Quote:
Originally Posted by Roy P
Maybe and maybe not.
Did signing Antonio Smith make us less likely to draft a DE?
Did signing Shaun Cody make DT less of a priority?
Perhaps matching David Anderson's offer made us less likely to draft a WR?
If for some reason Clay Matthews, Everette Brown, B.J. Raji, and Jeremy Maclin are available at #15 - I don't know if ANY of the FA signings will preclude us from drafting the player we had ranked highest.
This just makes it less painful if we don't get a guy we thought we might in the later rounds.
For example, I recently ran a mock where I drafted Maclin in the 1st with the thought that I'd be able to get a player like Gerald McGrath later on. However, he and comparable players were off the board when I went looking for a WLB.
So, I would say that the WILL is still a priority. However, if the chips don't land the way we hope on draft day, we won't be caught with our pants down.
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The answer to all of those questions is in the affirmative. Of course the emphasis in this upcoming Draft on all of those position is reduced unless we want to emulate the Detroit Lions who seemed to never tire of using their first round pick on a single position - WR ? But there's also degrees in each situation, e.g. Anderson doesn't repressnt a major cap investment while Smith does.
For lack of a better term, I don't think it's "politically" possible (or atleast it's very unlikely) that we draft a DE with our first pick. On the other hand I fully expect us to do just that with our 2nd or thirds round pick. The problem is we made a substantial investment in DE Smith while still not solving our basic problem of providing another major pass-rushing threat. We're gonna have to do better than Bulman and Nadin.
Of that foursome you listed I'd think the most difficult player for the Texans to leave on the Board would be Raji, pot-head allegations and all.