Texans Draft: The Dirty Dozen

I am excited about this draft. I like the mid round depth at DT and WR which are both areas the Texans could use an upgrade. However, mid round picks ain't so sexy. so here is my list of the twelve players that one of which could end up coming off the board as a Houston Texan on April 26th. A few of these are likely to go higher, but past the tenth pick some weird things can happen. If I didn't mention someone it is because I feel there is no way the Texans would take him at 26, or he is a lock to be off the board.

These are in no particular order

WR Michael Floyd-His combine makes it unlikely he gets past the Bears, but he is long and faster than people thought. He is a natural hands guy and often out competes DB's in jump ball situations.

S Mark Barron-He hasn't been able to work out yet, so his exact value is in flux. He will probably get over drafted because he is the best player at his position. He is physical and rangy and would allow Quinn to play primarily on the slot.

CB Stephon Gilmore-He is a legit low 4.4 guy that has above average ball skills and is a physical tackler. He is an ascending player right now, some draftniks thing he may compete with Kirkpatrick to be the 2nd CB off the board, and may be out of reach by the time the draft rolls around.

OLB/DE Whitney Mercilus-Gotta love the name. He was a hand in the dirt guy at Illinois that burst onto the scene last year. He's a bit of a one year wonder, although he was a holy terror that one year, and scouts seem to be mixed about whether he can play standing up or not. These are probably the same people who said Mario couldn't. Not to mention, in the Texans 34 that is way less of an issue.

WR Stephen Hill-Can you say freak? 6' 3 5/8" 220lbs 39" vertical 4.36 forty (faster than fellow Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson). The bad... Only 28 catches last year and only 49 for his career. In fairness he plays for a wishbone team that doesn't throw often, and when they do it's post and go routes. Now, he looked awesome running routes and catching the ball at the combine, and Mayock said the same thing about his pro day. This guy could be a Randy Moss with a good attitude or he could be the next Troy Williamson. He is a fast riser and has gone from being a lock to be there when the Texans picked in the 2nd to possibly going 15-25. He is intriguing and is my sentimental favorite at the moment.

DT Jerell Worthy-Athletic big man that could be a three down player at the nose. He is extremely quick off the ball and gets a good up field push against the pass. He reminds me of Nick Fairley, who the locals clamored for last year (turns out we were wrong), without the sack pedigree, but he is a factor in the pass rush and chases well for a man his size.

OL Cordy Glenn-Glenn is a guy, since he weighs in at 345 lbs, that everyone assumed was just a slow footed mauler. Turns out he is a hell of an athlete and may be able to play tackle or guard in the league. He turned heads at the Senior Bowl and was impressive at the combine. He would provide great OL depth for the Texans.

C Peter Konz-He is the best center in the draft and who knows what will happen with Myers (please, PLEASE re-sign him). His strength was under whelming at the combine which is a red flag. To me, bench is usually indicative of work ethic, and it is hard to believe an OL from frickin' Wisconsin would have a poor work ethic. I'm not sure what to think of this kid, so I say trust what you see on the field.

OLB/DE Andre Branch-He is a lot like Mercilus. Branch has a better career resume, but he really came on this last year. There seems to be less of a question about him standing up and the scouts seem to feel he is a better fit in the 34 than the kid from Illinois. Again, with what the Texans do I'm not sure any of that matters. He is who I have the Texans taking in my current Mock Draft. Of course, if the Texans re-sign Mario... Never say never.

WR Kendall Wright-This one is hard to figure. He runs away from everyone on game day, but only posted a 4.6 forty at the combine. However, he is bigger than I thought and weighed in over 200lbs. He seems to be a dynamic playmaker that would fit in well across from Dre or in the slot. He isn't the tall WR that Kubiak seems to covet, but his run after the catch potential has to be intriguing. Here is another one where I trust his production over his testing performance. His pro day will be huge for him.

DT Devon Still-Like Worthy, Still is a three down NT. He probably gets a better push than Worthy, but is not as good at running the heel line in the run game. I don't think he is as much of an effort player as Worthy is either. At the combine, he did not check out well athletically like some assumed he would.

OLB/DE Nick Perry-Another conversion edge rusher that is ascending after his combine performance. He put up good sack and tackle for loss numbers at USC and seems to be athletic enough to switch to OLB in the 34. Again, Mario will dictate whether the Texans go for a pass rusher or not.

That's it. Of course, there are other players in the mix as well. Next week I'll post a list of mid round sleepers that I would love to see in Steel Blue.

 

I agree.

 

I just pointed out he was actually timed faster than his fellow gargantuan WR and GTech allum Calvin Johnson. If he were expected to be the next megatron, he would go #3 to Cleveland. Johnson is one of the 10 best prospects in the last 5 years, and I agree, Hill is not in the same zip code. Hill is raw and should be a 2nd round pick, but his measurables and ceiling, which is intriguing, are most likely pushing him up draft boards. Remember how high, granted it was the Raiders, Heyward Bey was drafted? Unlike Johnson, Hill is a HUGE bust risk, but he could also be a draft value steal if he puts it altogether.

As far as on the field, I watched him a lot as well. As a football junkie, I record Georgia Tech and Navy anytime they are on because option teams, especially old school bone teams that run a fair share of midline, are fun to watch and you don't see that scheme much anymore. A lot of spread teams run veer concepts, but the true triple option is rare, and I love watching it. The scheme GT runs makes evaluating Hill tough. They do not throw it much and when they do it is because of a specific way the defense is reacting. For instance, some base cover 3 teams will play their free safety as an aggressive alley runner for pitch support against option teams. If GT sees the safety leaving centerfield too early, they'll run play action off the triple option and take a shot at the backside post. Or if a cover 2 team, which gives your corner quick force to the pitch, ends up with their safeties coming up too fast in run support they may call a playside go route off the same action. What does this mean? Georgia Tech does not run traditional route combos or ask their QB's to read typical progressions or triangles. Hill ran posts, invert flags, and go routes. What we know is that Hill made a bunch of big plays (29.3 yds per catch), but they were probably more a factor of gimmick defenses getting schemed or defensive players foregoing there keys than his speed or route running.

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Now, the reason I would be happy if the Texans picked him in the first is his performance in the drills at the combine and the clips I have seen from his pro day. His breaks in and out of routes look excellent especially for someone of his height. He rolled over his inside foot and snapped his head around well on the out. He went into the dig cut without chopping his feet (Jacoby has been in the league a few years and still can't make this cut clean) and accelerated out of his break. He stuck his foot on the slant without any wasted momentum. It was really surprising considering where he played college and his size. Not to mention, he is clearly a natural hands catcher that caught everything away from his body. There were several shots where he clearly shows that he has soft yet strong hands.

This clip doesn't show much and there is some repeat footage with comments from Mayock.
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Is he a workout warrior? A shorts all-american? To be determined... He certainly may prove to be. Normally, I put on field production WAY ahead of workout performance. For instance, I don't care how fast and strong Dontari Poe is, he had limited production and was on the ground way too much while playing for a below average team that played a lot of weak competition. Hill, on the other hand, is unique, and the question about his production may have more to do with scheme and less to do with his ability. And then again he may be a huge bust. This is what makes the draft so much fun.