2012 mocks

[painekiller]

26 Dont'a Hightower Alabama SILB
58 Marvin Jones California WRF
76 Jonathan Massaquoi Troy OLB34
99 Matt McCants UAB LOT
121 Matt Conrath Virginia DE34
161 Brandon Brooks Miami (OH) OG
195 Ishmaa'ily Kitchen Kent State DT34
233 Asa Jackson Cal Poly CB

I still think they are overvaluing the Texans need at ILB.

[NBT]

I certainly agree with PK on overstating the need for LB in the Draft coming up.

[Nconroe]

I think maybe in top 3 rounds Texans should pick who they think is the best player available. Realizing they ususually do this but with targeted positions.

Texans do have 4 picks in top 100, so should be some good talent.

Here is Billicks latest list of top 100, we will see in about two weeks how many on this or similar lists the Texans take.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/B...players-030812

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by Nconroe

I think maybe in top 3 rounds Texans should pick who they think is the best player available. Realizing they ususually do this but with targeted positions.

Texans do have 4 picks in top 100, so should be some good talent.

Here is Billicks latest list of top 100, we will see in about two weeks how many on this or similar lists the Texans take.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/B...players-030812

Did anyone happen to follow the link to the cbs video of Billick talking about the Texans? He thinks we signed Eric Winston, not cut him. What a waste of a few minutes.

[WMH]

Thought this one was interesting. Personally, I would rather have a rusher than a ILB in the 2nd though....

26. Stephen Hill, WR, GT
58. Mychal Kendricks, ILB, Cal
76. James Brown, OT, Troy
99. Joe Adams, WR/KR, Arkansas
121. DeQuan Menzie, CB, Bama
161. Trevor Guyton, DE/DT, Cal

[NBT]

After Kareem I am leery of any Bama CB. However any Mock that has us taking either Stephen Hill or Coby Fleener #1 is a good one. JMHO.

[painekiller]

I am going to use the cbssports.com player rankings to fill out a mock.

26 *Stephen Hill WR Georgia Tech Jr 6-4 215

At 26, I had to choose between (30)Hill, (31)Shea McClellin, and (26)Coby Fleener. Fleener is not the guy I have to have to go TE in the 1st, so he's out. That made a tough choice between Hill and McClelin, I went with the offense because the defense has been getting the picks the last few years.

58 Bruce Irvin OLB West Virginia Sr 6-3 245

I had a hard time picking at 58. I wanted to take Boykin, but Irvin ran a 4.4 and is a perfect 3-4 rush LB. I hope I made the right choice.

76 Mychal Kendricks ILB California Sr 5-11 240

This is a BPA pick for me. I have a group of guys I wanted to take here. But finding an ILB that runs a 4.4 at 240 and is a tackling machine is hard to do.

99 Philip Blake C Baylor Sr 6-3 311

Athletic middle of the OL guy, we need depth and he fits very well.

121 Derek Wolfe DE Cincinnati Sr 6-5 295

I can see Wolfe and Watts being bookend DE that scare teams in the future, solid depth who fits what we do like a glove.

161 Coryell Judie CB Texas A&M rSr 6-0 194

Injury concerns has Judie available on this list here, the team wants to add depth to the secondary according to McNair, so here is a good one in the 5th round.

195 Desmond Wynn OG Rutgers rSr 6-6 303

Athletic guy who is raw and still learning. Could be used to push Shelley Smith.

233 Randy Bullock K Texas A&M Sr 5-09 205

OK Bob I guess your waiting to take Bullock at 233 is not such a bad thing. Will Gary really take two Aggies?

This has turned out way different than I set out to draft, but I think it's a pretty solid mock. I added explosion to the offense in the 1st. I added two fast LB in the 2nd and 3rd. I added solid depth to the OL. I added insurance for Antonio Smith's future departure. I added secondary depth and a kicker from my alma mater . Plus Coach Joe has a bunch of new toys to play with.

And I added some names to my list.

[NBT]

Thsnks for your effort PK. Of course I like Hill at #1.

