Previously, I didn't think I'd give up much more than a third round pick plus something of lesser value for Patterson, but then again, I was stunned at what the Dolphins gave up for Kenny Stills (a third and LB Dannell Ellerbe). So what do I know... maybe Patterson is worth a second then, and the Vikings are asking for a first?

Would you rather draft a WR in the second round or trade it for Patterson? Patterson would be cheap on the cap this year and next, a free agent in 2017. Also worth considering is that Patterson is an excellent kickoff returner. Last I checked, a returner is a big need for the Texans.

It's all very speculative anyway since the Vikings are not obligated to move him, and the NFL Network said his agent didn't think the team was shopping him around. Fun to speculate though.

As for Vince Wilfork, his agent seemed to be rather open in talking to Mark Berman on Thursday, almost a little too open. I hope the Texans aren't being made a bitch here so Wilfork can pocket more cash from the Patriots - or worse - the Colts. The Browns and Steelers were rumored to also have interest.

Lastly, saw this good piece of tweet reporting to confirm the Texans weren't bidding against themselves for Rahim Moore:

I watched Draft Day, the movie, for the first time the other night. Now, I'm willing to send three first-round picks for some druggie on Ritalin who can bitch out Kevin Costner even before his name gets called.

I was just talking to my girlfriend about Draft Day. I love that movie. Was attempting to explain my facination with the draft to her.

Kendrick Lewis signed with the Ravens. With Rahim Moore signing, I suppose Lewis didn't want to play backup, and who can blame him after last season.

The Vikings cut Greg Jennings, which would seem to squash any speculation about the team trading Cordarelle Patterson.

Who would you rather have, Greg Jennings or Vincent Wilfork?

Well, once you get a handle on it go ahead and explain it to the rest of us. I was just thinking while going through the other thread I have no fking idea why you do all of that but I sure as hell am glad you do. I can safely say that pre-draft is my favorite time of year as a Texans fan, sad as that may be. It's like spring training for a Cubs fan.

Honestly, it is just a puzzle or game that I can see where the pieces fit and can't understand how the GMs who get paid cannot. So, I want to make sure that there isn't something I am missing. It started when we drafted Carr instead of Peppers and continued when we missed on Derrick Johnson and Clay Matthews, so I love being on record as to who I would've taken instead. If I had to prognosticate our picks it would be :
WR Jaelen Strong
TE Clive Walford
WR Phil Dorsett
OLB Anthony Chickillo
ILB Ben Heeney
DT Derrick Lott
QB Shane Carden

Assuming one of the top 3 WRs aren't available when we pick at #16 nor are any of the top OLBs.

EDIT:
------
Per Rotoworld FA Tracker - WR Rankings:

11. Kenny Britt (Re-signed 2-year, $14M deal with STL)
12. Greg Jennings
13. Cecil Shorts
14. Brian Hartline (Signed 2-year, $6M deal with CLE)
15. Eddie Royal (Signed 3-year, $15M deal with CHI)
------

IMO, STL and CHI vastly overpaid. I'd be OK with a deal in the Hartline range for Shorts as long as he's fully healthy. I'd pass if it's anything more than that. You have to think with them interested in Wilfork, Shorts and possibly others, Graham is on very thin ice at ~$2.5MM (actually, I just don't see them keeping him at that price) and a re-do with JJoe might be on the horizon. Not sure how much cap space they have available at this point.

I seriously don't get how Kenny Britt is still stealing money from NFL franchises. Jeff Fisher really is an idiot when it comes to offense.

It will be interesting to see the contract and if Smith is really a changed man this offseason.

Wilfork a Texan too:

Man, I just hope these contracts are sensible. If so, I like what they're doing. I'm always an advocate of upgrading wherever you can as long as it's smart and doesn't kill the cap/future.

2 years for Shorts sounds like a show-us-what-you-got deal....

