Cause I'm Bored A : Pre All Star Games Mock
 

17 Carson Wentz QB North Dakota State Sr 6-5 231 (trade up)
52 Kenneth Dixon RB Louisiana Tech Sr 5-10 212
84 (given up in the trade up)
116 Tyler Higbee TE Western Kentucky rSr 6-5 233
148 Jayron Kearse SS Clemson Jr 6-4 220
180 Demarcus Ayers WR Houston Jr 5-10 190

Offense heavy. And I don't want to trade up in the 1st, but that is the hand currently laid in front of me. Until we have a better idea of the QB rankings, this is my guess.

This will change a lot between now and April.

Perhaps due to trades we will gain a fith rounder for Keshawn Martin, and two seventh rounders - one for Case Keenum to Rams and one for Fitzpatric to Jets.

But loose a sixth for Mallett from Boston and a seventh from Denver for Chris Clark.

So that is likely a total of 8 picks this year. maybe. likely no compensatory this year.

Right now I'm thinking no trade up required for QB, but as you mentioned , lots of time till draft actually takes place.

Just me, I'd probably target a TE before a RB which means I think some upside to running backs we have now.

A 6'4" safety to keep up with the big TE's like Gronk sounds reasonable.

I knew we had gained some picks and lost some picks, but I was to lazy to look it up, so thank you for the correct rounds and # of picks in each.

I think playing time incentives Fitz achieved bumped the 7th up to a 6th.

I do believe your right.

Draftek is now showing Texans with two in fifth, one in sixth, and none in 7th.

Time for a new mock:

22 Vernon Butler DT Louisiana Tech Sr 6-4 325
52 Kenneth Dixon RB Louisiana Tech Sr 5-10 215
85 Dak Prescott QB Mississippi State rSr 6-2 226
116 Cole Toner OT Harvard Sr 6-5 305
146 Jayron Kearse SS Clemson Jr 6-4 220
154 Graham Glasgow OG Michigan rSr 6-6 306
177 Temarrick Hemingway TE South Carolina State rSr 6-5 245

Butler is athletic and large, takes advantage of Wilfork to teach him the ropes.
Dixon is a versatile back that can run between the tackles or split out and run routes.
Prescott is a project that has leadership skills and has become a solid passer.
Toner had a solid Senior Bowl, and showing the skills to stonewall guys from the big schools.
Kearse brings the size for the SS position, is also a ball hawk.
Glasgow can play center or guard, well coached in college.
Hemingway is a big bodied split out TE.

I like it. No real surprise, we often like the same type of players, PK. It's still early, but do you like Vernon Butler more than Jarran Reed or do you believe that Reed is off the board by #22? I am also a fan of Kearse and am eager to compare his measurables to Miles Killebrew

Yes we do often agree on players, you appear to be the more analytical of us two. I like to see guys in one on one drills and such, I'm not so into the combine numbers they put up. But I do look at measurables.

As for Reed v Butler. I used the cbssports.com rating of the players, and I try not to grab players after their slotting. CBS has Reed as #21, so in my mock he would be gone. But I am not sure which guy I would rank ahead of the other all things being equal. Butler looks more fluid and does not move like a 325lb guy. Granted Reed's highlights are against guys more skilled than Butler has played. I would love to be able to go back and watch the Senior Bowl Practices again.

Offensive Draft (Different names to watch)

22 Corey Coleman WR Baylor rJr 5-10 190
52 Nick Martin C Notre Dame rSr 6-4 296 2-3
85 Tyler Higbee TE Western Kentucky rSr 6-5 233
116 Cardale Jones QB Ohio State rJr 6-5 250
146 Aaron Green RB TCU rSr 5-11 203
154 Tom Hackett P Utah Sr 5-11 195
177 Ka'imi Fairbairn K UCLA Sr 6-0 183

Defensive Draft ( new names to watch)

22 Austin Johnson DT Penn State rJr 6-4 323
52 Carl Nassib DE Penn State rSr 6-7 273
85 Scooby Wright III ILB Arizona Jr 6-0 246
116 Cyrus Jones CB Alabama Sr 5-10 196
146 Hassan Ridgeway DT Texas rJr 6-3 320
154 Tyvis Powell FS Ohio State rJr 6-3 209
177 Anthony Zettel DE Penn State rSr 6-4 273

Just some names to watch, that may or may not be on your radars.

