My Guys

[Roy P]

Okay I watched some more Connor Barwin and came off him a bit. The athleticism is there, but he's a bit raw pass-rushing and against the run, so he slides a bit. I've also included some more players on the back end of the draft who may be UDFAs in case I don't draft one.

1 DE Brian Orakpo Texas 6' 3" 263 4.63
2 LB Aaron Curry Wake Forest 6' 1 3/4" 254 4.52
3 DE Everette Brown Florida St. 6' 1 1/2" 256 4.66
4 WR Jeremy Maclin Missouri 6' 0" 198 4.45
5 LB Clay Matthews USC 6 '3 1/8" 240 4.62
6 DT Peria Jerry Ole Miss 6' 3" 295 4.98
7 DT B.J. Raji Boston College 6' 1 1/2" 337 5.12
8 CB Vontae Davis Illinois 5' 11 1/8" 203 4.40
9 RB Donald Brown Connecticut 5' 10 1/4" 210 4.48
10 RB Knowshon Moreno Georgia 5' 11" 217 4.58
11 DT Ziggy Hood Missouri 6' 2 7/8" 300 4.88
12 DE Aaron Maybin Penn St 6' 3 3/4" 249 4.62
13 DE Connor Barwin Cincinnatti 6' 4" 256 4.59

14 S William Moore Missouri 6' 1" 226 4.50
15 OC Eric Wood Louisville 6' 4" 310 5.19
16 OC Alex Mack California 6' 4" 307 5.17
17 OC Max Unger Oregon 6' 5" 309 5.28
18 RB Andre Brown NC State 6' 0 1/8" 224 4.47
19 RB Shonn Greene Iowa 5' 10.5" 227 4.55
20 DE Robert Ayers Tennessee 6' 3 1/8" 272 4.77
21 DE Paul Kruger Utah 6' 4 1/4" 263 4.83
22 S Chip Vaughn Wake Forest 6' 1 3/8" 221 4.45
23 S Patrick Chung Oregon 5' 11" 212 4.49

24 LB Marcus Freeman Ohio State 6' 1" 239 4.67
25 CB Asher Allen Georgia 5' 10" 194 4.48
26 DE Cody Brown Connecticut 6' 2" 244 4.76
27 DE Clint Sintim Virginia 6' 3" 256 4.75
28 DE Lawrence Sidbury Richmond 6' 2 3/8" 266 4.57
29 RB Rashad Jennings Liberty 6' 1" 231 4.58
30 CB Keenan Lewis Oregon St 6' 0 3/4" 195 4.47
31 LB Dannell Ellerbe Georgia 6' 1" 236 4.63
32 S Rashad Johnson Alabama 6' 0" 203 4.49
33 LB Gerald McGrath Southern Miss 6' 2" 231 4.49
34 TE Shawn Nelson Southern Miss 6' 5" 240 4.52
35 WR Mike Thomas Arizona 5' 8" 195 4.35

36 S David Bruton Notre Dame 6' 2" 219 4.41
37 OC Antoine Caldwell Alabama 6' 4" 307 5.21
38 DT Corvey Irvin Georgia 6' 3 1/8" 302 4.99
39 S Chris Clemons Clemson 6' 0" 208 4.38
40 LB Scott McKillop Pittsburgh 6' 1" 243 4.72
41 TE Cornelius Ingram Florida 6' 4" 245 4.68
42 DE Kyle Moore USC 6' 5" 272 4.81
43 QB Stephen McGee Texas A&M 6' 3" 223 4.61
44 RB Cedric Peerman Virginia 5' 10" 216 4.39
45 OC A.Q. Shipley Penn St 6' 1" 304 5.19
46 S C.J. Spillman Marshall 6' 0" 190 4.45

47 DT Roy Miller Texas 6' 1" 310 4.98
48 TE John Phillips Virginia 6' 6" 251 4.78
49 QB John Parker Wilson Alabama 6' 1 3/4" 215 4.76
50 WR Demetrius Byrd LSU 6' 0" 199 4.35
51 RB Javarris Williams Tenn State 5' 9 1/2" 223 4.51
52 RB Kory Sheets Purdue 5' 11 1/8" 208 4.39
53 OT Lydon Murtha Nebraska 6' 7" 306 4.82
54 RB Ian Johnson Boise State 5' 11" 212 4.42
55 OG Anthony Parker Tennessee 6' 1 3/4" 290 5.09
56 DE Victor Butler Oregon St 6' 2 1/8" 239 4.72