I agree with most of your draft, with the excetion of NO OT! I would like to have seen one in the mock. I suppose you are thinking that Newton will prove to be a viable backup?

Phillip Blake will have to make all the line calls. Do you think he is capable?

[Blitzwood]

26. Kendall Wright WR
58. Kevin Zeitler OG
76. Cam Johnson OLB
99. Sean Spence SS
121. Cyrus Gray RB
161. TJ Graham WR
195. BJ Colman QB
233. Donald Stephenson OT

Well, not what I was hoping for, but I can live with it.

[WMH]

With all of the mocks around having the Texans taking a WR or OLB in Rd. 1, my money is on them taking some obscure T or G that we aren't talking about.......

[HPF Bob]

What I find interesting is how the mockers vary on who is the better WRs. After Blackmon (one mock had him falling to #13 which made me fall out of my chair) and Floyd, it seems like there is a second tier of Wright, Hill, Randle, Jeffrey and Sanu that seems to fluctuate depending on who does the mock. Then there is a third tier of Criner, Jenkins, Quick and some add Toon followed by a fourth tier of McNutt, Childs, Jones and Jones who some have sneaking into the third while others have them falling as far as the fifth.

Unlike some other positions, WR are not particularly specialized. There are some for speed and some for possession but practically everyone was the #1 guy on their team in college so they are used to playing the same role.

So while there may be 4-5 guys in the upper half of the draft who make good rush OLBs for Wade Phillips' defense, there are 12 wide receivers who can be good #2 receivers for our offense. Therefore, I'd rather use my first round choice to make sure I get one of those OLBs that work for me and get a third-tier WR in the second round than get one of the top 5 WRs in the first round and then *hope* one of the OLBs is still there when we come up in the second. It was looking like McClellin was our secret fallback choice but now he's getting too well known and I don't think he'll last until #58.

Neither the WR or the OLB will be an immediate starter and there are other options if we miss out on who we want but, IMO, these two positions are our chief needs and there is less talent available at OLB than WR which is why I want to take OLB first.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by NBT

Thsnks for your effort PK. Of course I like Hill at #1.

I agree with most of your draft, with the excetion of NO OT! I would like to have seen one in the mock. I suppose you are thinking that Newton will prove to be a viable backup?

Phillip Blake will have to make all the line calls. Do you think he is capable?

I had planned on tacking an OT in the 2nd round. I had targeted Mitchell Schwartz from Cal. He will be an excellent RT in a few years and could be a swing guy in a pinch. But when I got there the two LBs made more sense and improved the team more then the young OT.

I know the the ILBs have 4 strong vets and we only have 3 vet OTs so maybe that was mistake.

I also had planned on taking a NT, but it did not happen.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

What I find interesting is how the mockers vary on who is the better WRs. After Blackmon (one mock had him falling to #13 which made me fall out of my chair) and Floyd, it seems like there is a second tier of Wright, Hill, Randle, Jeffrey and Sanu that seems to fluctuate depending on who does the mock. Then there is a third tier of Criner, Jenkins, Quick and some add Toon followed by a fourth tier of McNutt, Childs, Jones and Jones who some have sneaking into the third while others have them falling as far as the fifth.

Unlike some other positions, WR are not particularly specialized. There are some for speed and some for possession but practically everyone was the #1 guy on their team in college so they are used to playing the same role.

So while there may be 4-5 guys in the upper half of the draft who make good rush OLBs for Wade Phillips' defense, there are 12 wide receivers who can be good #2 receivers for our offense. Therefore, I'd rather use my first round choice to make sure I get one of those OLBs that work for me and get a third-tier WR in the second round than get one of the top 5 WRs in the first round and then *hope* one of the OLBs is still there when we come up in the second. It was looking like McClellin was our secret fallback choice but now he's getting too well known and I don't think he'll last until #58.

Neither the WR or the OLB will be an immediate starter and there are other options if we miss out on who we want but, IMO, these two positions are our chief needs and there is less talent available at OLB than WR which is why I want to take OLB first.

I respect this position, but want to offer up another line of thought. I think the Texans need to go into this draft thinking they are looking for the future #1 WR for this team, they should not be thinking they are picking just a #2 WR. And as such that severely limits the guys that should be looked at.

