Walter Football 4RD Mock - Cherry Pick

[chuck]

I've decided that Bridgewater is the real deal and will be happy if the team takes him. But I certainly see both sides of this. It's clear that to win in this league you need a top quarterback. It's also clear that reaching for a guy when you're desperate for a quarterback gets you a Matthew Stafford (or much, much worse). Stafford's pretty good but I don't see him winning a Super Bowl.

If those guys aren't convinced that any of the available QBs can and will take the Texans to the Super Bowl then I'm happy to wait and get the best football players available at #1 and #33 and go from there.

To answer a question occasionally asked around here, yes, I would have been content to watch Tony Banks play for a few years. It turns out I had no idea just how content I would have been, in fact.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by chuck

I've decided that Bridgewater is the real deal and will be happy if the team takes him. But I certainly see both sides of this. It's clear that to win in this league you need a top quarterback. It's also clear that reaching for a guy when you're desperate for a quarterback gets you a Matthew Stafford (or much, much worse). Stafford's pretty good but I don't see him winning a Super Bowl.

If those guys aren't convinced that any of the available QBs can and will take the Texans to the Super Bowl then I'm happy to wait and get the best football players available at #1 and #33 and go from there.

To answer a question occasionally asked around here, yes, I would have been content to watch Tony Banks play for a few years. It turns out I had no idea just how content I would have been, in fact.

I like a lot about Bridgewater. His pro style offense credentials are very intriguing. Of course, Leinhart was a pro style guy out of college too, so some of just comes down to good old fashioned talent.

Hopefully Teddy is well prepared AND talented. Most of all, I really hope there is a QB that is worth 1.1, since this is likely the best chance at a franchise QB that we will get this decade. Even if we delay, it's not like there is some QB in next year's class to get all excited about (no Andrew Luck on the horizon).

So unless Tom Brady breaks his neck this year, gets cut, and goes looking for work in 2015, I hope we come out of this draft with a real QB.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by chuck

It turns out I had no idea just how content I would have been, in fact.

Hahaha, yes, the power of hindsight.

You wouldn't say this about Kent Graham though.

[HPF Bob]

1. Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida

(I'd rather have Bridgewater over Bortles,)

2. Antonio Richardson, OT, Tennessee

(Won't argue with this)

3. Jeremiah Attaochu, DE-OLB, Georgia Tech

(ILB Christian Jones of Florida State would be my choice)

4. E. J. Gaines, CB, Missouri

(overall not bad but disagree with Bortles at 1-1)

[painekiller]

1 Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida
33 Antonio Richardson, OT, Tennessee
65 Carl Bradford, DE/OLB, Arizona State
97 Brandon Thomas, G/OT, Clemson


I could see this, not sure I like it, but I could see it.

[painekiller]

Walter Football

1 Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida

If the 2014 NFL Draft were held today, Jadeveon Clowney would probably be the pick; Bob McNair stated that he was smitten with him, though that was likely an attempt to create a trade possibility. But this reminds me of the 2011 NFL Draft. Both Kiper and Todd McShay thought a defensive lineman would be the top choice (Kiper said Nick Fairley, while McShay suggested Da'Quan Bowers), yet the Panthers ultimately fell in love with Cam Newton.

With Jay Cutler re-signed, the same thing will almost certainly happen to the Texans, who will have three months to become smitten with Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles or Johnny Manziel. One of those signal-callers will probably be the No. 1 pick.

Bortles has become the favorite out of the three quarterbacks. Multiple sources are now leaning toward Bortles, as you can see in our 2014 NFL Draft Team Rumors page. Charlie also reported that two teams in the top five prefer Bortles over Bridgewater and Manziel. Meanwhile, Tony Pauline said that Bortles is the consensus No. 1 quarterback, and that he has been impressive in the interviews.

Bortles makes the most sense, as he has the characteristics of what Bill O'Brien looks for in a quarterback. Bridgewater is still an option though, as is Manziel, whom McNair seems to like. There's also a huge campaign forming for Manziel to be the No. 1 pick, so he's probably leapt in front of Bridgewater as well.

33 Lamarcus Joyner, CB/S, Florida State

There are a few areas the Texans need to address outside of the quarterback position. They need to find a new right tackle, upgrade the outside linebacker position and acquire a better nickel. Out of those three areas, the best player available is Lamarcus Joyner, who would satisfy the latter need.

