Evaluate our Draft
 

I don't know how others feel, but I, myself was mifed when I was watching the draft(1st round) and saw the Texans pass on Quinn and Fairly to select Watt. Then, after slepping on it and I ended up feeling better the next day. It also helped rid my feelings of a wasted opportunity in the first round when we selected Reed and Harris in the second. Then in the 4-7th, I couldn't help it again, my thoughts on the rest of the draft had me feeling somewhat draft anemic, just couldn't help but think we could have done better, alot better in the latter rounds.

Then all the national draft gurus were hailing our draft as one of the best in the whole league, which only confirmed my feelings of suspicion and uneasyness about our whole draft process. So I decided to do my own draft just using the original picks we had and this is what I came up with:

1. Nick Fairly DE3-4/DT
2. Sam Acho OLB
3. Curtis Brown CB
4. Alex Henery K
5. Dejon Gomes FS
6. Jerrell Powe NT
7. Pat Devlin QB
7b. Mark Herzlich LB

Fairly does fit the 3-4 as well as he fits the 4-3, he is better suited to play a 3 technique. Acho is not the athlete that Brooks is, he does not have the quickness. IMO I would rather have Harris.

As for your 4th rounder, really kicking was our big issue? No punting was and Henery is not a NFL quality punter, he looked horrible at the Senior Bowl as a punter.

5th round, watch some highlights of Keo, he plays fast and he will quickly become a fan favorite. At the worse he will be a special team gem.

After sleeping on the pick of Yates, I remember watching him play, he has a great makeup, he lost his best WR and 8 other player to suspensions and he still got his team to a bowl game. I like the pick now, he played in our offense, he played under center, not in a spread.

As for Herzlich, great story, but he has been robbed of his best on the field trait, speed and quickness. Will he get it back? That is unknown, I hope he does, great person, but huge risk. Plus IMO he was a 4-3 OLB not a ILB in a 3-4.

Not a bad effort on your part, just not as solid as the effort by the Texans this year.

When I looked back a the draft, I did not cherry pick it because, I love the first 3 picks, and a case could be made for all the other picks except for the last one, and does that pick ever kill the draft? Name the last Mr. Irrelevant to be a solid contributor? Now I would have taken punter with that pick.

Fairly has the size and speed to play end in an odd front no question, and he dominated the best conference in college against the likes of LSU, Alabama, Georgia, and in the BCS championship, which they coincidently won. Auburn also used multiple 3-4 and 4-3 fronts last year, also known as Multiple D strategy. Watt was very good in the big 10 but had a below average game against a very ordinary TCU offensive line, in their bowl loss. Fairly was also considered the top overall pick for a while there, and plays with a real nasty streak(just ask RoyP, that Georgia game got ugly), which I think this team needs. I'm just tired of the "soft" and "finese" labels our defense is known for...


Really, they were about even on all their combine numbers except the 3 cone, which Acho set the position record(6.69). This is a phenomenal time for a 3-4 OLB. (Come to think of it, that's better than Brandon Harris' 3 cone of 6.77 :eek:) For those who don't know the 3 cone drill is designed to test a player’s efficiency in changing direction moving left and right, explosiveness, balance, body control and mobility. Brooks' time was 7.11, just over 4 tenths of a second behind Acho. This means he may be a liability sealing the edge. Acho probably had something to do with Texas having one of the best run defense's in the country during his tenure there. Where Brooks did excel was in the 10 yard dash coming at 1.54, Acho came in at 1.66, about a tenth of a second behind. Acho also had more career sacks, TFL's , FF's , and fumbles recovered.

With all that said, I'm fine with the Brooks pick, as well as the Watt pick. I probably wouldn't have selected Watt with Fairly there, as I know other's here would have taken Prince, but oh well. With nothing going on sports wise, what else can we do.

I think Harris and C. Brown are about even, although I liked Brown slightly more because he's 6 feet.

As for the case for Henery in the 4th, we could have put the kicker to rest for the next 20 years. In case you forgot, there was a competition last year there that shouldn't have been much of a competition based on how Kris Brown kicked the previous year. Henery set all kinds of NCAA records and has range out well past 50 yards. Instead of punting when were on opponent's 43 yard line, we can at least get some points out of it. I guess you forgot the kicker situation wasn't much improved last season. Maybe this would have helped Kubiak watch those last minute field goals. And Henery is a heck of a punter, judging him based solely on the senior game is a real disservice to his career.( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZBjpuUFhJ4 ) Check out the punt at 2:52 and 8:50.