BTW if Nassib can play 3-4DE and replace Crick, the Front 7 would clobber other teams OLs. Watt - Wilfork/Johnson - Nassib with Merercilus - McKinney - Cushing - Clowney

22 OL Jack Conklin
52 WR Pharoh Cooper
85 S Miles Killebrew
116 QB Dak Prescott
146 TE Henry Krieger Coble
154 RB Aaron Green
177 OL Willie Beavers

Really on Conklin? Please explain your thoughts on him? Are you looking OT as insurance? (Which might not be a bad move, but you have a lot of cap $ committed to OT already)

Cooper can return punts and has size. (I don't like how he carries the ball like a bread loaf away from his body).

Miles Killebrew is a solid thumper at SS.

Are you really willing to wait until the 4th for Prescott?

Henry Krieger Coble video This coaching staff does like them some boys from Iowa.

We both have Green. My question is can he return punts and can he also play some in the slot? He will be a matchup problem with LBs not being able to cover him.

Beavers looks like a solid raw LT prospect.

I was looking at BPA best case scenarios. I really want TE Hunter Henry in the 1st round, but wanted to go a different way with this mock. I'm scared of the injury Duane Brown has to his quad. The O-line is horrible without Brown in the lineup, so I figured Conklin was good value at #22 and could start RT on day #1 or provide excellent insurance for Duane Brown down the road (later if not sooner). I drafted Beavers late because Mke Mayock has him ranked as his 5th best Tackle and there the guy was still on the board.

Pharoh Cooper is a guy I have heard a lot of buzz about. He would complement Hopkins and Strong while providing Special Teams ability. I am eager to see comparisons with Sterling Shepard of Oklahoma who is currently ranked lower.

Killebrew is similar to Kearse in my opinion but again currently ranked higher. A thumper who has some ball skills and the size to match athletic TEs. Could also be a Gunner on kicks.

I would be sweating bullets to wait for Dak until the 4th round. But, Bryce Petty was a 4th round pick last year and I loved him coming out. If I missed on Prescott, I would have gone Jacoby Brissett or Kevin Hogan later.

Aaron Green is elusive and quick. He reminds me of Reggie Bush, so I would want to pair him with another RB to split carries. Kenyan Drake is the other RB I like to fit this role, but Drake is ranked higher and not as good of a bargain. I beleive Green could be like Andre Ellington or Gio Bernard.

Krieger Coble was the bargain TE I grabbed since I didn't get Henry. I also like Vannett from Ohio State.

If the Texans waited until the 4th round to select a QB - any QB - there will be a mob with pitchforks storming on Kirby Drive.

So if Dak is the answer at QB for this team, who then starts for you week 1? Dak? Savage? Hoyer?

Keep in mind the past two seasons how much the overall success of this team has suffered due to a lack of even a decent QB. Another year of taking a mid-round QB and starting essentially a street FA in Week 1 will not go over well.

I too have been toying with a an OT early for insurance, with both Ben Jones and Brandon Brooks being FAs, I can see a highly likely scenario where one of those guys walks, creating a need for inside help. If Brown is healthy day one, drafting an OT would allow Derek Newton to slide inside to RG. Which in theory, might improve the team. Or you can move the rookie to RG and not expose the edge to a rookie.

Toner is available in the 4 on most mocks and now I can watch Beavers also. I would not be unhappy if we ended up with both Beavers and Toner after the 4th round. But if Mayock is seeing Beavers skills and I saw Toner's skills, little doubt the NFL guys missed them as badly as the mock guys are.

Roy, you and I often find guys low on the mock draft list that end up being drafted in the top 3 rounds, so I would bet that these two guys go earlier than the mockers have them going.

Until I hear other wise, Hoyer is BOB's guy, for now. I would hope they keep Weeden and Savage and let them battle it out, cut Hoyer. Let the rookie be the 3rd guy and learn. Also do like Roy has suggested and hire a QB coach. I would add the QB coach to do nothing but work with the rookie and get him accelerated.

Yeah, that's why I think Prescott goes 1st or 2nd round. CB Cyrus Jones is at least a 3rd round prospect if not 2nd round. Jayron Kearse, Sterling Shepard, and Aaron Green are 3rd or 4th round picks at the least.

