And if I were Rick Smith, I would inform you that Travis has no practice squad eligibility. If you don't want him, you either cut or trade him.

If I understand the rules correctly, I don't think Okam has lost his practice squad eligibility. He was active for six games last year and listed as inactive for the other ten, which would easily constitue an accrued season. But since he was active in fewer than nine games in his only accrued season, he should still be eligible.

If I'm not mistaken, TJ is already questionable to remain on the team, much less his starting job, and John McClain recently wrote an article on chron.com about Okoye really having to step it up this year, so to say we don't want to address this problem because we already have so much money tied up really doesn't make sense if we want to reach the playoffs, IMO. If our D-line is not cutting it, then we need to get some players that can collapse the pocket and penetrate. If we have tackles that can make plays in the backfield, then obviously teams are gonna have a hard time running against us. It all starts on the line with our defense, if we don't have good DT's, it doesn't matter who plays LB.



If Cody turns out to be better than expected, that will be great, but I didn't see Detroit putting up much of a fuss, especially for what we signed him for, and the Lions' forums were happy to see him go. And IMO, RG and C could use some help. I just don't feel S is such a need given our depth there compared to DT or OL. I feel a quality DB could be had in the 4th or 5th rounds where a quality DT cannot.

Good job "Rick". Cut him. :eek:

I don't like the fact that Peria Jerry will be 25 years old before the season starts.

New CMD today, 4/8/09, and I haven't done one in awhile, and gosh-darn it, they're just too much fun.

1. Clay Matthews. I'm assuming that since it's been denied and the original rumor un-substantiated, that there was no positive for steriods.

2. Darius Butler. I've come to believe he is the best overall CB in the draft.

3. Rashad Jennings. Big and pretty fast.

4. Michael Hamlin. Good call DrafTek.

4. Zack Follett. I know I've got Matthews, but I'm really surprised he's available here. Very good blitzer. Has played inside and should be able to play all 3 positions. Also like Tyronne Greene and Brandon Williams.

5. Sebastian Vollmer. I really want this guy. Watch his Shrine Game working against Sidbury.

6. Roy Miller. DrafTek actually has him available at our pick in the 7th round, but I wouldn't want to take the chance.

7. Ian Johnson or Devin Moore. This version of CMD has neither drafted, while earlier versions have had both going as high as the 6th, I believe. I think both will probably be drafted. I know more about Johnson. Moore has the elite speed.

1. LB Clay Matthews USC
- I now have him 3rd overall on my draft board.

2. SS William Moore Missouri
- Still looking for our Bob Sanders. (I can't believe that the Mock has Darius Butler available in the 2nd round. Most sites have him moving up in the 1st).

3. CB Asher Allen Georgia
- This is where I'm probably going to catch some flack. I'm souring on Dunta Robinson's situation and Jacoby Jones' attitude, so I get rid of two birds with one stone. As some of you know, I'm a big Bulldogs fan and try to draft one whenever possible. I'm not a big fan of late round CBs chances of making the roster compared to late round RBs. However, I would understand the Jennings pick even if I wouldn't make it.

4. DE Cody Brown Connecticut
- My favorite "pass-rushing" specialist in the draft and I got him! This is the round that I feel comfortable picking a guy who is only going to play on passing situations. He's 'small' at 6' 2" & 244lbs and he isn't Raheem Brock quick, but he gets after the QB.

4. FS Chris Clemons Clemson
- This looks like a reach on most mock drafts, but I don't care. I want a guy who can roam and break up those deep passes. The only way CBs feel comfortable to make a play on a ball is if they KNOW that they have help over the top. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/502303
"Overshadowed throughout his career by teammate Michael Hamlin, Clemons' consistency in coverage might actually make him the safer NFL prospect." Did I mention he ran a 4.3???

5. RB Javarris Williams Tenn State
- You didn't think that I forgot about Slaton, did you? We need and want a pile-pusher, and that's what this guy is. He won't dance behind the LOS, he's going to make his cut and go.

6. DT Roy Miller Texas
- Yeah, I'm not waiting until the 7th round either.

7. RB Ian Johnson Boise State
- Another quick guy in case Slaton gets hurt.

I certainly agree with your dis-belief of Butler being there in the 2nd. And, yes, what the flack is up with that 3rd round pick? :D I'm real curious to see what DrafTek's mock will look like in two weeks. We should have a competition or something based on it.

