9.11
 

11 Aldon Smith Missouri OLB34
42 Christian Ballard Iowa DE34
73 Robert Sands West Virginia FS 6-4 215
104 Wayne Daniels TCU OLB34
141 Clint Boling Georgia OG
172 Mario Butler Georgia Tech CB
202 Deunta Williams North Carolina SS

Williams in the 7th? not sure about that.

My cherry pick:

11 Aldon Smith Missouri OLB34
42 Phil Taylor Baylor DT34
73 Tyler Sash Iowa SS
104 Rahim Moore UCLA FS
141 Jalil Brown Colorado CB
172 Anthony Gray Southern Miss DT34
202 Deunta Williams North Carolina SS

Don't think it will go down this way, but a guy can dream about some heavy beef for the NT position.

right today, I like your last cherry pick.

PK, Drake Nevis would have to put a piece of lead in his shorts to get to 300 lbs., I think. Last I read he was about 287.

Drfaftsite
 

My takes:
**- pick in exchange for cash

11 Justin Houston* OLB Georgia 6' 3" 259
42 Jurrell Casey* DT/NT USC 6' 1" 295
73 Christian Ballard 3-4DE Iowa 6' 5" 297
104 Nate Irving ILB North Carolina State 6' 1" 235
**117** Jerrard Tarrant* FS/RS Georgia Tech 6' 0" 204
141 Dwayne Harris WR East Carolina 6' 0" 205
172 Alex Henery K Nebraska 6' 2" 175
202 Eddie Jones DE Texas 6' 3" 260

You do realize the first Mock is the websites own mock, not me picking a player, and second they are the ones who list the players weights, and draftsite.com is guessing at the weight of most of these guys early in the season, also they have not updated these know weights ie Senior Bowl and Shrine Game.

draftsite.com 2.15.11
 

here is the latest

11 Von Miller OLB Texas A&M 6' 3" 240
43 Drake Nevis DT LSU 6' 1" 300
73 Tyler Sash* S Iowa 6' 1" 210
104 Darvin Adams* WR Auburn 6' 3" 185
135 Caleb Schlauderaff OG Utah 6' 4" 300
173 Chris White ILB Mississippi State 6' 4" 245
203 Andrew Rich CB BYU 6' 3" 215

another view

17 Justin Houston* OLB Georgia 6' 3" 259
43 Jimmy Smith CB Colorado 6' 2" 205
60 Stefen Wisniewski OG Penn State 6' 3" 297
73 Tyler Sash* S Iowa 6' 1" 210
104 Jerrell Powe DT Mississippi 6' 2" 330
135 Niles Paul WR Nebraska 6' 1" 215
173 Jeron Johnson S Boise State 5' 11" 194
203 Wayne Daniels OLB TCU 6' 2" 250

I see us drafting Cam Newton for the Dolphins at 11, which gets us 15 and 79, and 143.

15. J.J. Watt* 3-4DE Wisconsin 6' 6" 285
43. Sam Acho DE Texas 6' 3" 258
73. Curtis Brown CB/FS Texas 6' 1" 185
79. Bruce Carter OLB UNC 6' 3" 230
104. Nate Irving ILB North Carolina State 6' 1" 235
135. Terrance Toliver WR LSU 6' 5" 206
143. Terrell McClain DT South Florida 6' 2" 302
173. Alex Henery K Nebraska 6' 2" 175
203. Derrick Locke RB Kentucky 5' 9" 190

Like the trade, like Watts, but he is not a starter on this team unless they move Mario or Antonio, IMO.

Thanks, I based it on the Joe Flacco trade we did a while back. I like Watts opposite Mario, but with Antonio(or whomever) coming off the bench to keep the pass rush fresh and the corners bottled up. I'm pretty high on Watts as a 3-4 DE in this draft, as well as Drake Nevis. I love the high motor these guys displayed every game. I'm not that high on Antonio Smith, I thought he played very undisciplined last year, caused alot of unnecessary penalties , the injury to Barwin, the hot and cold play, and then the spat with Cushing on the field left me thinking we could do better. I know he came here because of Frank Bush, maybe he might want to follow him wherever he ends up, IMO.
This draft is loaded with DE's and OLB's.