As for OLB, we already have two young solid guys, so the guy we bring in will be a rotational guy to start with and will be given time to learn. And while I agree McClellin is a stud, brings versatility and is a perfect fit for Wade, there are guys in the 2nd and 3rd round who can be rotational players. (And besides I want to see Braman's 2nd year leap).

On offense I want explosion from my #1, and that is hard to find, only a handful of guys in this draft have it. Jeffery and Hill might be the only guys available when the Texans pick that have what I think the Texans need. (size, speed, hands combo).

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by painekiller

I respect this position, but want to offer up another line of thought. I think the Texans need to go into this draft thinking they are looking for the future #1 WR for this team, they should not be thinking they are picking just a #2 WR. And as such that severely limits the guys that should be looked at.

As for OLB, we already have two young solid guys, so the guy we bring in will be a rotational guy to start with and will be given time to learn. And while I agree McClellin is a stud, brings versatility and is a perfect fit for Wade, there are guys in the 2nd and 3rd round who can be rotational players. (And besides I want to see Braman's 2nd year leap).

On offense I want explosion from my #1, and that is hard to find, only a handful of guys in this draft have it. Jeffery and Hill might be the only guys available when the Texans pick that have what I think the Texans need. (size, speed, hands combo).

While I respect that thinking, the only receiver in this draft I would look at as a future #1 receiver is Blackmon. That's the full package right there. All the other receivers are just maybes, including Floyd and Wright. So, if you are looking for A.J.'s successor, I'd say we're too far down the draft board to get him. We're going to be taking the 4th or 5th WR off the board at best which means he's not Andre Johnson and probably never will be Andre Johnson. Maybe these could be Heywood Jeffires but I never saw him as a true #1.

While I wasn't unhappy to see Mario leave because of his cap cost, I listened to all the people who said we need to make sure we can get after the QB. While I'm happy with Barwin and Reed, what happens if we lose one to injury? Do we want to trust that to Braman to fill that void? Having another strong rush LB to bring into the rotation seems just a little harder to fill than a wide receiver.

And I'd be really shocked if the Texans took a shot at Bruce Irvin in the second, give his arrests and jail time. Sounds like a natural for the Raiders or the Ravens.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

While I respect that thinking, the only receiver in this draft I would look at as a future #1 receiver is Blackmon. That's the full package right there. All the other receivers are just maybes, including Floyd and Wright. So, if you are looking for A.J.'s successor, I'd say we're too far down the draft board to get him. We're going to be taking the 4th or 5th WR off the board at best which means he's not Andre Johnson and probably never will be Andre Johnson. Maybe these could be Heywood Jeffires but I never saw him as a true #1.

While I wasn't unhappy to see Mario leave because of his cap cost, I listened to all the people who said we need to make sure we can get after the QB. While I'm happy with Barwin and Reed, what happens if we lose one to injury? Do we want to trust that to Braman to fill that void? Having another strong rush LB to bring into the rotation seems just a little harder to fill than a wide receiver.

And I'd be really shocked if the Texans took a shot at Bruce Irvin in the second, give his arrests and jail time. Sounds like a natural for the Raiders or the Ravens.

I do not think you ever find a player like Andre Johnson again. I have been in Houston for almost 50 years and there has been only one player like him and that is him. Just like Earl Campbell, they don't make many like him.

So, that said, IMO Hill's upside is a #1, his downside is Jacoby Jones. Yes he needs to learn a lot before he can play, but he has the potential.

As for OLB, I love McClellin, and it was a coin flip for me which one to take in my mock. But there are other guys available in this draft. As for Irvin arrest, a broken sign is much tamer than the drug charges Braman had against him. Granted UDFA is a much lower risk then a 2nd rounder. And Irvin has gotten his life together since his wake up call in jail for robbery.

[painekiller]

In response to NBT and Bob, I will do an alternative mock using the same list as before.

