Who should the Texans pick #1 overall?

[ATL96Steeler]

Me either.So they could take Clowney at one and say Mettenberger in the 2nd. Or, if the pull the trade with Atlanta, and picked up a 2nd, they would still be able to take Mack, Barr, Matthews, Robinson or Watkins with the Falcons 1st, get Mettenberger in the 2nd and also add another top prospect in the 2nd. Put it in Cowboys terms, would you rather have Clowney for the Cowboys or, say, Greg Robinson and Timmy Jernigan? That would be worth kicking around to me.

Imo Clowney would help HOU, but with Watt there I don't think he would develop into a star, may never see his full potential playing 2nd fiddle.

I love Mettenberger at the top of the second for HOU. If it were me running the show in HOU...I would trade spots with ATL, and take Robinson or Evans @ 6...in addition, I think in return it's fair to get a 3rd and 4th rounder (68 and roughly 100 would give them 6 picks within the top 100 or so players) from this draft. They could get a WR, and OL depth

ATL...with a solid 2nd round spot to beef up the OL, with a Morgan Moses type...they can afford to give up a 3rd and 4th round pick considering they have 10 picks in this draft.

That's a win win type trade imo...if HOU tries to get too greedy (1st & 2nd from this draft imo is too greedy), If I were in the top 10, I would hold position and fill a need & likely BPA.

I really don't see another team with a strong need @ DE and the picks to make it work. Knowing that you really don't need Clowney, and also knowing ATL really does and they have the picks to play, Bortles to HOU #1 overall would be a huge blunder imo.

 

[JDM]

Why would watt impair Clowney? All he does is keep them from targeting their blocking on him and free him up.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I know how talented Clowney is but I have a hard time seeing a team mortgage their future on him, which is what it will take to get that pick.

IDK...If you're ATL.

10 picks overall, with 3 inside the top 70 and the 4th is like #102.

I would give up 1.6, 3.68, and 4.102 to move up to 1.1...they would still have 2.37 to get a OT, plus 6 more picks...I would do that deal for Clowney, but I wouldn't do it if I had to give up 2.37

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Why would watt impair Clowney? All he does is keep them from targeting their blocking on him and free him up.

Most teams don't have two premier pass rushers so DEF schemes are often designed to get the best pass rusher free, or in a 1 on 1 situation...stunts, etc. HOU is a base 3-4 team and Watt plays a lot of LDE.

I get your point on blocking, but I assume Clowney is playing right RDE in this scheme (he was mostly a 4-3 RDE in college) facing the LT on every team man up because of Watts' presence. Meanwhile the big playmaker Watt is on the other side, going against the RT. Clowney is not going to be a stud on that DEF imo. Certainly not as a rookie.

You put him on a team where he's the #1 pass rusher, they will move him around to get the best matchup for him. Because the scheme would be geared towards him he would have the best chance to be the stud everyone thinks has the potential to be.

 

[Brees#1]

So you think Clowney is gonna get turnovers on us? Don't think so.

 

[JDM]

Most teams don't have two premier pass rushers so DEF schemes are often designed to get the best pass rusher free, or in a 1 on 1 situation...stunts, etc. HOU is a base 3-4 team and Watt plays a lot of LDE.

I get your point on blocking, but I assume Clowney is playing right RDE in this scheme (he was mostly a 4-3 RDE in college) facing the LT on every team man up because of Watts' presence. Meanwhile the big playmaker Watt is on the other side, going against the RT. Clowney is not going to be a stud on that DEF imo. Certainly not as a rookie.

You put him on a team where he's the #1 pass rusher, they will move him around to get the best matchup for him. Because the scheme would be geared towards him he would have the best chance to be the stud everyone thinks has the potential to be.

You can do more with two elite pass rushers than you can with one. It doesn't even take all that much creativity.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

You can do more with two elite pass rushers than you can with one. It doesn't even take all that much creativity.

Sounds easy enough, but I don't see many teams with that makeup...you couldn't keep them intact for long even if you did find two on one team. Steelers had Woodley & Harrison for about 2 seasons (elite level), maybe one or 2 more examples...but remember on that PIT squad, one was an UDFA...i.e. some luck involved.

 

[JDM]

Who has the opportunity for two elite players at any position all that often? But the texans do, he is by far the best player available, and it's a passing league. Any way to make opposing QBs miserable is an easy choice, especially when the talent differential between him and the next option is so large.

It would be much more like the giants of 07. They held one of the best offenses ever to 14 points and gave a mediocre QB an MVP.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Opportunities are not plentiful, but they have come about...IND could very well have kept Manning and drafted Luck. I'm sure AZ had high draft picks when Fitz was in his prime and didn't spend it on a WR...I agree if you do see it, chances are one player developed higher than his draft grade.