Wilfork: Say goodbye to the clam chowda. Say hello to some tasty tacos....

Shorts Deal:
Right in the Hartline range and about what I expected. Seems fair to me. Bye-bye Martin.

Getting Shorts and Wilfork the same day, NICE!!


We can scratch those two positions from the top half of the draft now. I'm thinking a DB, OLB, and possibly a 3-4 DE, with maybe a X WR or QB possibly in there somewhere.

I'm not sure how much $$ the Texans have left, but I'd submit an offer sheet to Andre Holmes, OAK WR. OAK gave him the lowest possible tender so there wouldn't be any picks involved. He's young, big and fast and flashed some big-time potential when given the opportunity. Probably a long shot considering OAK has cash to burn, but it's worth a shot, IMO. OAK giving him a low tender might be a red flag, but I haven't heard anything bad about him and teams have made the low-tender mistake in the past.

Wow, better than I expected for this FA season.

Now got me wondering what the next changes will be.

I don't mind two year deals at all. It is when deals get in the 3+ range I think you are sacrificing some of the future. These sound like good deals.

Again, not a bad deal. Right about market and no real cap implications. Nice upgrade. I'm starting to think Rick Smith has been abducted by aliens.

I don't give up on a WR at #16 just because we signed Shorts. :confused:

I'm still on the Parker/Strong bandwagon. We need a legit threat with DeAndre.

I don't think they're done at WR either. While I wouldn't have a problem with them going WR at 16, I think they'll wait and go LB, OL (C/G), or Edge now.

I don't know that any of these signings off other teams, taken as a whole, should significantly alter the Texans' draft plans. These are 2- or 3-year deals, somewhat front-loaded at that. Draft picks have a longer scope. These signings just help prevent the immediate needs for the next 1-2 years.

The 'long-term' team needs are really still the same... OLB, ILB, WR, C, CB, and possibly even QB... in some order.

That's part of what makes the potential of today's signings (Wilfork and Shorts) so good... they help alleviate the need to force a pick in the early rounds and allow the team to focus on long-term needs.

As far as the draft goes I'm not really wed to any position; I'd just kind of like to see them take some guys that suit up and play and make a positive impact. That would be swell.

I agree with the concept of a WR at #16. They still don't have a real replacement for AJ on the outside. IMO Short is more of a slot guy, and I don't know that I trust Posey yet.

I had been hoping that they would take NT/DE Brown from Texas, but I don't see that happening now. But Brown can play DE and that would be a heck of a DL in the 3-4. Brown-Wilfork-Watt.

I like the WR angle but I am not sure a great one will be there at 16, so I am thinking CB.

I think a big factor will be Clowney's status the closer we get to the draft. If it looks like he's not coming back anytime soon, or heaven forbid never, I could see us going Edge since there seems to be a high number of quality prospects at that position with Beasley, Gregory, Fowler, Ray, Dupree... I could see one of those guys being there at #16.

I'm not sure how BOB feels about him, but if Mariota falls to #10 (Rams) or #11 (Vikings), I'm thinking hard about trading up. He won't make it past #12 (CLE). Might be the one shot at a top QB prospect in BOB's tenure.

EDIT: After looking at the draft order, I'd be surprised MM falls past 6 or 7. Can't see the Jets or Bears passing him up. Maybe even the Skins at 5.

The Draft is not much more than a month away and I don't think we will know much more if anything more about Clowneys impact or lack thereof on our 2015 season by then.
I don't see MM as a Bob kinda QB, and getting him would likely be prohibitively expensive for the Texans. But there may be somebody else in this Draft he likes ? He's had a respectable FA this year, nothing spectacular
while keeping our cap very much under control and also filling some needs.

If the draft fell this way...

