Put it in the bank: Mohamed Sanu

[cland]

There's only two paragraphs you need to read here.......: CBS draft profile (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1664646/mohamed-sanu)

Blocking: Takes his role as a blocker seriously. Shows good strength and very good effort blocking downfield, locking up the corner and working to seal his opponent from the action. Often sent in motion so he can provide a crack back block on an unsuspecting defensive end and looks to peel back and knock out the trailing defender when a teammate has a chance for a big play.

Intangibles: A selfless player who head coach Greg Schiano raved about when Sanu announced that he was leaving early. ?He?s meant a ton to this program,? Schiano said. ?He?s the guy who does everything. He?ll be very hard to replace. I don?t know if you ever replace him. You?ll just have to have a few guys do his thing.? Played all three years he was at Rutgers but will turn 23 early in his rookie season due to the fact that he turned 19 a week before his senior season of high school football began and he was ruled ineligible …

......to be convinced that he's taken by the Texans. Need? Yes. Blocks as a WR? Yes. Quality guy? Yes.

Welcome to the team Sanu, glad to have you in Houston....

[HPF Bob]

Gotta say he's versatile. He's thrown four touchdown passes at Rutgers, ran back kicks and even punted so he can be the emergency backup in a few spots. Didn't really watch Rutgers this year so I haven't seen him. Don't forget the Broncos pick right in front of us and have several similar needs.

[edo783]

From everything I have read about him, it would seem to fit the profile of what the Texans would likely be looking for. Question is, just how likely will he be there at 26. If he has a pretty good combine, I doubt he falls that far. Just does too many things well and teams look for those kinds of guys.

[nunusguy]

I think the Texans will go BPA with their top choice, especially if they sign a
WR in FA as I expect they will, so I wouldn't assume that a receiver or any position is gonna be their top priority with the #1.

[HPF Bob]

Kubiak and Smith don't give themselves away too much. Casserly became easier to figure after a few years. I still have no clue who these guys are going to draft other than its never who I think it will be.

[nunusguy]

Kubiak and Smith don't give themselves away too much.
If you mean by their first round pick, perhaps last year was a surprise but maybe that was the Wade factor ? Prior to that their top picks of Kareem, Cushing, Duane Brown were expected wern't they ?

[HPF Bob]

If you mean by their first round pick, perhaps last year was a surprise but maybe that was the Wade factor ? Prior to that their top picks of Kareem, Cushing, Duane Brown were expected wern't they ?

Yes and no. A position was identified but not that particular player. The buzz at the time was that the Texans would take Matthews, the teammate of Cushing, in the draft. We took Duane Brown after a run on first-round OTs left us with just Brown as the only one of the board they thought was worthy. Brown's name didn't come up at all until he was taken because many draftniks had Brown projected as a second or third round guy. Kareem was probably the guy most predictable although many wanted Rogers-Cromartie.

And even Mario Williams wasn't a slam dunk because there was such an uproar over whether to choose Reggie Bush or Vince Young that Mario only appeared on the radar in the final week or two.

So the Texans might go WR in Round One but it might be somebody none of us is considering or putting in mocks.

[painekiller]

Yes and no. A position was identified but not that particular player. The buzz at the time was that the Texans would take Matthews, the teammate of Cushing, in the draft. We took Duane Brown after a run on first-round OTs left us with just Brown as the only one of the board they thought was worthy. Brown's name didn't come up at all until he was taken because many draftniks had Brown projected as a second or third round guy. Kareem was probably the guy most predictable although many wanted Rogers-Cromartie.

And even Mario Williams wasn't a slam dunk because there was such an uproar over whether to choose Reggie Bush or Vince Young that Mario only appeared on the radar in the final week or two.

So the Texans might go WR in Round One but it might be somebody none of us is considering or putting in mocks.

Other then correcting the CBs that were expected, Devin McCourty or Kyle Wilson, I have to agree with Bob's explanation here.

Rick Smith has been known for his picks that nobody in Houston had on their radars.

[nunusguy]

Yes and no. A position was identified but not that particular player. The buzz at the time was that the Texans would take Matthews, the teammate of Cushing, in the draft. We took Duane Brown after a run on first-round OTs left us with just Brown as the only one of the board they thought was worthy. Brown's name didn't come up at all until he was taken because many draftniks had Brown projected as a second or third round guy. Kareem was probably the guy most predictable although many wanted Rogers-Cromartie.

And even Mario Williams wasn't a slam dunk because there was such an uproar over whether to choose Reggie Bush or Vince Young that Mario only appeared on the radar in the final week or two.