Clowney is the best prospect in this draft, but I still think drafting a 4-3 DE for a 3-4 base team is not the smartest thing to do...especially if other teams are willing to give you additional picks for said player.

 

[JDM]

The colts weren't in a position to win with manning, especially not with 35 million locked up at the QB position.


Clowney is much more valuable than anyone else they could draft, and unless they can pick up an extra first rounder and stay in the top 5, better than any value they can get in a trade.

 

[SonnyCID]

IDK...If you're ATL.

10 picks overall, with 3 inside the top 70 and the 4th is like #102.

I would give up 1.6, 3.68, and 4.102 to move up to 1.1...they would still have 2.37 to get a OT, plus 6 more picks...I would do that deal for Clowney, but I wouldn't do it if I had to give up 2.37

Atlanta needs a lot though. I would hope that they would learn their lesson that even if a player proves to be an all pro talent, it doesn't necessarily mean that giving up a bunch of picks when you have a bunch of needs is not a good idea.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

There's always going to be a good reason teams don't stack up high picks on the same position...I'm with you on Clowney as a prospect, but I also think he's a square peg in a round hole for that DEF.

If you really want him to play 3-4 RDE opposite Watt, he needs to add about 20-25lbs. If you want him to play ROLB he probably needs to lose about 10-15 or so...under both of those situations, you're not getting the player you drafted at the position he excelled at in college. He's good enough to change schemes for, but not when you have an All-Pro anchoring the current scheme and it's a high performing unit.

JAX may not go that high, I think it's possible to swap places with ATL and pick up a 3rd #68 overall and a 4th #103 overall. Two 1st round picks...no. Especially when ATL knows he doesn't really fit HOU's scheme...if he did there would be no conversation about a trade.

 

[JDM]

Without 2 first round picks, you laugh them off and draft Clowney. Any defensive coordinator who can't make a defense scary with watt and Clowney doesn't deserve to be in the league.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Atlanta needs a lot though. I would hope that they would learn their lesson that even if a player proves to be an all pro talent, it doesn't necessarily mean that giving up a bunch of picks when you have a bunch of needs is not a good idea.

Knowing this team pretty well, after FA I think they need depth @ OT & OG (if Mike Johnson doesn't cut it)...with Baker back @ LT, and Carimi and Asahmoah signed as FA, the rookie would have to be a stud out of the gates to start imo. As long as they keep #37, they can land a good OT prospect to be ready for '15.

S...if they stand pat they should be able to land a good S @ 37. Probably reaching a bit @ 68 for a starter.

LB...Mosley could help, but he's not a top 10 player imo...pretty weak crop behind him

DL...at 6, it's most likely Barr. Mack and Clowney will go before 6.

If they stay the course they should get 3 very good players but I'm not sure any of them will have the impact that Clowney will.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Without 2 first round picks, you laugh them off and draft Clowney. Any defensive coordinator who can't make a defense scary with watt and Clowney doesn't deserve to be in the league.

They were the 6th rated DEF w/o Clowney so the DC is not hurting in the knowledge dept...with Clowney, do they go to top 4 maybe?

If Clowney were a good fit in HOU, this is the type player where you already have your deal done before the draft...there's no question who you're taking...the fact a trade is even being talked about tells me HOU doesn't think he a great fit.

 

[JDM]

Make it fit. There isn't more value to be had than simply taking Clowney.

 

[RobToxin]

Reports: Texans might trade with Falcons for No. 1 draft pick | FOX Sports on MSN

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I think we've backed ourselves into a corner JDM...not taking anything away from Clowney...but scheme matters in the NFL, and that's where our disconnect is. Apparently you think he can plug into the Texans DEF and become a great player, I don't think so.

Value...outside of the next Luck @ QB...I think it's going to be very rare to see any player command two #1 picks.

 

[RobToxin]

They were the 6th rated DEF w/o Clowney so the DC is not hurting in the knowledge dept...with Clowney, do they go to top 4 maybe?

If Clowney were a good fit in HOU, this is the type player where you already have your deal done before the draft...there's no question who you're taking...the fact a trade is even being talked about tells me HOU doesn't think he a great fit.

One very important footnote to this.

That DC was Wade Phillips who is no longer with the Texans.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Reports: Texans might trade with Falcons for No. 1 draft pick | FOX Sports on MSN

Definitely a topic here...not so much today, but this week sportstalk has been all over it...Idk what's going to happen, but I got this sense from the owner's close of season presser...paraphrasing...whatever they do, the QB has to be better protected in 2014.

GM made some moves to shore up the OL/DL in FA...I think these guys are going to start or at least that's the plan...so...OT as the 1st pick is in play, but not really in stone. They will make the effort to get him...Clowney is here today going to some team appointed drill.