Official 2015 NFL Draft - Round 1 Thread

[barrett]

Originally Posted by chuck

The quarterback and coaching consistency are critical, yes, but also is a good front office that has a team assembled well enough to be able to take a risk on a high risk/reward player. I would love for the Texans to be able to look around and say, Yeah, you know what, let's go ahead and take Beckham-Green. We have the organization here to support a guy like that and if he busts, well, OK.

But these guys whiff on so many draft picks that they really can't do that.

Again, New England whiffs on more. They have not struck out the last few years from risk/reward guys (with the exception of Easley). If anything the opposite is true. They trade down and increase their chances to get it right with extra picks and still blow it. They haven't drafted a decent WR in over a decade. Tom Brady just cures a lot of ills. So does properly managing your cap and not blowing money re-signing the wrong guys.

There is no doubt their front office is much better than ours. But they are not doing it through the draft.

[barrett]

And I am not arguing for our front office at all. I am disagreeing with any kind of sentiment that NE is good in the NFL draft.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by barrett

So does properly managing your cap and not blowing money re-signing the wrong guys.

That's why I talked about assembling a team rather than drafting a team. I'm certainly not arguing that the Patriots draft well, but neither are they the only successful franchise over the last six, eight, ten years.

The Texans are trying to elevate themselves from the middle of the pack into the elite. Without the luxury of a Brady they have to manage their roster especially well. They haven't done that, I don't think, and several straight years of poor drafts does not help. The Texans really have to start finding guys in the second, third and fourth rounds who are difference makers rather than guys who can't play, don't play, or guys who quickly get cut from the team.

[HPF Bob]

Somehow they find Gronkowski and other low-round steals. I notice your analysis ignored him.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Somehow they find Gronkowski and other low-round steals. I notice your analysis ignored him.

They also manage to put together what usually are excellent offensive lines without going Cowboy crazy with high round draft picks.

But I'm not really interested in what those cheaters do or don't do. I'm interested in what our team does and hopefully we'll get out of this thing this year with multiple difference makers.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Somehow they find Gronkowski and other low-round steals. I notice your analysis ignored him.

I admit my analysis of NE's drafting in RECENT years did not go back past their last four drafts.

5 years ago the Pats did have a very good 2010 draft that included Gronkowski, McCourty, and Hernandez. They were mostly bad in 2006-2009 and I didn't include those drafts in my list of recent years either.

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by chuck

The Texans really have to start finding guys in the second, third and fourth rounds who are difference makers rather than guys who can't play, don't play, or guys who quickly get cut from the team.

This. +++++

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

This. +++++

My main point was and still is if the team drafted better they could take a flyer on a guy with insane talent but some red flags. There seem to be more of those guys than usual this year and picking in the middle of the round could be a perfect time to look at a DBG or a Gordon or any one of the other dozen guys like that coming out this year.

They can't keep averaging half a productive player per draft like they've done over the past two years.

[Roy P]

I think Tampa Bay just made a huge mistake

[Roy P]

Luck, Bortles, Mariota. ...the Texans now have the 4th best QB in the Division.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by Roy P

Luck, Bortles, Mariota. ...the Texans now have the 4th best QB in the Division.

I'm not at all sure that Mallett can't play. We have a laughably small sample size but what we saw when he was healthy showed a lot to like.

[Roy P]

Dante Fowler. ...Hopefully we'll block him

[barrett]

Originally Posted by Roy P

Luck, Bortles, Mariota. ...the Texans now have the 4th best QB in the Division.

Want to make a gentleman's bet on who is more successful this year between Bortles and whatever warm body we put at QB? Bortles was dead last in QB rating out of 33 qualified passers last year. He will improve with time, but QBs generally don't become much more accurate as throwers. Bortles looks like bigger Jake Locker to me.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by Roy P

I think Tampa Bay just made a huge mistake

I think the Titans just made a mistake, too. But as I always say, I am the world's worst projector of college quarterbacks.

Of course Tennessee could spend the next three hours figuring out ways to rape the Eagles.