ClanRam Insiders Mock Draft - Official Discussion Thread

[sosa39rams]

I and most Texans fans would disagree with you and your idea. The reasons Mario Williams left the Texans is because #1 Wyatt and others played admirably without him #2 He wanted too much money for his production value.

If you ask a Texans fan what are the main reason(s) why your team is not competing at the highest level, their responses are usually:

#1 not an elite QB in Schaub (but good enough)
#2 secondary has been horrible
#3 Offensive weapons end after AJ and Foster

Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones are bumms....Walter doesn't stay healthy and the Texans were often forced to rotate TEs in Wide Receiver roles over the last 2 years.

If the Rams were playing in Texans tomorrow in the super bowl, and they could only add 1 player to their roster:

Ingram or Hill/Wright -- which would make them a more dangerous team.....

You are saying this guy Ingram is so great, but you say how bad the WRs are....that just seems that you like Ingram.....
Everyone knows I follow WRs closely, but I would also argue that Secondary help would be a higher priority than a pass rusher..

THE TEXANS HAD THE #2 RANKED DEFENSE IN THE NFL LAST YEAR WITHOUT MARIO WILLIAMS
AND 6TH MOST SACKS IN THE LEAGUE

In fact you can argue that the only weakness of the team was the PASSING OFFENSE based on stats

I am willing to make a friendly wager that the Texans go WR or CB and you can have OLB or DE in Round 1

The Texans don't at all need any secondary. They have solid starters at all 5 positions back there :

CB1: Jonathon Joseph
CB2: Kareem Jackson
Slot: Jason Allen (Gone), Brandon Harris, Bryan McCain
FS: Danieal Mannings
SS: Glover Quin

I agree about WR though. I've said it so many times, I think the Texans snag Hill if hes there. Its a perfect fit.

[richtree]

Kareem Jackson had horrible ball skills but played ok, with Nickel and dime packages they are extremely weak with Jason Allen playing for the Bengals....

Secondary help is needed, WR top priority, and if anything up front on defense it would be in the middle of the line..NT help will come but probably in round 2-5

I just can't agree that secondary is a strength when you start K.Jackon and lose J.Allen --- very, very thin...the Rams proved the importance of depth this season

[Nick]

26. Houston Texans: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

I can't see anyway that Houston would pass on WR here with Randle, Sanu, Hill, Jones and Jeffery all available....

Houston let Mario Wiliams walk because their defense did a fine job without him....If you want to add depth in a pass rusher you can clearly do that in round 2 or 3....

WR for the Texans is probably the highest priory and secondary help would be next...

I cant see how you can validate this pick

I am willing to make a friendly wager that the Texans go WR or CB and you can have OLB or DE in Round 1

Putting forth this "friendly wager" suggests to me you aren't getting the point.

Berg didn't make the pick because he felt DE/OLB was the Texans' biggest need. He clearly said in the reasoning for his selection that WR was a bigger need for the team. The issue is that, in this projection, the Texans are opting to select a Top 10-15 prospect who has slipped over addressing a bigger need at another position with lesser prospects. This isn't exactly a foreign concept on draft day; it happens just about every year.

And on top of that, it's worth noting that the Texans beat writer who supplies their Team Report for USA TODAY has actually identified a pass rusher as the team's second biggest need behind WR. This was from the Team Needs section, less than a day ago:

2. Outside linebacker: With Connor Barwin (11.5 sacks) and Brooks Reed (9.5, counting playoffs), the starting positions are solid. But they still need a replacement for Mario Williams. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips says a 3-4 scheme never has enough outside linebackers. They'll draft Williams' replacement in one of the first two rounds.

So the idea that the Texans could draft a slipping Ingram over late first round receivers like Hill, Jeffery, Randle, etc really isn't that off the wall. It's not about position vs. position, it's about the available prospects at those positions and where the best combination of value and need are.