So the Texans might go WR in Round One but it might be somebody none of us is considering or putting in mocks.
On the 2008 draft, it was the worst kept secret in town that they wanted an
OLT, but yea Brown was the last one left on the Board when the Texans picked and he was thought to be no where near a first-round value at the time. I'm thinkin another reason we "reached" for Brown in the first round was that he was the guy that Alex Gibbs wanted ?
&&
Re the 2009 pick, I thought Matthews was always viewed as a 3-4 guy because of his potential as an edge-rusher and therefor not a fit here since we operated out of the 4-3 at that time. On the other hand Cushing was "the" 4-3 strongside OLB they wanted to play in their 4-3 "Under" ?
I do seem to recall they were very interested in Ohio State DB Malcolm Jenkins, but he was gone before the Texans came up to bat.
&&
2010 Draft: everybody thought corner which of course is where they went, but I thought they'd take Kyle Wilson and not Kareem ? Also, don't think there was a "Rogers-Cromartie" in the Kareem Draft ?
&&
And the Draft of Drafts ? I was always confidant they wouldn't take VY because they still seemed to think David Carr was their guy, but I was stunned when they passed on Bush ?

[popanot]

?Man, nunu... You really need to check that keyboard of yours. Funky characters all over the place on that post. :)

[HPF Bob]

And let's not forget the Texans were thought to be looking DT last April and we chose Watt but that wasn't the name people expected. Brooks Reed was also a choice few people expected. Smith seems good at being quiet about the guys he really wants.

[Joshua]

And let's not forget the Texans were thought to be looking DT last April and we chose Watt but that wasn't the name people expected. Brooks Reed was also a choice few people expected. Smith seems good at being quiet about the guys he really wants.

It does seem like since Smith arrived the Texans have generally gone with the expected position in the 1st round, but the actual player has been a surprise.

[NBT]

And let's not forget the Texans were thought to be looking DT last April and we chose Watt but that wasn't the name people expected. Brooks Reed was also a choice few people expected. Smith seems good at being quiet about the guys he really wants.

Watt & Reed are more to Wade's crdit than Smith I would wager. As well as the two FA pickups that so helped our defense.

[NBT]

It does seem like since Smith arrived the Texans have generally gone with the expected position in the 1st round, but the actual player has been a surprise.

The expected position, but not the exact player. A lot of people are experts before the Draft, but actual events usually prove them wrong. Furthermore, the position was due to the fact that we were woeful in so many areas. We have now reached the luxury of drafting exactly whoever is the best player available when it comes our time to draft.

[Nconroe]

Next week will be the NFL combine so then we get to see who's star is rising and who's isn't. more to talk about atleast as combine progresses.

[NBT]

And likely, Sanu will up his draft prospects at the Combine, and he will be nowhere near where we will be drafting, unless we trade up. I hope the scouts really do their homwork, beause now that we are drafting up there with the big boys we are really going to have to mine for the "Diamonds in the Dirt".

.......On the other hand NFL network Mike Mayock is saying that Sanu may not get separation in the NFL because the DBs are so much bigger and faster, and stronger. He thinks Sanu will last to the second round.

[WMH]

Next week will be the NFL combine so then we get to see who's star is rising and who's isn't. more to talk about atleast as combine progresses.

That always cracks me up....A guys stock can/will rise and fall based on what he does in a t-shirt and shorts.

[edo783]

That always cracks me up....A guys stock can/will rise and fall based on what he does in a t-shirt and shorts.

Yup, I don't understand why they don't put them in full gear and then run the same tests. That would at least have some sort of connection to what they will be doing on the job.

[NBT]

You put on pads to block and tackle, right? Isn't there a league rule against that until they are signed?

I don't see the big deal. They will show in their dexterity, foot speed, bending ability, route running, etc., what they are capable of doing, so what the hell would be the benefit of putting them in pads? :confused:

[WMH]

You put on pads to block and tackle, right? Isn't there a league rule against that until they are signed?

I don't see the big deal. They will show in their dexterity, foot speed, bending ability, route running, etc., what they are capable of doing, so what the hell would be the benefit of putting them in pads? :confused:

What's the benefit of them running in shorts and T-shirts for 40 yards in a straight line? IMO, not much, yet these kids are absolutely scrutinzed for the difference between a 4.49 and a 4.50 forty.

Some of the other drills make perfect sense, but I've never understood the whole 40 thing. Do we need to know how fast he is....absolutely. Can you tell me the difference between a "4.4" and a "4.5" guy? Doubtful. And when will they run in a straight line for 40 yards?

But, that's the way its always been......

Just an amusing observation to me.

[chuck]

What's the benefit of them running in shorts and T-shirts for 40 yards in a straight line? IMO, not much, yet these kids are absolutely scrutinzed for the difference between a 4.49 and a 4.50 forty.

Some of the other drills make perfect sense, but I've never understood the whole 40 thing. Do we need to know how fast he is....absolutely. Can you tell me the difference between a "4.4" and a "4.5" guy? Doubtful. And when will they run in a straight line for 40 yards?

But, that's the way its always been......

Just an amusing observation to me.

