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I’ll start out agreeing with Jim McCurdy. This mock draft is a boat load of fun. And I’m glad to be part of the mock representing the Houston Texans Nation.
If you looked at the photo, you’ll know who I selected for the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. But before we talk about that selection, let’s briefly touch on some other players who I also considered.
Already off the board in this mock was Mike Iupati, the mauling guard from Idaho. Sure, Idaho isn’t exactly a bustling football factory, but a massive and mean guard to shore up the interior of the offensive line and the running game is just what the doctor ordered.
Iupati would have been a great selection, but he was drafted by the Steelers in this mock. Sigh.
I don’t really think there is another interior lineman worth taking at pick No. 20. I briefly considered Maurkice Pouncey out of Florida, but I think 20 is a bit high for him.
Sure, he’s a winner and a good football player, but rare is the guard worth taking at No. 20. That should tell you how highly I think of Iupati.
In addition to the offensive line, the Texans could use a talent infusion in the backfield. Specifically, the Texans need a bigger back to split carries with Steve Slaton.
We won’t know what Slaton can do till next season, but assuming he returns to form somewhere between his remarkable rookie season and his slumping second season, the Texans should have a player who excels on the boundaries and in space. Which also means the team needs a bell cow to plow between the tackles.
With backs like Stanford’s Toby Gerhart (too slow, too upright a runner for the NFL) and CJ Spiller (already taken), the Texans could go in those directions in the first round. But I don’t see that happening, do you?
Another position of need is the defensive backfield. Too bad top-notch safety prospects like Earl Thomas and Eric Berry are long gone.
And I don’t see Taylor Mays as a star in the NFL. Sure, he can run and hit, but he can’t play centerfield. He can’t cover in the passing game.
The Texans have a guy who can run and hit in Bernard Pollard and need a running mate for the big hitting strong safety. Mays is quite an athlete, but I’m not sold on him as a football player.
Finally, let’s not ignore the obvious. Sam Bradford has slid all the way down this first round mock draft.
In this mock and in this mock only (as I can’t imagine a Brady Quinn-esque slide for Bradford) why wouldn’t the Texans auction this pick off for a major ransom? It would be bad business to ignore trading this pick if Bradford is still there.
All of which brings us back to Kyle Wilson. Wilson might not be the biggest player in the draft, but at 5’10″ and 190 lbs., he’s still a good sized prospect.
Plus, Wilson is fast, quick, and can flat out cover. He has high awareness and intelligence and should be rising up draft boards quickly.
Adding a corner back with Wilson’s skill would help the Texans in a division that plays home to Peyton Manning and the pass happy Colts.
To win the division and make the playoffs, the Texans must be able to beat Indianapolis. And making the playoffs must be the Texans’ goal in 2010.
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Although I, personally, do not see safety as a top priority like most evaluators, the position could certainly be upgraded.
Sensabaugh was solid but not great in 2009. He really did just about an average job in every aspect of the game, not making many big plays but not giving up many either (other than at Minnesota).
If Dallas liked what they had in Gerald, they will have to re-sign him soon as he is a restricted free agent.
If the Cowboys are going to replace a safety, it will likely be FS Ken Hamlin.
Hamlin had perhaps his worst year as a pro, getting beat often in coverage and displaying his usual below-average skills in run support.
To his credit, he is more of a cerebral player than an incredible athlete. He is a big reason the Cowboys secondary rarely lined up incorrectly or blew a coverage.
Alan Ball did a respectable job filling in for Hamlin during his injury, and he may have an opportunity to win the starting job in training camp.
Dallas also has two rookie safeties from last year, Michael Hamlin and Stephen Hodge, although neither is likely to make a major impact on defense.
All of this depth (along with Patrick Watkins, who may get cut) is why I don’t see the Cowboys being major players in finding a new safety.
If they choose to do so, there are various safety prospects the Cowboys could look at in both the first and second rounds, including Earl Thomas, Nate Allen, Chad Jones, Morgan Burnett, and, our current feature, Taylor Mays.
Scouting Report
Mays is an athletic freak.
At 6′4”, 225 lbs, Mays may run a sub 4.4 forty at the NFL Combine next week. He is a huge hitter who flies to the ball. He is solid in run support, but often goes for the big hit instead of wrapping up.
His success in run support is not matched by his ability in pass coverage.
Mays has no shot at playing free safety in the NFL because he is just too much of a liability in coverage.
He has poor hips and, although he has superb speed, he does not play as fast as he will test. His lack of production the past two years at USC is evidence of this. His change of direction is average at best, and his ball skills are all but non-existent.
In my opinion, Mays would be well-served moving to 4-3 outside linebacker in the NFL. He is a terrible fit for Dallas because, if they choose to upgrade the safety position, it will be for a ball-hawking free safety who excels in coverage. Let’s hope Jerry doesn’t fall in love with Mays’ Combine numbers and star power.
Projection
Mays should light up the Combine so, if teams overreact, he could go in the top 15.
More likely, however, is that his lack of on-field production will drop him into the 20s. If he falls to Dallas, though, I expect them to pass due to him being a poor fit in the Cowboys’ system.
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So we are down to the final days of recruiting. Michigan is still hot on the trial of three safety prospects to finish off the 2010 class. If you follow this blog, those three players do not come as a surprise. They are Sean Parker, Demar Dorsey, and Rashad Knight. All three are four-star prospects and all three are planning to announce on signing day.
Here is the latest:
- Sean Parker will announce his college of choice at 10:00 a.m. EST on ESPNU.
- FiveMichigan coaches visited Demar last night at his house. He is still planning on visiting USC this weekend as well.
- Rashad is still down to Michigan and Rutgers. (Could what happens with Parker and Dorsey affect Rashad’s decision? I’m guessing it probably does.)
- Rich Rod was also in Springfield, Ohio this week to visit 2011 linebacker Trey DePriest.
- Corwin “Cornflakes” Brown, former Michigan Wolverine and recently the DC for Notre Dame under Good Time Charlie, took at job with the New England Patriots as their DB coach.
- Vladimir Emilien, Michigan Safety gives his takes on a number of subjects: Asked about the team exceeding NCAA limits for workout hours, as alleged in a Free Press report citing claims by current and former players: “Hell naw we didn’t.” The team’s biggest trash talker: QB Tate Forcier.
- David Blackwell is the latest name popping up as Michigan’s next LB Coach. David was the DC for South Florida and was not re-hired by Skip Holtz.
- Michigan is only hosting potential walk on’s and a few 2011 prospects this weekend.
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