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/n...ariota-mystery

...I pull the trigger and move up to #10 or #11 for Mariota. I don't think it would cost all that much to move up into that range from #16, and like I said, it might be the only chance in a long time to have a shot at a top QB prospect that is young, cheap and cap-saving for probably the next 4 years. If I'm HC and it looks like I'm going to be picking middle-of-the-pack range for the next few years (like it looks like the Texans might be) and have a shot at a top prospect, I'm pulling the trigger. I'd be done with the 3rd/4th/5th RD experiments.

That's not to say BOB will or that MM makes sense in his scheme, just that I would do it.

That's an interesting mock but Dorial Green-Beckham is an ideal example of the sort of player the Texans never have anything to do with.

I thought the same thing. No way they would go DBG that high with his baggage. MAYBE if he fell to RD2 or RD3 and someone, somehow persuaded McNair.

I'm getting more interested in taking Strong. He's stronger and faster than Parker. Muscles defenders for the ball. Papa was a basketball star in college.

What he lacks is quickness at the snap but AJ wasn't that fast off the line either. I think he makes a good replacement.

Dorial G-B's profile reads too much like Justin Blackmon. A physical beast but wayyy too many red flags for me.

Enter-Sports ‏@EnterSportsMgmt 5h5 hours ago
Congrats to client, @AkeemDent, on agreeing to terms on new 2-year deal with Houston Texans! @AdamSchefter @ProFootballTalk

Mark Berman ‏@MarkBermanFox26 11s12 seconds ago
Akeem Dent's 2-year contract with the Texans is for $4.5 million with $2 million guaranteed.

I am insulted being compared to Casserly, a man I nicknamed "Rasputin" and hope that you were joking. When I commented that Codarrelle Patterson could snag 40 catches, I was joking that was the "plan" for Andre Johnson in O'Brien's Offense this upcoming season.

I hope that there are at least options at #16 now. I don't see a 1st round ILB in this class. And I wouldn't hesitate to take Amari Cooper, Kevin White, or Devante Parker if they were available. The same goes for Vic Beasley, Dante Fowler, Randy Gregory, Shane Ray, or Bud Dupree if they are there. This class has decent OL like Scherff and Erving who may be better BPA when compared to Jaelen Strong or Eli Harold though. So, it depends on how the draft unfolds and not about filling your biggest glaring need.

According to the Draft Chart, moving up to #10 from #16 would cost our 3rd round pick, but the Rams would have to part with their 4th & 5th round picks to even it out. Personally, I would rather have the extra 5th round pick, get the guy I wanted at #10, and hope I can get a 3rd round talent with the 4th rounder.

Just looking at the team roster on Texans web site, looks like Texans currently list 69 players, some will come and go , several names on there I don't recognize from last year.

But if add 10 draft picks, that brings count to 79, and need 90 for OTA start I believe, so 11 more of some type of UDFA, FA, to go to camp.

First workout with experienced players on roster is April 20. Maybe some QB competition coverage right before the draft.

Tim Jamison is one of our long time dependable players at DE who might get resigned?

By positioin groups see currently:
Offense
Oline
C 2
OG 3
OT 8

WR 9
RB 4
TE 4
FB 1
QB 3

Defense
Dline
DE 4
DT 3

OLB 8
ILB 3
CB 9
SS 5

Special Teams
K 1
P 1
LS 1

@RapSheet: The #Texans are in discussions about bringing back versatile DL Antonio Smith, who was just released by the #Raiders. Could move quickly.

Antonio, Wilfork, Watt and add in Crick, Pagen, Nix to that. I like that front on paper.

If Nix makes it he field. That is a nice 6 man rotation.

1Yr deal for $1MM - $30K guaranteed. Cheap enough.

Definitely a low risk deal. Certainly having a vet like that can't hurt.

Surprises me, now we have 10 WR on roster.

Probably reading more into it than what's there, but with Washington and Shorts on board, perhaps WR isn't a huge priority now with Smith/BOB and they wait until RD2 or 3 to grab one. It seems the two areas we thought were high need, NT and WR, are now less likely the pick at #16.