1st Round DL

[Roy P]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

Say for example the Texans have Jeremy McClain rated even higher than Crabtree at WR (he's faster than the TT guy and is also a kick/punt returner), and he's on the Board ?

IF Jeremy Maclin is on the board and we DON'T draft him, then we'll know that the Texans are not using the BPA philosophy.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by Roy P

IF Jeremy Maclin is on the board and we DON'T draft him, then we'll know that the Texans are not using the BPA philosophy.

can maclin return punts as well as kicks? Or can he at least catch them? If so he saves us a few TOs a year.

Also my memory is a little fuzzy on how often we lined up Walter in the slot this year. I remember Anderson there on lots of 3 and 4 WR sets, but seem to remember Walter almost exclusively on the outside. AJ was also in the slot a some, but I wouldn't want him there all the time.

The reason I ask is just curiosity about how we fit the three together, because I feel like Walter was very effective as a deep threat, ran great routes, and was a fantastic blocker. If I am going to have 3 good WRs I want one to be a true slot guy and I don't think any of those three are. Additionally I don't know that Maclin helps us in the red zone which is the only place our offense struggled. I might prefer a TE who could work the middle of the field and could help on the goal line. Do any TEs fit this bill?

[mussop]

Originally Posted by barrett

can maclin return punts as well as kicks? Or can he at least catch them? If so he saves us a few TOs a year.

Also my memory is a little fuzzy on how often we lined up Walter in the slot this year. I remember Anderson there on lots of 3 and 4 WR sets, but seem to remember Walter almost exclusively on the outside. AJ was also in the slot a some, but I wouldn't want him there all the time.

The reason I ask is just curiosity about how we fit the three together, because I feel like Walter was very effective as a deep threat, ran great routes, and was a fantastic blocker. If I am going to have 3 good WRs I want one to be a true slot guy and I don't think any of those three are. Additionally I don't know that Maclin helps us in the red zone which is the only place our offense struggled. I might prefer a TE who could work the middle of the field and could help on the goal line. Do any TEs fit this bill?

Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma State

[barrett]

Originally Posted by mussop

Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma State

He was my first thought and I actually typed his name at first, but I think I remember the announcers talking in their bowl game about how he had ZERO touchdowns this year. Maybe it was just a case of forcing it to Dez Bryant near the goalline or something, but either way I have a hard time drafting a TE #15 who did not catch a TD pass his senior year. Especially when any TE we draft would need to be a big time red zone target.

Did anyone watch enough OkSU games to give a little insight here?

[Roy P]

Originally Posted by barrett

can maclin return punts as well as kicks? Or can he at least catch them? If so he saves us a few TOs a year.

Additionally I don't know that Maclin helps us in the red zone which is the only place our offense struggled. I might prefer a TE who could work the middle of the field and could help on the goal line. Do any TEs fit this bill?

JMac is the combo of Devin Hester and Torry Holt. He's a homerun threat anytime he touches the ball. If Walter could put up numbers in this offense, JMac would make defenses think twice before double covering AJ.

If you want a TE, Bear Pascoe is your guy and we don't have to spend #15 to get him.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by Roy P

JMac is the combo of Devin Hester and Torry Holt. He's a homerun threat anytime he touches the ball. If Walter could put up numbers in this offense, JMac would make defenses think twice before double covering AJ.

If you want a TE, Bear Pascoe is your guy and we don't have to spend #15 to get him.

I don't necessarily want a TE, I just think a TE helps this offense more than a Deep threat WR. We have no problem moving the ball between the 20s (what guys like Hester and Holt do). We do it as well as anyone in the NFL. We need someone who helps us in the red zone and Maclin does not have the size to do that.

Not to mention Walter had more TDs then Hester and Holt combined.

[Roy P]

Originally Posted by barrett

Not to mention Walter had more TDs then Hester and Holt combined.

So, I suppose you wouldn't want to trade Walter for Steve Smith, either. Smitty only had 6 TDs compared to Walter's 8. It's amazing Walter didn't make the Pro-Bowl.

While I concede that the offense did a good job moving the ball, and had difficulty in the red zone, they are not above adding a playmaker with the #15 pick. Ideally, it would be nice to have a player like Ed Reed sitting there for us on draft day, but it is not likely to happen in this draft. Therefore, it is important to get the best available player who is most likely to have a successful career for the Texans and make a pretty immediate impact.

The latest Drafttek simulator has the Jaguars selecting JMac at #8. That's the last thing I'd hope for. There is nobody in our Secondary who can cover him. I suppose we might be inclined to select D.J. Moore or Alphonso Smith to play CB if that were the case. Then we had better hope that we could fill even more needs later.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Roy P

The latest Drafttek simulator has the Jaguars selecting JMac at #8. That's the last thing I'd hope for. There is nobody in our Secondary who can cover him.

You're probably right Roy. That's why we need another stud edge-rusher at the other DE to help Mario knock Garrard on his azz before he can throw the ball downfield.

[James]

I'm not sure how enamored with Raji the rest of you are, but at this point, he is my #1 target in round one, lets say he slips out of the top 10 for some odd reason, maybe there's a run on the OT's and 4 go in the top 10. Would you swap spots with Buffalo for a 3rd? Think they would do it considering they could probably still get their man at 15 if it is indeed Pettigrew or an edge rusher? Or do we stick with Deljuan and Okoye, stay at 15 and grab an edge rusher?