All the players I think I can wait until the 4th-7th round for will be long gone.

I let Savage start with the first 4 weeks. A 2-2 start warrants a 5th start. A 1-3 start is my cue to give Dak a shot to see if he has made progress.

The idea that we'd have a mid round rookie as a 3rd stringer and Hoyer starting games is absurd. Bob McNair is already making media rounds saying we are going to draft a QB.

I'm guessing it's Paxton Lynch if available or Connor Cook. We shall see.

They've already committed to enabling the stadium for wifi so frankly I don't know how much more forward momentum the organization is capable of right now.

On another note, the team's second and third round picks are usually a shitshow so as far as I'm concerned if the team grabs a dude named Pharoah and then another dude named Scooby I'm going to have to call that a win.

What if they use #22 on Hack? ;)

That would certainly stir things up...... What if that was OB's plan all along? Use schmucks for 2 years until Hackenberg came out...

Not sure I would like it but it would certainly put OB in a make or break situation...

Maybe Hackenberg stunk it up for 2 years just in case the Texans didn't have the #1 overall pick so he could ensure that he could be reunited with OB.

IMO the downside is not that severe when and if missing with the 22nd pick in the Draft. Now if they were to use that pick, along with the second and/or third round pick, and our future first round from the 2017 Draft to move up for a QB, that move has a very steep downside if the QB were to crash&burn. But for the the 22nd Draft pick alone, they should use it on Hack if they like him even if they have him rated as only a second-round value.

I wanted to look at where some of these guys are ranked on a few different sites.

Vernon Butler is ranked : CBS Sports - 33; Walter - 15; Draft Tek - 105
Kenneth Dixon is ranked: CBS Sports - 75; Walter - 71; Draft Tek - 82
Dak Prescott is ranked: CBS Sports - 115; Walter - 115; Draft Tek - 110
Cole Toner is ranked: CBS Sports - 125; Walter - not rated; Draft Tek - 136
Jayron Kearse is ranked: CBS Sports - 152; Walter - 79; Draft Tek - 45

So a lot of different views for the guys at the top. And that is what the NFL Draft will be like, only one team has to have the guy you have targeted in the 5th round ranked 45th overall and you loose him.

That's why I find it a waste of time to rank all 250 players and only focus on My Guys. My draft board has enough players to target in each round that will fit into a system and fill roles on the roster. The trick is trying to figure out how to maximize the draft class and getting the positions you want filled with the best undervalued players without the need of having to reach for your guy.

Dak Prescott being ranked #110 is amazing to me. Perhaps it's because he is not 6'5" or because he played in Tim Tebow's offense. Not really sure, but I would love to get him in the 4th round. The question becomes do I risk waiting that long and potentially missing out on him. My fallback plan would then become Jacoby Brissett. However, he could come off the board by the time I got to pick again and if I was targeting him in the 5th would that be a reach? Worse, what if I panicked because Prescott was gone and I traded up for Brissett and missed out on Kenyan Drake or Jayron Kearse.

This kind of "what if" scenarios makes me want to pull the trigger on Dak in the 2nd round so I make sure I get my QB and keep as many draft picks as possible.

I still have regrets that we were waiting for Jimmy Garoppolo to fall to the 3rd round. :(

If I am going Offensive heavy in this draft, then I might be looking a little bit harder at this guy.

Corey Coleman: The 5-11 WR from Baylor is in the 4.3 range, and he can stop and start, making him a possible PR guy also. Watch the video

So, last night I decided to perform my 1st mock draft utilizing Fanspeak On The Clock this year. On my first attempt I selected the following players before my phone locked up:
1st round - QB Carson Wentz
2nd round - ILB Jaylon Smith
3rd round - RB Jordan Howard
4th round - SS Miles Killebrew
Then I waited for the 5th round to load, but eventually decided to just start over. So, on my 2nd attempt I was able to choose the following:
1st round - NT Jarran Reed
2nd round - TE Hunter Henry
3rd round - RB Devontae Booker
4th round - SS Miles Killebrew
5th round - DE Matt Ioannidis
6th round - QB Kevin Hogan
7th round - RB Kenyan Drake

I have to admit that I would be quite pleased with that draft if it played out that way. :)

So i played with Fanspeak ( thanks Roy, you've given me a new obsession)

