Draft Grade

[zanth91]

Grade and discuss why you gave them that grade.

I give the Texans an A. They came out and got what I think are a couple steals. We got the OT, DBs, and.....the QB?? One thing they forgot was a DE. I'm sure they'll find one somewhere.

[TexansFight]

A


I mean cmon... our 3 big needs were OL, CB, and RB. And we got all 3 with our first 3 picks. Then we get a steal with Adibi, and just think if Okam comes around and plays to his talents.

[Gamehorn]

We got what we needed, but because the picks were, how do I say it, different, I gave it a B+

[magnahorn]

I gave them a B-

I was okay with trading down and selecting Brown; can't really fault the Texans there; all the Tackles we really wanted were gone.

I am cautiously optimistic about Molden as a CB.

I am not sure Slaton really helps us.

I think both Adibi and Okam have potential. I can easily see Okam putting on serious weight and becoming a Gilbert Brown type anchor in the middle.

I think Barber might be a player as well at safety. God knows we need safety help.

But come on; a 7th round QB with no mobility and a weak arm? You can't tell me we couldn't have simply picked someone else and brought him to training camp as an invitee! This single pick drops my grade from an A- or B+ to B-.

[texan pride]

A imo. We addressed our needs but didn't go with any sexy picks which is fine with me. The only pick I disagreed with was our 7th round. We already have 3 capable QB I don't think we should have drafted another one.

[edo783]

B+ - They addressed all but DE with what looks like could be solid players at need positions. They traded down and got more picks. Not sure what more you could ask for. I just can't bring myself to give an A before these guys play, but they did real well IMO. The head scratcher was the 7th for a QB, but who knows what is playing out with the Sage opera.

[wildroot]

I gave them a C

I would have rather them take Otah in the first, but with the extra picks they got, Brown will probably do well. He answers our O/L need.

The 2 3rd round picks were uninspiring to me, seemed like we could have packaged those two and moved up for maybe Chris Ellis or Godfrey, either would have probably started. Or moved up with our 79 spot and taken Sims.
Then if we had to take a RB we could have grabbed Tashard Choice later.

Then, why we felt the need to take a QB in the 7th?!? We probably could have signed this guy as a UDFA tonight if we had to have him.

Anyway, other than Brown, I think the players we took weren't necissarily targeted players which is why I would have liked to see us trade up to get some players we really wanted, whoever they were. There were so many teams trading up, I can't believe there wasn't someone we really wanted that we could have (but didn't) moved to get.

Looking forward to the Mini-camps and an exciting '08 campaign!

[Houston Jag Fan]

I would give Houston a B+, not sure about Duane Brown but if they think that highly of him I am sure he will be fine.

Adibi and Okam I think have the potential to become starters for you guys.

I love the Slaton pick. He has a lot of talent and if he can work with Kubs and Gibbs I think he could make an impact with in the year.

[truckin texan]

Let's see I was working this weekend had to listen to sirius radio for the entire draft found some things interesting see if u heard these things... Hou tried to trade to 15, detroits pick, miami did to, kc got it...hou didn't want to draft brown then but had to san diego was looking to take him and groom him at rt... Justin king dropped because of how poorly he played this year against players in the draftr namely james hardy... After I heard these explanations and looking at where I had people ranked I would say the texans drafted for need but also got the bpa at that position on their board. Which would give them an a

[Towlie]

I wont grade them until we see what happens with the UDFA's... just kidding, an A-... the last pick

[nativetexan]

Here is my analysis:

Rd
1 DUANE BROWN OT
>Once the 1st 3 OT's they wanted were gone, they did a great
>job moving back and getting the one left on their list and adding
>picks.
2 (1/2 of MATT SCHAUB QB)
>Hey, this is part of the draft. He does a very good job when healthy.
>Should be better this year with half a season of experience, AJ all year,
>Jacoby with a year under his belt, a better running game, etc.
3 ANTWAUN MOLDEN CB
>I like this pick. He has size and speed and will add much needed depth.
3 STEVE SLATON RB
>Not sure about this one, but it will be very interesting in camp to see
>who the odd man out at RB will be.
4 XAVIER ADIBI LB
>I like this value pick in the 4th round. Bennett ended up starting last
>year as a 4th rounder, ADIBI could do the same ~mid-season.
5 FRANK OKAM DT
>Nice risk-reward pick. If he decides he likes making NFL money and gets
>serious about it, this could be a steal.
6 DOMINIQUE BARBER FS
>We need a FS, but I hear he has work ethic issues. This one might not
>pan out, but it is only a 6th round pick, and has upside.
6 (CHRIS MYERS C)
>Immediate starting center in the 6th round. Excellent value.
7 ALEX BRINK QB
>Huh? Not sure what this is about. Could be a throw away pick. Would
>have liked a DE.