26 Shea McClellin OLB Boise State rSr 6-3 260
58 Brian Quick WR Appalachian State rSr 6-4 220
76 Mike Martin DT Michigan Sr 6-1 306
99 Brandon Mosley OT Auburn Sr 6-6 314
121 Derek Wolfe DE Cincinnati Sr 6-5 295 (repeat from the last mock but I really like him)
161 David Molk C Michigan rSr 6-1 298
195 Jerry Franklin ILB Arkansas rSr 6-1 242
233 Micah Pellerin CB Hampton rSr 6-0 194\

UDFA Philip Welch K Wisconsin rSr 6-2 206
UDFA Jarrett Boykin WR Virginia Tech Sr 6-2 217
UDFA G.J. Kinne QB Tulsa rSr 6-1 234
UDFA Raymond Carter RB Colorado State rSr 6-0 217 (where is Kubiak's son a coaching assistant?)

This is a whole different way the draft could go and I would be just as happy as my prior mock.

We get an OLB that is scheme diverse, He can play in the middle or with his hand down, nice. We get a tall WR with upside, not a big burner but fast enough for a #2. Get a high motor NT he blows up double teams. We get a guy who played both RT and LT at a SEC school. Molk can only play C so that is a strike against him, but he fits our mold for a C. We get a tackling machine from a SEC school, and then we finish with a small school project at CB.

I named a few UDFA that would be nice here, the last one was a slight joke but you never know.

[painekiller]

Charlie Casserly has done a two round mock

26) Houston Texans: Rueben Randle, WR, LSU. Houston needs to upgrade the receiver position opposite Andre Johnson.

58) Texans: Bruce Irvin, OLB/DE, West Virginia. Wade Phillips likes depth at outside linebacker and the Texans just lost Mario Williams. Offensive tackle is a consideration ,too, after the release of Eric Winston.

Stephen Hill was taken at #22 and Shea McClellin went at #28 to Green Bay.

[Blitzwood]

Originally Posted by painekiller

Charlie Casserly has done a two round mock


Stephen Hill was taken at #22 and Shea McClellin went at #28 to Green Bay.

I too, tend to think S. Hill won't be there.

What do u think about:

1. Coby Fleener- #1 rated TE in an even weaker class than OLB & WR.
2. Jared Crick- Would have been a 1st rounder if not for the injury, can be A. Smith's backup this year and starter next year.
3. Kirk Cousins- A backup that will be bought in like Yates was last year, potential starter in a few years.
4a. Nick Toon- Good depth at a position of need.
4b. Frank Alexander- Our third OLB.
5. Gerell Robinson- More quality depth at WR.
6. Lucas Nix- offers versitility at G/OT.
7. John Hughes- NT

UDFA-Tyler Horn C
UDFA-Kendrick Adams DE/OLB

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by Blitzwood

I too, tend to think S. Hill won't be there.

What do u think about:

1. Coby Fleener- #1 rated TE in an even weaker class than OLB & WR.
2. Jared Crick- Would have been a 1st rounder if not for the injury, can be A. Smith's backup this year and starter next year.
3. Kirk Cousins- A backup that will be bought in like Yates was last year, potential starter in a few years.
4a. Nick Toon- Good depth at a position of need.
4b. Frank Alexander- Our third OLB.
5. Gerell Robinson- More quality depth at WR.
6. Lucas Nix- offers versitility at G/OT.
7. John Hughes- NT

UDFA-Tyler Horn C
UDFA-Kendrick Adams DE/OLB

Nice effort. I like most of this mock.

I am not a Fleener fan. Yes this is a weak TE class and IMO Fleener is a week TE, he is only a one dimensional TE. He is not on my list, which mean the Texans take him. I don't have any of the TE on my list this year.

[painekiller]

26 Andre Branch Clemson OLB34
58 Marvin Jones California WRF
76 Audie Cole North Carolina State SILB
99 Mitchell Schwartz California LOT
121 Kheeston Randall Texas DE34
161 Josh Chapman Alabama DT34
195 Josh LeRibeus SMU OG
233 Adrien Robinson Cincinnati TE

Not a bad mock. Not my favorite at the top, and they have a lot of guys way to low IMO. But a few picks in here could be the guys we take.