29: R1P29 QB PAXTON LYNCH MEMPHIS
52: R2P21 WR JOSH DOCTSON TCU
85: R3P22 TE HUNTER HENRY ARKANSAS
93: R3P30 RB KENNETH DIXON LOUISIANA TECH
120: R4P21 C MAX TUERK USC
129: R4P30 TE NICK VANNETT OHIO ST
159: R5P20 DT HASSAN RIDGEWAY TEXAS
166: R5P27 RB JONATHAN WILLIAMS ARKANSAS
167: R5P28 K ROBERT AGUAYO FLORIDA ST
198: R6P20 S JORDAN LUCAS PENN STATE

TRADES TRADE PARTNER:
ARIZONA CARDINALS Get:
ROUND: 1 PICK: 22

Texans RECEIVED:
ROUND: 1 PICK: 29
ROUND: 3 PICK: 30
ROUND: 4 PICK: 30
ROUND: 5 PICK: 28

What do you guys think of this one? I would love this outcome.

another pre-combine fanspeak mock

28: R1P28 QB PAXTON LYNCH MEMPHIS
61: R2P30 WR WILL FULLER NOTRE DAME
85: R3P22 RB KENNETH DIXON LOUISIANA TECH
91: R3P28 C RYAN KELLY ALABAMA
120: R4P21 TE NICK VANNETT OHIO STATE
127: R4P28 G GRAHAM GLASGOW MICHIGAN
129: R4P30 K ROBERTO AGUAYO FLORIDA STATE
159: R5P20 OT WILLIE BEAVERS WESTERN KENTUCKY
166: R5P27 DT MATT IOANNIDIS TEMPLE
167: R5P28 S ELIJAH SHUMATE NOTRE DAME
198: R6P20 WR DEMARCUS AYERS HOUSTON
208: R6P30 DT ANTWAUN WOODS USC


TRADE PARTNER: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Get :
ROUND: 1 PICK: 22 (OT TAYLOR DECKER )

TEXANS RECEIVED:
ROUND: 1 PICK: 28
ROUND: 3 PICK: 28
ROUND: 4 PICK: 28

TRADE PARTNER: ARIZONA CARDINALS GET:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 21 (OLB JORDAN JENKINS )

TEXANS RECEIVED:
ROUND: 2 PICK: 30
ROUND: 4 PICK: 30
ROUND: 5 PICK: 28
ROUND: 6 PICK: 30


No way this many rookies make the team, once the FA period is done will have a better idea of team needs.

27: R1p27 qb paxton lynch memphis
52: R2p21 te hunter henry arkansas
85: R3p22 wr josh doctson tcu
88: R3p25 rb kenneth dixon louisiana tech
120: R4p21 dt javon hargrave south carolina state
126: R4p27 cb keivarae russell notre dame
159: R5p20 ot cole toner harvard
166: R5p27 g connor mcgovern missouri
198: R6p20 c austin blythe iowa

trades
trade partner: Green bay packers get:

Round: 1 pick: 22 (olb darron lee)

texans received:
Round: 1 pick: 27
round: 3 pick: 25
round: 4 pick: 27

I love playing with these mocks, makes me look at a variety of prospects.

I'm trying to cherry pick from a few different sources and utilize the picks you were able to garner.

#29 TE Hunter Henry - I believe that he is being ranked lower than he will eventually be selected. I am considering QB Paxton Lynch here as well.
#52 QB Dak Prescott. He is why I was able to choose the best TE with my 1st pick. If I had gone with Lynch in the 1st, I would like to be able to take WR Michael Thomas here to add to Hopkins and Strong.
85 RB Kenneth Dixon, Jordan Howard, or Devontae Booker (whoever's the BPA). I'm also considering S Miles Killebrew or Jayron Kearse.
93 SS Killebrew or Kearse....the idea of doubling up back to back S at 85 & 93 intrigued me.
120 WR Aaron Burbridge - since I passed on Thomas in the 2nd, I grab one of my favorite big WRs in the draft. I honestly feel as if he is the main reason people are so high on Connor Cook because he caught a lot of inaccurate passes.
129 RB Kenyan Drake - I like his Special Teams ability, believe that he could potentially share some carries so the RB workload could be spread out.
159 DE Matt Ioannidis - a workhorse who can play inside too.
166 QB Kevin Hogan - I have no problem drafting 2 QBs. My other thought was taking a 2nd TE here....Jerrell Adams or Tyler Higbee
167 NT DJ Reader - I have to believe that he is greatly undervalued, but I keep seeing him ranked this low. Yes please, and thank you.
198 RB Aaron Green - Taking 3 RBs in the draft might be silly. I see he has been snubbed by the Combine, so #198 might not be out of the question. Plus, if I took Kearse and Killebrew with my 3rd round picks I would be comfortable with Drake and Green as my RB by committee. My other thought was OG Joe Dahl.