My grade grade is a "B+"; which could turn into an "A" if this draft turns out like the last two (quality contributers throughout).

Also, we go into next years draft with all of our picks. Overall, you have to like how methodical this front office is. They don't make the "sexy" picks, just the solid ones that make the team better.

Also, did anyone else notice that HFLN and ESPN seemed to go to commercial every time the Texans were on the clock ????

[cbnjwill]

c- would be my grade for the texans. dont think you will see any grades higher than a c by the media. the draft is all about value they basically gave away their first round pick and selected a late second round talent.once the top tackles were off the board they panicked with the brown selection, salam will probably be the starter again this yr. barring injury. the extra 3rd and 5th helped even though we should have gotten a 2nd going all the way to 26. the corner in the third may be a solid selection,slaton dont no bout that one he has alot of speed but when teams are wanting to move you to wr. their could be some serious issues. slaton was projected as a late fourth or fifh guy so we didnt get great value there either. all in all not a disaster but not great either c- the best grade i could give them

[TexSid]

B
I think the first round was a mess for us. We tried to move up and couldn't then we moved down figuring we could get Jenkins and then Dallas hopped up there and grabbed him or we knew Brown would probably be there since most had him as a 2/3 rdr. Molden could be good but is raw (1-2 yrs of development). Adibi and Slaton look interesting. Barber seems like he may not have the mental skills to compete in the nfl based on things written about him.

In general the Texans like to draft raw guys (i.e. Okoye) and develop heir talent. Not a bad strategy but makes for a hard to grade draft! What the heck do I know anyway????? :o

[Yosarian]

I don't know enough to grade the experts.

I'll grade when the season is over.

[zanth91]

c- would be my grade for the texans. dont think you will see any grades higher than a c by the media. the draft is all about value they basically gave away their first round pick and selected a late second round talent.once the top tackles were off the board they panicked with the brown selection, salam will probably be the starter again this yr. barring injury. the extra 3rd and 5th helped even though we should have gotten a 2nd going all the way to 26. the corner in the third may be a solid selection,slaton dont no bout that one he has alot of speed but when teams are wanting to move you to wr. their could be some serious issues. slaton was projected as a late fourth or fifh guy so we didnt get great value there either. all in all not a disaster but not great either c- the best grade i could give them

1a. They wanted to trade down.
1b. They wanted to do that for extra picks and the ability to pick Brown.
2. They were planning it all along.
3. Kubiak said Brown would be implemented as a starter from the get go.

Just because something like ESPN says Brown was a late 2nd, early 3rd, doesn't mean the Texans [or any other team] had him there. Looking at his combine and game footage I think he fell right where he should have.

[rdbrokaw]

A-

Of course everyone wants high-profile value players but that was simply not an option for us this year. Rick and Gary made a great move by dropping a few spots in the first round and still getting their guy while also picking up a couple more picks. They filled all of their needed positions which will add some depth to the roster.

While most people are scratching their heads about the 7th round QB I really see some genius in this. They have now allowed themselves to trade away one of their QB's (the word is out on Sage) for a valuable DE, CB, or S. Quinn is a competant backup to Matt and the new QB will be developed in the next couple of years.

The only reason I gave them a A- is because they did not trade Sage early for a high draft pick. This would have been a very valuable move but maybe the option wasn't there yet....then again!? Who can truly understand the genius behind Rick Smith and Gary Kubiak, they did pass on Reggie Bush for some Mario Williams guy and look how that turned out for them....excellent!

[caddy]

We went in with a short stack, ( no second round pick )and seem to not afford any real outstanding pick, Just stayed with the pack, and took left-overs. This is the lowest grade for our draft's I have given... C

[cbnjwill]

time will tell if brown is the starter week one against the steelers my guess right now is its will be salam. i can understand trading down to get the extra picks although when mendenhall fell i would have taken him. i just thought once they went to 26 the top ot were off the board i thought they should have looked at a corner,rb or safety that could come in and be starter i thought brown was a reach in the first round

[Welsh Texan]

Lets not forget the Texans' best pick of this draft; QB Matt Schaub 2nd Round.

Grade A from me, a good draft all round and the best thing is, what will our needs be a year from now? DE and Safety, then BPA, so we have addressed all of our long term needs really by clearing the way towards drafting whoever is best in future.

