Thoughts on the Draft (and the b!tching)

[Joshua]

I have not been drinking the kool aid and haven't for quite a while. Pretty much every pick is a project and, quite frankly, a stretch to be an average to above-average starter this year. Moreover, that development requires good coaching and mentorship by fellow players. Other than Joseph mentoring the CB, I don't see it.


As for Dillard, they got pantsed because they've let their OL get so bad that everyone knew the Texans draft plans and were able to plan accordingly. Apparently, Philly had this deal set up weeks ago. They knew the Texans would take him at 23, so they called Baltimore at 22 and put together the deal if he fell. Simply put, Texans got out-maneuvered and apparently it never occurred to them it wasn't Baltimore they had to worry about but every team below them that knew that 22 was the spot you had to move to if Dillard dropped. Philly played chess, Texans played checkers.

Turning to Howard, no idea if he will be good or not but the consensus is he was a reach. So, the question is are the Texans better at identifying offensive line talent than most? I see no reason to reach that conclusion. They've fielded arguably the worst line in football for several years both in terms of talent and development. That's why I think the Duane Brown comparison (although the most obvious one at first blush) doesn't quite work. Admittedly I'm going off memory but wasn't Kubiak and Alex Gibbs in house when Brown was selected? Both of those guys knew the zone blocking scheme backward and forward, how to coach it, and what traits to look for in players for it. I see no evidence that this staff is even in the same ballpark in that regard.

I realize this is easy for me to say, but I'm also not a huge fan of these 1 year deals we give out in free agency. I get not wanting to overspend, but this just puts us right back in the same spot next year. We saw it with the honey badger. If our 1-year free agents play well, my guess is we'll likely get outbid and have to start over. So, Kalil and Roby either suck (which is bad) or are decent and leave. And then next spring, we're once again trying to replace OL and CB for God knows how many years now.

[HPF Bob]

Howard and Sharping were not "my guys" but I'll defer to the professionals who watch tape and interview these guys.

The problem with taking so many small school and "projects" is that you have no idea if they would perform at the NFL level. You get a guy from the SEC and it's like going from AA ball to the majors. You take a guy from the smaller schools and it is like going from Rookie ball to the majors. There's a huge transition and most of them won't even be close to ready as rookies but *may* be capable in year two or three.

Remember Seth Wand? The third-round tackle from some directional school that Casserly fell in love with at the Senior Bowl. He had the unrefined skills to be a left tackle but he didn't have the mental toughness to be an NFL player. That's the risk you take.

So, I can't call this a bad draft as much as I would call it a "wishful" draft.

[chuck]

The Texans need OL that will keep Deshaun from being mauled again next year. If they cannot field an OL in 2019 that is not terrible, they have failed the offseason, miserably.

[barrett]

If Watson threw the ball a half second quicker like most NFL QBs then the Texans OL would look much better and would give up a league average amount of sacks. The only decent QBs to hold it near as long as him are Wilson, Prescott, and Rodgers. Not coincidentally, the 5 most sacked QBs are Watson, Prescott, Wilson, Carr, and Rodgers (Somehow Carr had the quickest trigger and the 4th most sacks, a truly terrible display of blocking).

Tons of Watson's sacks come because he refused to throw the ball away in situations that would make every QB in the league throw it away. But tons of his great plays came because he refused to throw the ball away. Both of those things are on him for better and worse.

He is the best player on our team, one of the best QBs in the league, and has unlimited upside, but the OL was not primarily behind him getting sacked so much last year.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by barrett

He is the best player on our team, one of the best QBs in the league, and has unlimited upside, but the OL was not primarily behind him getting sacked so much last year.

Not only was last year's OL the worst in team history, most of the year Deshaun was working with one receiver.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by chuck

Not only was last year's OL the worst in team history, most of the year Deshaun was working with one receiver.

You're simply being absurd if you think the OL was worse than year 1 and David Carr. You forget this is a franchise that makes 'worst in team history' mean something.

And yes the receiving corp after Fuller went down was embarrassing. The RB group wasn't much better.

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by barrett

You're simply being absurd if you think the OL was worse than year 1 and David Carr. You forget this is a franchise that makes 'worst in team history' mean something.

And yes the receiving corp after Fuller went down was embarrassing. The RB group wasn't much better.

First five years Texans offensive ranking (points per game): 32nd, 28th, 21st, 26th, 28th (aka the "Carr years")

Last five Texans offensive ranking (points per game): 14th, 21st, 28th, 17th, 11th.

Draw you own conclusions.

I agree the current offensive line is terrible and upgrading it should have been the top priority of the offseason. I also agree that they are nowhere near as bad as the Carr Years.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Howard and Sharping were not "my guys" but I'll defer to the professionals who watch tape and interview these guys.

The problem with taking so many small school and "projects" is that you have no idea if they would perform at the NFL level. You get a guy from the SEC and it's like going from AA ball to the majors. You take a guy from the smaller schools and it is like going from Rookie ball to the majors. There's a huge transition and most of them won't even be close to ready as rookies but *may* be capable in year two or three.

Remember Seth Wand? The third-round tackle from some directional school that Casserly fell in love with at the Senior Bowl. He had the unrefined skills to be a left tackle but he didn't have the mental toughness to be an NFL player. That's the risk you take.

So, I can't call this a bad draft as much as I would call it a "wishful" draft.

Of the 10 All-Pro OL last year guess how many played in the SEC. Hint, it's the same amount as played in the SWAC.