The only thing that concerns me is not being able to choose an OL, but the class isn't that great to find a bargain. Perhaps Westerman or Garnett in the 3rd round wouldn't have been a bad idea. I also want an ILB to replace Cushing, but maybe I look harder next year. Lastly, I considered CB Maurice Canady, Harlan Miller, and Cyrus Jones.

I am reading that some scouts think Kearse is to tight hipped to play safety, they seem to think he is going to have to be converted to LB.
.....
With the team likely to keep two current QBs, Savage and Weeden being my hope (Hoyer most likely over Weeden). I don't see them having the reps to go to a 2nd QB in this draft. And as bad as the TEs have been on the team, grabbing 2 makes perfect sense.
...
Foster is likely gone, but Blue is not going anywhere and Grimes is likely to stick, **Edit add** also I forget about Akeem Hunt, he should make a jump and adds an element of speed this team needs **end edit** adding the 3rd RB to your draft maybe a reach. The Texans do need KR and PR guys and adding players that can be that and play a position is a bonus. I hope Izzo can turn our ST into a plus.

I have been mocking from the point of view that we do not resign Jones and Brooks, so I have been heavy OL in my drafts, and its a slim draft in that area, but there are a few real studs that the draftniks have in the 4th and 5th rounds. I wish I could add more picks in the 2nd and early 3rd, but that is hard to do while keeping your 1st round pick.

My question is how much do you sell the future draft for this draft?

This is one of my favorite mocks to date.

Walter Database
 

I finished a couple of Mocks using the Walter rankings on Fanspeak. Without trades, this was my draft and alternative.

#22 WR Laquan Treadwell or QB Carson Wentz
#52 QB Dak Prescott or ILB Darron Lee
#85 NT Vernon Butler or WR Josh Doctson
#120 RB Kenyan Drake or S Miles Killebrew
#159 CB Maurice Canady or DE Matt Ioannidis
#166 TE Jerrell Adams or CB Cyrus Jones
#198 RB Aaron Green or NT DJ Reader

Walter Database
 

I finished a couple of Mocks using the Walter rankings on Fanspeak. Without trades, this was my draft and alternative.

#22 WR Laquan Treadwell or QB Carson Wentz
#52 QB Dak Prescott or ILB Darron Lee
#85 NT Vernon Butler or WR Josh Doctson
#120 RB Kenyan Drake or S Miles Killebrew
#159 CB Maurice Canady or DE Matt Ioannidis
#166 TE Jerrell Adams or CB Cyrus Jones
#198 RB Aaron Green or NT DJ Reader

Probably the best of both worlds would have been a combination of
#22 QB Wentz
#52 LB Lee
#85 WR Doctson
#120 RB Drake
#159 DE Ioannidis
#166 TE Adams
#198 NT Reader

I'm contemplating the "Perfect Draft" (within reason) prior to the Combine. Without pulling off any trades it would look like this:

#22 NT Jarran Reed
#52 TE Hunter Henry
#85 OG Joshua Garnett (not a 'sexy pick' but is a plug-and-play guy to fill the void at RG.
#120 RB Kenyan Drake (the best bargain RB in the draft)
#159 WR Aaron Burbridge
#166 DE Matt Ioannidis
#198 QB Kevin Hogan (If they are keeping Savage and Weeden, there's no pressure to start the season.)

Hard to do this before we know about free agent moves and the comp picks. Those will change the equation significantly.

I am already presuming Foster will be cut.

That is a major issue in doing these. In my drafts I am looking for OL and playmakers, what if we resign or sign the OL guys, then we are drafting backups. What if we sign a FA QB? then we are not looking at a guy in the 1st to 3rd rounds.

So I cannot wait until the FA signing start.