57 CB Don Carey Norfolk State 5' 11" 192 4.49
58 LB Stephen Hodge TCU 6' 0" 234 4.58
59 S Keith Fitzhugh Mississippi St. 5' 10" 210 4.56
60 DT Terrence Knighton Temple 6' 3" 321 5.21
61 DT Myron Pryor Kentucky 6' 0 1/4" 319 5.08
62 LB Lee Robinson Alcorn State 6' 2" 249 4.74
63 DT Ra'Shon Harris Oregon 6' 4" 300 4.99
64 DE Stryker Sulak Missouri 6' 4 1/2" 251 4.63
65 OC Blake Schlueter TCU 6' 2 3/8" 290 4.70
66 DE Pierre Walters E. Illinois 6' 4" 269 4.78
67 LB Robert Francois Boston College 6' 2" 244 4.58
68 LB Russell Allen San Diego St. 6' 3" 230 4.63
69 LB Brad Jones Colorado 6' 3" 232 4.57

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Roy P

35 WR Mike Thomas Arizona 5' 8" 195 4.35

This is a guy I think we both agree on.

DraftGuys has a video of him from some all-star practice... I love Thomas' ability to make stop/starts and cuts in his routes.

http://blip.tv/play/AfbdJpOQAQ

[Roy P]

Originally Posted by Keith

This is a guy I think we both agree on.

DraftGuys has a video of him from some all-star practice... I love Thomas' ability to make stop/starts and cuts in his routes.

http://blip.tv/play/AfbdJpOQAQ

Yeah, he's a guy that I have slotted at the late third early 4th round pick. I really can't see that happening, but if he's the BPA, I'd have to take him.

[Roy P]

Okay, I've moved some things around, but won't post my new draft board until the Eve of the draft. I'm sure I'll be updating some more before then anyway. However, I wanted to give some insight into what I'm thinking a week before the draft.

In the 1st round I want to make sure that I don't whiff. I always try to imagine who would I want to build my team around if I didn't have ANYBODY on my roster. That makes me more objective and more likely to take the BPA. I don't want to sign a guy who has the "potential" to be good in the 1st round, I'd rather have a player who has shown production at the college level as an indicator he'll be able to carry that forward. In addition, the idea of getting a prima donna or a thug as my 1st pick worries me that I'll be sending the wrong message to the rest of the team. My first pick has to be a guy who will be accepted as a leader by his teammates on the 1st day. My heart says Clay Matthews, but my head has 5 guys ahead of him.
DE Brian Orakpo
LB Aaron Curry
DE Everette Brown
DT B.J. Raji
WR Jeremy Maclin

I'm pretty sure that Orakpo and Curry are off the board before we pick. Raji slides because I never know what I'm going to get from him, but his talent is undeniable. Maclin is one of my favorite players because he can do so much. My eyes must be playing tricks on me because I keep seeing Everette Brown sliding down draft boards and mock drafts. I get the fact that his Cone and Shuttle times were not great, but they were about the same as "Mr. Senior Bowl" aka Robert Ayers. To me, Brown is not a 3/4 LB, but he'll be an awesome RDE in a 4-3 defense (which we run). Mario Williams is a prototypical LDE and E. Brown would be the perfect complement on the other side. I don't care how much we gave Antonio Smith, like I said, I treat my 1st round picks like I'm building the team around them.

The 2nd round has pretty good talent (as it normally does). There may be 1st round talent available here that just slid because of need. The OCs in the class are going to come off the board here -- Mack, Unger, & Wood. As most of you know, I like Wood the best, and I've seen him in a few mocks last until the 3rd round. That would be a steal in my opinion and also not very likely. Another option is to get a playmaking S for the Secondary. William Moore has more talent than Kenny Phillips or Brandon Merriweather, but will probably go in the 2nd round because he played with injuries. The question becomes, can he regain his Junior form, or was that the anomoly. I've heard rumors that Moore may fall to the 3rd or even 4th rounds, but I don't give them much credence. There are a couple of pass-rushing specialists who may be good for the team should we not be able to draft E.Brown in Paul Kruger or Clint Sintim. I just don't think we'll be going there. The 800lbs gorilla in the room is the fact that this team needs a 1a or 1b to go along with Steve Slaton. This draft may not have the depth at RB we all hope for so that we can wait until the 3rd or 4th round to get that accessory for the backfield. I don't know if we want to trade up for Knowshon Moreno or Donald Brown or simply "reach" for Andre Brown or Shonn Greene. Perhaps we wait until one gets drafted and then immediately begin making calls to trade up to get the other. If the Giants take Greene at #60, then I'm calling Indy to see what I have to do to move up to #61 to get Brown.

