2012 Draft Needs?

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by Joshua

For one, why would anyone trade a 1st and a 2nd for Mario if that same team could just draft someone who is his equal with their mid-1st round pick (which is what your hypothetical suggests should be easy to do)?

They will because Mario is an outstanding 4-3 DE miscast as an OLB. He's a known quantity while any draft choice is a gamble. Because they already Barwin and Reed, the Texans can better afford to gamble and develop a first-round pick than a team which has fewer pass-rush options. Mario was far from a sure thing when he was drafted.

Ever heard of "buy low, sell high"?

BTW, listing DTs is irrelevant because losing Mario has no effect on our DTs. If you wanted a fair comparison, you would list first-round 3-4 OLBs like Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. THAT'S Mario's present contemporaries.