Let me just expand a little bit. Asher not only has good cover skills which is a must for a CB, but he also brings some tackling ability. If we can't reach a resolution with Dunta, then we are going to have to replace his ability to make tackles from the CB position. Nothing aggravates me more than a CB who believes that if his WR responsibility doesn't have the ball thrown in his direction, then his job is complete. I like having 11 players on defense who can bring down a ball carrier, not 9 or 8.

Secondly, he brings something to Special Teams in terms of return skills. He has good vision and gets up the field to gain positive yardage.

ok, tried the Draftek simulator, set priorities, let it go, got this
1 16 Clay Matthews OLB reach
2 46 Patrick Chung SS reach
3 77 Chase Coffman TE value
4 112 Keenan Lewis CB reach
4 122 Mike Goodson RBC value
5 152 Kory Sheets RBF value
6 188 Andrew Gardner OT reach
7 223 John Faletoese DT value

I guess I need to practice more, don't really like this, I like everyone else's better, but oh well.

on 4/13 DraftTek has us taking

15 Jeremy Maclin WRF Missouri
46 Sean Smith FS Utah
77 Herman Johnson OG LSU
112 Javon Ringer RBF Michigan State
122 Keenan Lewis CB Oregon St
152 Emanuel Cook SS South Carolina
188 Bear Pascoe TE Fresno St
223 Lydon Murtha OT Nebraska

If I was going to do this I would go:
15 Donald Brown RBF Connecticut
46 Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest
77 Chip Vaughn SS Wake Forest
112 Zack Follett OLB43 California
122 Kaluka Maiava OLB43 USC
152 Michael Bennett DE43 Texas A&M
188 Ryan Purvis TE Boston College
223 Lydon Murtha OT Nebraska

The more mocks that are run the less options I see from 15, and almost no one I want until the late 1st.

OK, I'm back on the JMac bandwagon. I know he's not a need, but I'm taking the BPA.

15. WR Jeremy Maclin Missouri
46. FS William Moore Missouri
77. SS Chip Vaughn Wake Forest
112. CB Keenan Lewis Oregon St
122. DT Corvey Irvin Georgia
152. RB Javarris Williams Tenn State
188. DT Roy Miller Texas
223. OT Lydon Murtha Nebraska

I'm happy that I've upgraded the Secondary and I've put two more bodies on the DLine. At #15, I'm confident that I grabbed a player that will produce and has a history of doing so. I'm not happy about the fact that I did not get a LB or a situational pass rusher. The best I can hope for is that I'll be able to get DE Pierre Walters and LB Robert Francois as UDFAs.

Tax day update 4/15

15. WR Jeremy Maclin Missouri
46. S William Moore Missouri
77. S Chip Vaughn Wake Forest
112. CB Keenan Lewis Oregon St
122. DT Corvey Irvin Georgia
152. TE John Phillips Virginia
188. RB Javarris Williams Tenn State
223. DE Victor Butler Oregon St

Lydon Murtha has moved up on DraftTek, they now have him going #204 to Arizona in the 6th round. In the 7th, I considered Stephen Hodge to play WILL, but since I didnt' have a pass-rusher, I went with the undersized Victor Butler. After looking around, it appears that I'm one of the few who values Javarris Williams, so I took him a round later which allowed me to draft an in-line TE that I'm high on. I hopeful that his presence improves the OL, since I didn't draft any linemen. After this mock, I've decided to add a couple more OL to the draft board. OC Blake Schlueter TCU and OG Anthony Parker Tennessee. Both of these guys are 290lbs, so they'll need to get a little bigger, obviously.

I got two trades going down, one is the very probable LZ trade with Tampa Bay(15th for the 19th and 81), the second is with Phili, the 19th for the 28th, 85, and 121. Phili has four picks in the fifth as well as their 2nd rounder and feels they can still add some decent depth their while adding the first round talent they covet.

The Texans feel this could be their year and know the value of this draft is in the middle rounds. They know their lack of depth accross the board has hurt them in the past and feel the best way to improve their team in a cost effective way is through the draft.