The 3rd round is like a paradise of riches. I just don't get why so many players that I love are sitting here waiting for a phone call. This is now the 2nd day of the draft, people. I'm getting the feeling if I don't have a pass-rush specialist after this round, then I'm not going to be getting one who has a real shot of making an impact. Cody Brown and Lawrence Sidbury are the two players who could fill this vital need. However, if I haven't gotten an enforcer at S with William Moore, then Chip Vaughn and Patrick Chung have to be on my radar. In my perfect world, I get Moore and Vaughn to man the Secondary. Speaking of the Secondary, the thought of seeing DeMarcus Faggins wearing a Texans uniform in 2009 makes me a little nauseaus. If I were to be able to draft Asher Allen and/or Keenan Lewis, I'd breathe a little easier. Did I mention that I'd love to get a LB or two in this round? Marcus Freeman may be off the board like Sintim, but Dannell Ellerbe and Gerald McGrath would be perfect for my defense. That's assuming I didn't have to take Clay in the 1st round.

[Roy P]

Cont'd

The problem of course is that I may have to forego selecting ANYBODY in the 3rd round because I had to trade up for a RB. That would really suck because I want like 6 picks in the 3rd round!

Anyway, as I go into the 4th round I'm looking at talent. While I don't need Mike Thomas at WR or TE Shawn Nelson, I simply can't allow another team to steal them. If they are off the board, then I can forcus. The Secondary may have not been addressed by this point so maybe I get a gift of Asher Allen or Keenan Lewis at #112. Maybe the S positions have not been filled by Moore or Vaughn, so I'll look for Rashad Johnson, David Bruton, or Chris Clemons here. If I have not been able to acquire a pass-rusher by this point, then Kyle Moore should be coming my way. The LB corps might need another body, so Scott McKillop would be a target. If the OL hasn't had an addition of Wood or Unger, then perhaps Caldwell or Shipley might be prudent. If for some reason I have garnered an extra pick and want to indulge, I would take QB Stephen Mcgee to groom.

Now things get a little hectic. The 5th round is all about BPA vs. Need. There is going to be some guy who we all believe should have been drafted a lot earlier still sitting on the draft board. We start wondering what do other teams know that we don't. Maybe we should pass on him too. FS Chris Clemons is currently ranked #129 by DraftScout.com but DraftTek has him drafted #156 by Dallas. We have #152 in the 5th round and I'm hopeful DT Roy Miller is available. Another guy I want is TE John Phillips as the 'blocking' TE (DTek has him drafted #168 and ranked #194 by DScout). Remember that I wanted Dannel Ellerbe in the 3rd round? DScout has Ellerbe ranked #149 and DTek has him being drafted #98 by Cincinnati. Now you begin to wonder if he passed the drug screen. The offense doesn't really need another WR, but 6' 0" 200lbs guys who run 4.35 are hard to pass on. Demetrius Byrd could be a good project to take on if Kevin Walter wants "big money" after being productive in our offense. We also might want to get a player to replace Ephraim Salaam, so Lydon Murtha makes sense. 300lbs and 6' 7" who runs a 4.82 is uncommon.

Then there is the unfinished business of the 6th and 7th rounds. If we were not successful in getting another RB earlier in the draft, then we have to take Javarris Williams. Need trumps BPA in the 6th round. Whatever needs we were not able to address earlier have to be taken care of now! DE, LB, CB, SS, OL, DT, whatever we haven't gotten, we need to get. Who knows if we'll win the battles of UDFA after the draft is over.

[nunusguy]

"DE Brian Orakpo
LB Aaron Curry
DE Everette Brown
DT B.J. Raji
WR Jeremy Maclin"
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OK RP I like your list of the most likely candidates the Texans might take at 15, but I now think the biggest wildcard in this Draft for us could very easily be D-Rob. How surprising will it be if we hear about a trade, maybe even on Draft day, involving him ?
Anyway don't you think you should add your top-rated corner among Jenkins, Davis, Smith, and Butler to your list ?

[kRocket]

IMO you can throw Owen Daniels and Demeco Ryans into that batch of possible draft day trades. They all want top dollar and we can't afford them all. Drob, OD, and Ryans are all worth a first +other pick. This is a good year to trade TE's and MLB's cause you can draft a new one right away. One of the other Texan sites indicates that Buffalo is eying OD seriously. This is definitely a rumor though!

[Roy P]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

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Anyway don't you think you should add your top-rated corner among Jenkins, Davis, Smith, and Butler to your list ?

I have Davis on my list, he's just below Clay Matthews. I don't have a real interest in any of the other guys you list. Perhaps Alphonso Smith, but he's not going to last until the 3rd round, where I'd draft him.