1st Round (#26) DE Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
3rd Round (#68) WR DeVier Posey, Ohio State
Nfl 2012
3rd Round (#76) G Brandon Brooks, Miami (OH)
4th Round (#99) C Ben Jones, Georgia
4th Round (#121) WR Keshawn Martin, Michigan State
4th Round (#126) DT Jared Crick, Nebraska
5th Round (#161) K Randy Bullock, Texas A & M
6th Round (#195) OT Nick Mondek, Purdue
Analysis of Notable Selections:
Whitney Mercilus: The Texans finally made it to the playoffs and the defensive turnaround was a huge reason why. Houston let Mario Williams depart via free agency. The key element to a Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense is a strong pass rush. Mercilus led the nation in sacks last season and has the pass rushing skills and work ethic to develop into a fine outside linebacker in Houston's defense. The team wisely passed on wide receiver help to further strengthen the defense with another young and talented front seven defender. Mercilus has work to do at stopping the run and setting the edge. He likely will start out as a pass rushing specialist and join Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed in a rotation. The Texans passed on Nick Perry. Mercilus has more pass rush moves than Perry does and looks more comfortable standing up.
DeVier Posey: Houston has been looking for improved receiver help to complement Andre Johnson for quite some time. Posey has decent size (6' 1 ½" and 210 lbs) and speed (4.45 in the Forty), but needs a lot of work on becoming a precise route runner. He is a bit of a project who may never develop into a trusted 2nd receiver. The Texans passed on several promising wide receiver prospects such as, Mohamed Sanu and Jarius Wright. Houston was correct in addressing the wide receiver position, but they may not have chosen the correct one.
Brandon Brooks: The former University of Miami (Ohio) offensive guard has heavy hands, tremendous size and a powerful lower body. He has a chance to push for a starting job in Houston at guard provided he keeps his weight under control. Brooks moves well for a player of his size (6' 5" and 345 lbs) and is athletic enough to handle Houston's zone blocking scheme. The key question for Brooks is conditioning and keeping his focus during games over the course of a season. The Texans love to run the ball and Brandon Brooks has the potential to be a solid addition to the team's offensive line.
Jared Crick: A torn pectoral muscle cost Jared Crick 8 games during his senior season and he dropped to the 4th round. Crick does not have J.J. Watt's size, but he plays with a similar intensity and awareness. The Texans will convert Crick from a defensive tackle into a defensive end in their 3-4 defense. Wade Phillips version of the 3-4 defense enables smaller defensive linemen to excel, as long as they have quickness. Crick has to get stronger, but he does fit Houston's defense. He represented value in the 4th round.
2012 NFL Draft Grade: B
Bottom Line: The Texans added a key pass rusher (Whitney Mercilus) to their defense and that is always a positive. They also added to their offensive line depth with the selections of Brandon Brooks and Ben Jones. The Jared Crick pick was likely the team's best from a value standpoint. He joins a young and talented front seven. The only question regarding Houston's draft was did they find receiver help for Andre Johnson? DeVier Posey was a key pick near the top of the 3rd round. Posey has to prove to his quarterback that he can consistently be in the right spot and relied upon.
Houston Texans' 2012 NFL Draft Analysis
http://www.profootballdraftnetwork.com provides extensive pre and post NFL draft analysis. The site features scouting reports, rankings, top values, biggest risks, interviews with college coaches and players and mock drafts.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น