28. Clint Sintim OLB
46. Rashad Johnson FS
77. Rashad Jennings RB
81. Jonathan Casillas (as our SS)
85. Mike Mickens CB
112. Jason Williams OLB
121. Patrick Turner WR
122. Kyle Moore DE
152. Sebastion Vollmer OT
188. Corvey Irvin DT
223. Gantrell Johnson RB

I noticed that Corvey Irvin went #130 to Tennessee in the DraftTek Mock on 15 April, so I don't know how you got him at #188.

Anyway, using their mock and my board, this was who I got.
28. RB Donald Brown Connecticut
46. S William Moore Missouri
77. S Chip Vaughn Wake Forest
81. CB Asher Allen Georgia
85. DE Cody Brown Connecticut
112. DT Corvey Irvin Georgia
121. LB Scott McKillop Pittsburgh
122. OC A.Q. Shipley Penn St
152. DT Roy Miller Texas
188. WR Demetrius Byrd LSU
223. OG Anthony Parker Tennessee

I like that I got my RB early. Granted D. Brown is not exactly Jerome Bettis. I got a pass rusher, upgraded the OL, and even was able to get a LB to compete with Diles. All I needed was a TE to block. Maybe I could get Rutgers' Kevin Brock, Iowa's Brandon Myers, or Michigan's Carson Butler after the draft.

I like the double trade down

Let's see how I would play with all of those picks.

28. Percy Harvin WR/RB/KR Florida
46. Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest
77. Gerald McRath ILB Southern Miss
81. Chip Vaughn SS Wake Forest
85. Darcel McBath FS Texas Tech
112. Richard Quinn TE North Carolina
121. Keenan Lewis CB Oregon St
122. A.Q. Shipley OC Penn State
152. Sebastian Vollmer OT Houston
188. Javarris Williams RBF Tennessee State
223. Khalif Mitchell NT East Carolina

That DraftTek mock is a total mess in the 1st round, IMO. Anyway, if we were to get those extra picks I'd try to work a young QB, perhaps Stephen McGee, in there somewhere. I can't believe Orvlosky anything more than a stop-gap backup for us for a year or two.

Not me, I don't think so. Orlovsky is that young QB. I don't see the Texans adding another drafted QB. They'll probably sign a UDFA and a vet as a practice squad player and a camp arm, respectively.

The Texans don't carry three QBs, and I think Orlovsky is going to make for a pretty nice career backup.

And yeah, that first round from DraftTek does look a little strange, but I have a feeling this year's first round is going to be really strange anyway.

Hey, I have been impressed with McGee this off season. As much as I wanted to dislike him, the tape kept saying otherwise. But he is now being talked about in the 3rd or 4th rounds, much to early for a guy they want to slide to the practice squad. (Kubiak has only carried 2 QBs since arriving here).

Well, looks like the 28th pick just got traded to the Bills for Jason Peters OT.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4077093

UDFA - Rudy Carpenter Arizona State.
Vet - Quinn Gray, do we take another look see?

Gray was ticked off when we did not trade Sage last year, and iirc he did not learn the plays, so Kubiak parted ways, I do not see Gray's actions as being endearing to Kubiak.

Okay, well what about Oakland's Andrew Walter? They just signed Jeff Garcia so perhaps they let that guy walk?

I'm going to substitute Phili for the NY Giants(29th, 91, and 100) since there is a real possibility of us trading down twice in this draft.
From the 4/18 version.

29. Eric Woods C/OG
46. Fili Moala DT
77. Mike Mickens CB
81. Jason Williams OLB
91. Rashad Jennings RB
100. Ricky Jean-Francois DT/DE
112. Zack Follett OLB
122. Kyle Moore DE
152. Chris Clemons FS
188. Johnny Knox WR
223. Dallas Reynolds OL

UDFA Gartrell Johnson RB
UDFA Darrell Mack RB
UDFA Terence Moore FS/SS

Going by my old trade value chart, we still need about 174 points to make the trade equitable. That's roughly pick #83 (third round) so the Giants would need to give us next year's 2nd round pick too. So, the only players I see them doing something like that for is Crabtree and maybe Maclin. Now, in the DraftTek Mock, they have Maclin going #15, so I'll play along...