FYI, Bush just ended up in Tennessee as a the LB coach.

As for Smith, and he was also our most consistent pass rusher all season.

I'm glad Bush is in Tennessee, maybe he'll screw up their defense like he did ours...we can only hope. The Titans should give us 2 easy wins with a rookie head coach and most likely a rookie QB next year, but these are the Texans we're talking about,(see Sanchez and Ryan in their debut) let's just wait and see.

As for Smith being the most consistent pass rusher all season, whatever that means, doesn't really hold water.

A. Smith- 38 TKL 4 SK
M.Williams- 28 TKL 8.5 SK
M.Anderson- 21 TKL 4 SK
A. Okoye- 44 TKL 4 SK

Mario still had twice as many as any other pass rusher on the team, and he missed a game and a half, and Anderson only played 11 games for us and still equaled Smith's season total of 4, an average of 1 sack every 4 games...

With such a deep DE and OLB class this year, we really have a golden opportunity to solidify those position(s) for the next decade or so.


In other news, the Texans released 5 players 2/18 including Eugene Wilson FS, and Andre Davis WR.

from houstontexans.com site

Texans Release 5
Posted by drewdougherty on February 18, 2011 – 3:50 pm

The Texans have released the following players: FS Eugene Wilson, WR André Davis, LB Isaiah Greenhouse, LB Darnell Bing and DT DeMario Pressley.
Wilson started 13 games at free safety in 2010, finishing with 56 tackles. He joined the club before the 2008 season, after playing the first five years of his career with the Patriots.

Tags: Andre Davis, Darnell Bing, DeMario Pressley, Eugene Wilson, Isaiah Greenhouse
Posted in Drew Dougherty | 3 Comments »

Wasn't a complete season, but here is an article thru week 10 in Football Outsiders

In week 10 Mario (22.5) was 3rd in Hurries, and Smith (21) was 9th.
As for QB hits Smith (11) was tied for 5th, Mario had 10 and was tied for 7th.

I know I've seen the final number on another web site, but can not find them right now, iirc Smith ended up leading the team in hurries and hits. These things can be as frustrating to a QB as a sack, if your name is not Brady.

I agree slightly that Antonio Smith had some very costly negative plays, penalties, for us, so he needs to play a little smarter.

But, he did seem to play with more fire and emotion than a lot of guys on the plus side. Hopefully he can be more consistent and play well for us in future.

drafttek.com 2.23.11 mock #21
 

11 Aldon Smith Missouri OLB34 6-5 260
42 Christian Ballard Iowa DE34 6-4 288
73 Robert Sands West Virginia FS
104 Cliff Matthews South Carolina OLB34
141 Will Rackley Lehigh OG
172 Justin Rogers Richmond CB
202 Harold Ayodele Emporia State DT34

I don't see this as a Texans draft, especially towards the end.

draftsite.com 2.24.11
 

11 Robert Quinn* DE UNC 6' 5" 260
42 Drake Nevis DT LSU 6' 1" 300
73 Tyler Sash* S Iowa 6' 1" 210
104 Darvin Adams* WR Auburn 6' 3" 185
135 Caleb Schlauderaff OG Utah 6' 4" 300
173 Chris White ILB Mississippi State 6' 4" 245
202 Henry Hynoski* FB Pittsburgh 6' 2" 260

only two changes were made, the top pick and the last pick. I don't think FB is on our radar with a probowl FB on the roster. Also I do not see McNair giving a huge contract to a guy with this many question marks.

Those two players are my ideal selections at their respected draft positions.

Drafttek has Marcell Dareus still available:eek: on their mock when we select Aldon Smith, but I don't think there's any chance that he gets by us if he's still there...

Are ya'll watching the combine some on NFL network.

The next few days should be defense turn.

This articles covers some pass rushers Texans might target, DE or OLB
http://www.houstontexans.com/news/ar...c-6483ea6968ca

and a nice interview with Tim Bulman on his anticipated role as DE in new 3-4
http://www.houstontexans.com/news/ar...9-635329eef817