Just ask Andy Reid, he thought he was worth a 4th rounder...At least better value than a backup QB with a weak arm in the 5th.

And to select Keo when Gomes, Legree, and Black were still on the board...

All that blarney about Fairley. We were saying the same thing about Okoye back then. I'm happy with Watt until I see different.

But don't you think Fairley was really good, actually really tremendous
in the big Auburn games in 2010 ? Like against 'Bama and TCU in the Bowl game. And it kinda bothered me that he was only a 1-year starter, but then I reminded myself that Clay Matthews had the same criticism coming out of USC.

We were speaking with optimism about Okoye back then because the idiots who run our team had drafted him and we were hoping like hell that he'd turn into a good player, trying to talk ourselves into its being so.

I don't think that any of us, deep down, thought it was a good idea to draft a 19 year old from freaking Louisville with, what was it, the tenth pick? That was just incredibly irresponsible.

Fairley is only the motherf$%&ing Lombardi Award winner with a pair of very productive years in the best conference in college football. Comparisons between Fairley and Okoye should end after one notes that they both have DL next to their names on the roster.

Today Okoye is out of here, and we have signed J.J. Watt to a 3 yr $11M contract. Neither Watt nor Fairley have done squat so far in the NFL. So I will just say the NFL is a long way from the NCAA, and leave it at that until we see what they have done in a year or so.

First thing out of the chute Nick Fairly breaks his leg. So we won't find out this year whether he is the real deal or not. He is only supposed to be out 3-4 weeks, but if he comes back from a broken leg in 3-4 weeks, and is ready to play d-line in the NFL I'll eat my hat.

Yea, stress fracture in his foot;3-4 weeks, then he'll probably be eased back in the DL, Oh well, shit happens, just ask B. Tate.


btw NBT, I keep a hat around just in case ;)

I keep a Texans ballcap around, does that count? I'm not really worried though.;)

Don't look now, but the Prince A. is also out with a broken foot. :eek:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_yl...t_indefinitely

In light of the way things worked out (with Joseph & Manning), I'm just as glad we didn't draft Amukamara (or get Aso for that matter).

The whole defense, perhaps the success of the whole season is based to a large extent on Mario's conversion to OLB, and I'm still unconvinced that a better combination wouldn't have been leaving him at DE and using our top pick on somebody like Robert Quinn or Aldon Smith instead of Watt (though granted it turns out we would have to have moved up to get Smith) ? I watched Mario at practice this week, and I failed to see a stud edge-rusher ? Hope I'm wrong about this ?
But generally I'm reasonably optimistic about the rest of the Draft.

Nunu, after game one Wade Phillips was all smiles after Mario had 2 sack, caused a hurry, and recovered a fumble.

I heard somewhere, probably sports 610, that Mario was still having problems with the groin. Not good.

Can't complain about Mario's first game Sunday, hope he continues down that road ? But wow, I didn't know about complications with his groin problem from last year, hope they get that fixed ?

On a Friday after Thanksgiving, and just prior to the second game with Jax this year, I would say that the J.J. Watt first round pick has pretty well vindicated ifself. And Brooks Reed in the second was a downright smash hit!

I would have to concur with this assessment. Getting T.J. Yates wasn't a bad insurance policy

Many of us are still trying to get the story on our other 2nd round pick, the CB from Miami, otherwise known as the "invisible man" ?

I think T.J. will turn out to be as good for the offense, as Reed and Watt has for the defense. Of course the Atlanta game will be a tough place to begin his starting career.

Brandon Harris was drafted when there was a perceived need for another CB. Then we acquired CB Jonathon Joseph, and S Daniel Manning after the new CB. They have pretty well solved the "perceived" need, so now he will just have to wait his turn. Kareem Jackson has certainly played better with the addition of the FAs, as has the mighty Quinn. Of course the sudden appearance of a fierce pass rush has not hurt either.

I have been very happy with the addition of Jason Allen. I'd like to see him on the field more thank Kareem Jackson....but that's me.

Now that we are 10-3 (with 3 games still to play), and with the division championship wrapped up, I will say that the 2011 Draft was our best Draft ever. 1-J.J. Watt, 2a-Brooks Reid, and especially #5 T.J. Terrific, there is no doubt in my mind.

2006 and 2009 were pretty good drafts as well. But ok, in this moment 2011 looks pretty good as well.

Prefer 2006. 3 Pro Bowlers in OD, Mario, and Ryans. Spencer and Winston added 2 good tackles. Anderson hung around a few years as the last pick.