[berg8309]

I think I addressed that Mario was let go because his salary demands outstripped his on-field contribution compared to other players. And yes, guys stepped up. Barwin went from 3.5 sacks to 11.5. That is a huge jump, and isn't one to count on him suddenly being an 11+ sack guy on a regular basis like it's signed and sealed. To me at least the NFL is the league where players are most likely to see their production drop off the side of a cliff. It's hard to rely on guys who had one year of good play and say "Well clearly they are now established at that level" We all know that isn't true. If the Rams had rested on their laurels and figured Hall was guaranteed another 10 sack year, we would have passed on Quinn, which in the end would have been a mistake. I know that Hall is older and Barwin young, so please don't come back with a "You are comparing a 34 year old to a 25 year old?!?!" That's not my point. A lot of people thought the Rams should have filled other holes instead of shoring up DE because we had Hall there. However Quinn was on the board and the Rams were getting a top 5 talent at 14, and couldn't pass it up to fill other needs with lesser players. In the end it worked out, as Hall regressed (most likely due to age, which wouldn't be Barwin's problem) and the Quinn pick was a great idea so far.

Point is, part of the reason you take BPA instead of reaching for players to fill holes is that the nature of the NFL is that players will randomly fall of the earth or be injured, and then you need good depth. If Barwin or Watt gets injured next year, would the Texans still be able to keep up the pass-rush? Maybe not.

Which brings me to my next point, you emphatically state that the Texans had the 2nd best D in the league and 6th best in sacks, and then confusingly say that the secondary is actually very weak and needs serious upgrades. My bet is that if the secondary is that weak, the pass-rush is what saved you. Could the defense withstand losing more pass-rushers? Hence Ingram still makes sense because he gives the Texans the depth to withstand injuries, and still maintain a fierce pass-rush. NEVER assume health, this is the NFL, and every team will have season-ending injuries before the season starts.

And keep in mind, this is all based on the assumption that Ingram is available there, not some other pass-rusher. This is because Ingram is among the best pass-rushers in the draft, if not the best. He should go top 15, but if he is sitting at 26 I don't see the Texans passing on the opportunity to add him instead of WRs who are questionable as 1st round picks. However I probably would have gone with one of the WRs had Ingram not been there.

[Nick]

And keep in mind, this is all based on the assumption that Ingram is available there, not some other pass-rusher. This is because Ingram is among the best pass-rushers in the draft, if not the best. He should go top 15, but if he is sitting at 26 I don't see the Texans passing on the opportunity to add him instead of WRs who are questionable as 1st round picks. However I probably would have gone with one of the WRs had Ingram not been there.

I think this is the best point in favor of the pick. It's not like you're talking about the Texans taking Andre Branch over a receiver there. You're talking about someone who appears in the Top 10-15 on a number of big boards around the 'net. The value is just too good to pass up.

[tomahawk247]

sorry for not being able to take my pick, I was without internet access for a couple of days

[Nick]

sorry for not being able to take my pick, I was without internet access for a couple of days

No worries, glad to see you're up and running again!

[berg8309]

I very much wanted to grab another QB with the Jets pick, just because it would be funny

But seriously, I had the Jets top three needs as WR, OLB, and RT (Due to Hunter sucking), and the Jets grabbed an OLB in the first round. I though Sanders at OT, and Jenkins or Quick at WR could be considered 2nd round talent. However Jenkins and Quick have had some injury problems, and I think Sanders still represents good value at that pick, and makes the right side of the Jets line much less problematic, so I went ahead and made the pick.

[tomahawk247]

No worries, glad to see you're up and running again!

I'm just glad you picked a lineman :P

[general counsel]

Great pick Nick, i think you just stole worthy for the bears. I dont think he will make it that far down the board (i think someone would have traded up by now) but you never know.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[HUbison]

Heckuva a pickup, Nick! Worthy at #50 is a great get for da Bears.

[Nick]

Great pick Nick, i think you just stole worthy for the bears. I dont think he will make it that far down the board (i think someone would have traded up by now) but you never know.

Heckuva a pickup, Nick! Worthy at #50 is a great get for da Bears.

Thanks! I thought that was kind of a different pick for Chicago, but the value was too good to pass up, especially with Okoye leaving.

[berg8309]

I am making my pick when I get home tonight. I had a trial today, and it was a doozy, but will make it soon.

[AvengerRam]

Some nice picks in the last two selections.

Atlanta obtaining Allen to continue the strength of the TE position makes a lot of sense.

Ta'amu to the Steelers is a perfect fit.

[Nick]

Loved the latest Steelers pick.

My Broncos pick was a little bit out of the box, but I wasn't convinced the value was good for their more pressing needs, and I think Givens at that spot gives Manning another weapon to throw to, which never hurts.