29. RB Donald Brown Connecticut
46. S William Moore Missouri
77. S Chip Vaughn Wake Forest
81. CB Asher Allen Georgia
91. LB Dannell Ellerbe Georgia
100. TE Shawn Nelson Southern Miss
112. DT Corvey Irvin Georgia
122. LB Scott McKillop Pittsburgh
152. DT Roy Miller Texas
188. WR Demetrius Byrd LSU
223. OG Anthony Parker Tennessee

Now, all I've got to do is convince UDFA Pierre Walters to come to Houston to be my pass-rushing specialist. :D

edit - Now I see that you were talking about trading down twice with the Tampa Bay Bucs and then the Giants.

Edit #2 - Taking a global look (cherry picking) I could have gotten DE Cody Brown at #81, and then gotten Keenan Lewis at #100, instead of a TE playmaker.

Roy,
Using http://www.draftcountdown.com/features/Value-Chart.php , I have a difference of 235 points(19=875 ; 29=640)
91=136 points
100=100 points

I'd be nice getting a second rounder next year, but I don't see mathematically getting a 2nd and 2 low 3rds for moving down 10 spots.:confused:

I like D.Brown but feel he's too similar to Slaton to be taken in the 1st round. I like your LB selections.

Yeah, I figured that out after I posted. I was thinking #29, #91, & #100 was for #15.

That's a big letdown of a draft in my opinion.

Just so we are clear. #15 for #19 & #81 from Tampa.

#19 for #29, #91, & #100 from NYG.

Essentially, #81 was the pick that I was missing in the transition between #15 and #29.

4/20 Update

15. WR Jeremy Maclin Missouri
46. OC Eric Wood Louisville
77. S Chip Vaughn Wake Forest
112. CB Keenan Lewis Oregon St
122. LB Dannell Ellerbe Georgia
152. DT Corvey Irvin Georgia
188. RB Javarris Williams Tenn State
223. OG Anthony Parker Tennessee

I almost went with Myron Pryor at #223, but since I had already drafted a DT in Irvin, I decided to address the RG. After much deliberations about the 2nd round pick, I've decided to go with my #1 OL because I've had success at getting Vaughn in the 3rd round to play SS. I must say that I'm happy to get an LB like Ellerbe in the 4th round now. I'm sure there will be plenty of heat if we draft offense with our first 2 picks, but hey, I'm all about BPA. Theoretically, I could have drafted William Moore to play FS before #68 (3rd round) if I'd been able to trade down in the 1st and select Clay Matthews.

I ran draftek simulator today and got little better
15. OLB Brian Cushing USC
46. SS William Moore Missouri
77. CB Kevin Barnes Maryland
112. RB Javon Ringer MichiganSt
122. OG Trvor Canfield Cincinnati
152. DE Matt Shaunnesy Wisconsin
188. DT Corey Irvin Georgia
223. FS DeAngeolo Willingham Tennessee

My final mock

15. WR Jeremy Maclin Missouri
46. S William Moore Missouri
77. S Chip Vaughn Wake Forest
112. CB Keenan Lewis Oregon St
122. LB Dannell Ellerbe Georgia
152. OC A.Q. Shipley Penn St
188. TE John Phillips Virginia
223. DT Myron Pryor Kentucky

So, I'll be looking for a RB and a situational DE in free agency.

Did one of these last night and in my tired state erased it before posting.

I want to first say if our draft falls like DraftTek has it, then we are in trouble.

My Cherry Picks no trades:

15 Donald Brown RBF Connecticut
46 Lawrence Sidbury Jr. OLB/DE 34 Richmond
77 Chip Vaughn SS Wake Forest
112 Sebastian Vollmer OT Houston
122 Kaluka Maiava OLB43 USC
152 Johnny Knox WRS Abilene Christian
188 Greg Toler CB St. Paul's
223 Ryan Purvis TE Boston College


What I think Texans do:
15 Rey Maualuga ILB USC
46 Andre Brown RBF North Carolina St
77 David Bruton FS Notre Dame
112 Tyrone McKenzie OLB43 South Florida
122 A.Q. Shipley OC Penn State
152 Jaimie Thomas OG Maryland
188 Dan Gronkowski TE Maryland
223 Graham Harrell QB Texas Tech