Pick change; previously Antonio Richardson, OT

65 Cameron Fleming, OT, Stanford

As mentioned earlier, the right tackle position was a huge problem area for the Texans. They'll have to find an upgrade in Rounds 2-4.

Pick change; previously Marcus Smith, DE/OLB

97 Trevor Reilly, DE/OLB, Utah

The Texans would kill two stones with one bird with this pick, as Emmitt would say. They need to upgrade their pass rush and find some help at inside linebacker. Marcus Smith would satisfy the former, which would allow Brooks Reed to move inside.

Pick change; previously Brandon Thomas, G/OT

Still not sold on Bortles, now if OBrien goes that way then I become a fan.

How I would go right now with no trade down.

1 Jadeveon Clowney, DE/OLB, South Carolina - Can you image Clowney next to Watt?

33 Zach Mettenberger, QB, LSU - I don't think he's a BoB type, but he has a cannon. And I could not type Carr's name, I just could not do it.

65 DaQuan Jones, NT, Penn State - BoB goes for one of his boys.

97 Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama

[painekiller]

March 5, 2014

1 Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida ( they claim this is new, but the explanations have not changed for weeks)
33 Carl Bradford, DE/OLB, Arizona State

The Texans would kill two stones with one bird with this pick, as Emmitt would say. They need to upgrade their pass rush and find some help at inside linebacker. Carl Bradford would satisfy the former, which would allow Brooks Reed to move inside.

Follow @walterfootball for updates.

Pick change; previously Lamarcus Joyner, CB/S

65 Cameron Fleming, OT, Stanford

As mentioned earlier, the right tackle position was a huge problem area for the Texans. They'll have to find an upgrade in Rounds 2-4.

97 Jaylen Watkins, CB, Florida

There are a few areas the Texans need to address outside of the quarterback position. They need to find a new right tackle, upgrade the outside linebacker position and acquire a better nickel.

Pick change; previously Trevor Reilly, DE/OLB

129 Storm Johnson, RB, Central Florida

The Texans will be searching for a backup running back this offseason with Ben Tate bound to sign elsewhere.

Pick change; previously Jerick McKinnon, RB

My alternative: Has a trade down with Cleveland:

4 Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
26 Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
33 Xavier Su'a-Filo, G, UCLA
65 Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
97 Daniel McCullers, NT, Tennessee
129 Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia

OK I am having a little fun drafting Clemson's QB and WR and giving Hopkins some familiar faces to play with.

No way in hell do I do the mock I just did. What I really would be more inclined to do with a trade down.

4 Khalil Mack, DE/OLB, Buffalo
26 Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
33 Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois
65 Cameron Fleming, OT, Stanford
97 Daniel McCullers, NT, Tennessee
129 Lamin Barrow, ILB, LSU

[HPF Bob]

A trade down almost guarantees to me that they would pick Manziel (or Matthews) because those are the two guys I think Houston would tell themselves "I really like this guy but not as the first overall". To trade down, you'd have to have somebody in mind you think won't be chosen in the first three.

So I'd start my cherry-pick with Matthews and fix my RT problem. The way this mock plays out the Browns at 26 like ..WHOA! It's Derek Carr. So the Texans could select Carr or the next name on the list Missouri's hetero DE-OLB Kony Ealy or Fuller. I think I'll grab Ealy.

Now that we've added a pick by trading down, we're going to trade our own second-rounder to the Redskins for QB Kirk Cousins who I like better than Carr, Mettenberger or Ryan Mallett. The Redskins did not have a first-rounder so they are thrilled to do this deal and get two picks in the second.

Onto round three and a choice between ILBs Christian Jones and Shayne Skov and RBs like Lache Seastrunk. I can't believe Stanford's G-T David Yankey is still there but, since he is - BINGO. Since Wade Smith is leaving, this is a great addition.

Round 4 comes down to ILB Yawin Smallwood of UConn or DE-OLB Jackson Jeffcoat of Texas. I still want more pressure on the QB so I'm going with Jeffcoat.

Round 5, Storm Johnson is okay from what I saw in the Fiesta Bowl. E.J. Gaines, CB, Missouri is another option. Heck, I'll take Storm.

So that leaves us with:

OT Jake Matthews
DE-OLB Kony Ealy
QB Kirk Cousins
OG David Yankey
DE-OLB Jackson Jeffcoat
RB Storm Johnson

Address the secondary with the last two picks and move Brooks Reed inside and I think we've done a great job of upgrading both sides of the ball.