[sleepwalker]

A +

bottom line.....we need depth....depth = more picks

[outofhnd]

I give it a B

We wouldve taken a corner but our 3rd round pick would have left us wuthout Duane Brown on the board since he was identified as a must have day 1 pick we went there.

We got a corner in round 3 addressed the need

We got a young running back 10 picks later.

we got one guy I definately wanted on this team in Idibi I liked him the past 2 years and felt he could really impress.

Okam Is a space eater

6th round we got Chris Myers, and dominique barber

7th round probably just a project player,

Nothing really screams difference maker but every need we felt they had they addressed. A speed end they still may find in the UDFA pile or kalu may be that guy now that he has 2 hands to wrap up QBs. I give it a B because they didn't ignore any needs but the names didn't really make us all say what a great move. We understood the picks but they weren't picks that you can brag about at this point.

[zanth91]

A +

bottom line.....we need depth....depth = more picks

But depth at QB?

[el toro]

You armchair GMs crack me up. If the worst thing that can be said about this draft is the 7th round pick, find a hobby.

[zanth91]

You armchair GMs crack me up. If the worst thing that can be said about this draft is the 7th round pick, find a hobby.

.......................who are you?

[Texans-Lady]

They did use their 1st on OL. Good!
They addressed alot of needs. Good!
We got a homerun threat at RB. Good!
We didnt give up any picks for next year. Good!
We went in with 5 picks and used 7 in the end. Good!
I see alot more positives then negatives. As a matter of fact the only negatives are the unknowns that only time will tell. I say for the most part the Texans did their jobs helping the team. I gave them a B which could be upgraded to an A a year from now or downgraded to a C.

i see it also :)

[ib4texans]

B+

I like what the FO did, I'm not sure about the QB at 7. I think the trade bait scenario works for me.

[tyhague]

I gave the Texans a C+. They did address their needs without a doubt, but the way they did it was so so... although there were some good picks too. I'm just not in love with all of it, but overall pretty good job.

Duane Brown LT Va. Tech - I did not think this guy was a first round pick, he's extremely athletic and will be good in the zone blocking scheme, but he's going to struggle with the bull rush mightily, and he's going to need at least a TE or chip RB the entire first year. It'll be a big learning curve on pass blocking, but eventually i think he'll get there. This is a good pick for 2009, but it's going to be an up and down rookie year. I like Brown, but a first rounder i'm not sure. He will imrove our running game immediately i believe getting to the second level even as a LT, which you see very little of.

Antuan Molden CB Eastern Kentucky - He's fast, he ran sub 4.4. But he's a raw talent. Once again a player that will probably contribute a little bit, and i could see him as a top notch gunner on the punt team, but as far as making an immediate impact in the defensive backfield, it'll be tough. However, i do once again think he will be a good player in 09 and can contribute some as a dime back in 08.

Steve Slayton RB West Virginia - He's fast too. Real fast. At times he can make fast guys look slow. However, he's definitly a singular type of back, a Mr. Outside if you will. I liked this pick a lot, running backs don't have to carry 350 times anymore in the NFL two or three backs splitting 35 carries works for me, and this guy with ten carries a game could be phenomenal. Plus he can be split out and cause all kinds of miss matches...

Xavier Adibi OLB Va Tech - Here we go. Two solid picks in a row. I really like Adibi although he might not be the greatest LB ever, he's gonna make some tackles. I personally thought our second biggest need besides corner was at OLB and this guy is a good one. Nice pick by the FO, i think he could play immediately, and adding Bentley and this guy along with Diles we could improve drastically at this position

Okam - he'll provide solid depth up front and should make the ball club
Barber - from what i know he's got good football iq and is a quality person, he can tackle pretty well and could find a spot on special teams. maybe taking a shot at our safety position which is pretty weak.
Brink - pac-10 guy so i know A LOT about him watched him play in person twice. He throws accurately without a huge arm, but okay arm strength. This pick may have just given us a third quarterback and we can probably trade Sage now with Quinn Gray as the number 2...

Overall i liked the draft, i thought trading down was an okay option although i would have preferred to just grab Jenkins with that pick, he was worth it. i think he's going to be very talented. Picks 3 and 4 were great value i think for what we want them for, and Okam should provide good depth. I do like our first two picks, and good luck to both of them... but i'm not sure how much they'll help us win this year. Overall good, not exceptional, job by the Front Office. With our draft and FA's, and how dumb Tennessee is once again. We should compete for a playoff spot, and be right in the mix all season.