Value of Things: Draft Wish List
· Yahoo Sports
I make no bones about the fact that I am not a college football expert. I watch my TCU Horned Frogs whenever I can and occasionally tune into a big game, but when talk comes of specific prospects my eyes generally glaze over. I am assuming I am like many of you when it comes to draft talk. It is exciting because there are any number of possibilities that could come, but I am not going to get into specific names.
Even when I argue for positions, I am not suggesting that this is the order that the Texans should go. I am rank ordering the positions by the importance that they hit in the draft. Whether they select this position in the first or sixth round doesn’t particularly matter. What we know is that there is always a run on certain positions during the draft.
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Priority One: Center
You can talk me into calling every other position on the offensive line average or better. You can talk me into calling every single other position on the field for both offense and defense average or better when it comes to the starter. It is hard to make that argument at center. Jake Andrews was below average last season. Jarrett Patterson has been below average in the past. The same could be said for Evan Brown. None of those guys are gawdawful so you don’t have to jump at this in the first round.
Nick Caserio has often talked about not understanding the idea of drafting for need. I think he is bring coy. I think what happens is that you want a guy that approximates the value at that slot. So, if there is no center worthy of the 28th pick then you don’t pick one there. You go with another position that might be more valuable. Still, if you come out of this draft with anything, coming out with a center that is at least an average starter would be a revelation.
Priority Two: Defensive Tackle
It seems strange to see defense this high up in the list of priorities, but once you get past starters you start to look at depth. Depending on the way the draft board goes, this might even be that 28th pick. You have Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togai but DeMeco Ryans loves to rotate his guys and if you could strike gold on a dominant defensive tackle this defense ramps up a notch. That’s a scary thought.
Priority Three: Cornerback
Again, we are talking about depth. Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter are great, but if one of them goes down there is a huge drop off to the next corner. There are certain positions that you can never have enough good players and the secondary is one of them. Obviously, the Texans would know whether they want an outside corner or a slot corner. I’m not getting that far into the weeds. What I am looking for is a guy that doesn’t make me start a three pack a day habit when I find out he has to start for one of the two primary corners in an isolated game.
Priority Four: Running Back
Most drafts don’t net you more than three productive players, so if we do not find the fourth and fifth player here it won’t be the end of the world. This desire is both practical and cosmetic. David Montgomery is signed for two more seasons. He has played in the NFL for nearly eight years. We certainly believe he has plenty in the tank, but we don’t know for sure and it is possible that he performs great, but is only useful for one season. There is also always the possibility of injury.
Running back is one of those positions you cannot have enough good ones for. As we saw last year, you lose one and suddenly you are thin at running back. I know some people have asked for speed at the position. Others want that tough guy that can gain some yardage on the goal line or in third and short situations. I’m not particularly picky, but a third quality running back would be a nice thing to have to protect you when the injury bug hits.
Priority Five: Tight End
I almost said offensive guard here because the offensive line does have several guys coming off of injuries or who have been injury prone during their careers. So, if anyone votes guard or tackle I would completely understand. If Dalton Schultz goes down this team is in a heap of trouble. Technically, Brevin Jordan is coming back, so the situation is not as dire as it was when the season ended, but how much do you really want to count on Brevin Jordan?
We had certainly hoped Cade Stover would be a more integral part of the offense, but he has not developed as a receiving threat. To put it simply, the Texans could use one more guy that can be a reliable receiving target. Having another guy that can be a willing blocker would also not kill you either. This means that tight end might be higher up on the draft board because getting someone capable of doing both is a challenge. It’s not as pressing a need as the other positions, but it might require more draft capital to fill.