I think that websites, ESPN, fantasy players and armchair GMs get worked up over stats that you and I agree are not terribly meaningful in an isolated context. I suspect that most teams care less about whether a guy is 4.44 or 4.49 and more about some of the more esoteric measurements or, more probably, certain combinations of measurements. I'm thinking specifically of the Texans and Ben Tate. The Texans liked him in part because of some combination of measurements - I believe he was the fastest back per pound, something like that.

[barrett]

Guys come from well over 100+ schools every year just in D1 alone. They play wildly different schedules and competition levels. They also have unknown practice habits and attitudes that NFL teams can only guess at.

The combine puts them all on an even playing field for comparison's sake. Every team probably weighs it differently, but it is a useful tool to be able to tell if a guy is actually fast or just looked fast playing against Memphis or some other terrible team.

But to me the biggest thing the combine shows is professionalism. They are performing for future pay, just like they do in the NFL, and you get to see if they know how to train, prepare, and perform (in a basically non-football setting). If a guy is out of shape and unprepared at the combine he probably lacks the professionalism to be in-shape, prepared, and healthy in the NFL environment.

[HPF Bob]

Good points. I think the Combine is a good place to see everyone on somewhat equal footing but I also suspect teams have become so sophisticated at this that they try not to give away who they are really interested in so you never are sure who's being sincere and who's not - sort of like speed dating.

[NBT]

I feel the drills help to establish a pecking order for scouts and GM's to populate their draft boards. So for that reason, I suppose that is the rationale for the 40, and all the other drills.

[Nconroe]

Sanu had a disappointing slow 4.65 in 40 .

[nunusguy]

I suppose that is the rationale for the 40
There's a downfield sprint that occurs repeatedly in NFL games, and that's WRs going full-tilt on fly-patterns and other deep routes with corners in hot pursuit.
So for those 2 positions, 40 times have real relevance, other wise not so much.

[barrett]

There's a downfield sprint that occurs repeatedly in NFL games, and that's WRs going full-tilt on fly-patterns and other deep routes with corners in hot pursuit.
So for those 2 positions, 40 times have real relevance, other wise not so much.

Guys who are fast running 40 yards are generally fast. Guys who are slow running 40 yards are generally slow. So it has a little more relevance than fly routes. Especially for a guy from a bad team in a mediocre conference who did not play against great DBs.

[HPF Bob]

Jerry Rice had a slow 40 time. That and being from a small college is how he fell all the way to the 49ers.

[barrett]

Jerry Rice had a slow 40 time. That and being from a small college is how he fell all the way to the 49ers.

Clearly that was a miss.

But there are about 1000 guys who were slow who didn't pan out. Film study should be the first concern, but if Sanu doesn't play very fast on film (and I'm not sure) then his competition and his 40 are huge concerns. Good hands, good size, good blocker, but slow sounds like Kevin Walter more than a 1st round pick.

[chuck]

Wide receiver is a funny position, isn't it? There are some guys who are just completely built to be hall of famers, they have all the size and speed you could hope for, but for one reason or another simply cannot play the position. Then you have guys who are small or slow or both who somehow are geniuses at getting open. Bob will like this reference because he's white: Wayne Chrebet. The dude was small and relatively slow but that mofo was ALWAYS open. Open as in wide-ass open, not NFL-open. No-one-within-five-yards-of-him open.

I have no idea what Steve Smith's combine was like (or if he was even invited) but I do know that teams passed on him 73 times that draft. The first WR taken in 2001 was David Terrell. Terrell has the perfect size to play the position but could not. Steve Smith is smaller than I am and will go straight to Canton.

[HPF Bob]

Chrebet? Heck, what about former Oiler draft choices Charlie Joiner and Steve Largent? They're both in Canton but neither had the size or speed to appear as obvious top receiver prospects. Rod Smith of the Broncos was not drafted at all but he's the franchise's all-time receiving leader. Nobody has yet found a way to measure heart and determination. All three of those guys had it.

[barrett]

I agree with all of this.

But it still doesn't change the fact that more fast guys suceed than slow ones. And more big guys than small ones.

I don't want to turn into the Raiders and draft the top of the 40 yard dash list every year, but it isn't either or. In the first round we ought to be able to find a guy who shows up on film and can run.

[chuck]

I don't want to turn into the Raiders and draft the top of the 40 yard dash list every year, but it isn't either or. In the first round we ought to be able to find a guy who shows up on film and can run.

I agree totally. I guess my main point is that WR is a deceptively difficult position to scout.

[popanot]

This WR class seems pretty deep, so I wouldn't have a problem with us taking BPA at another position and waiting until the 2nd RD to take WR. I'm not all that impressed with Sanu per say, but I'll damn near lay money that he or someone of similar skills (or someone better) is there at our #2. At this point, I think there are only 3 WRs - Blackmon, Floyd and Wright - worthy of a 1st Rd. pick. And if none of those guys are available, I say pass on WR with the #1. Stephen Hill had a great combine, but I still wouldn't take him with the #1.