Being a Texans fan has always been a dramatic series of ups and downs. A whole lot of "This is gonna be our year!" turning to "Well, there’s always next year." But, with two 8-8 seasons in a row followed by our first winning campaign in franchise history, things are really starting to look up. Matt Schaub was the pro-bowl MVP and Andre Johnson is back, despite a contract dispute. With any luck, Steve Slaton can recapture some of the magic of his rookie season (1282 yds, 80.1 ypg, 9 td) and the defense won't suffer too much from the loss of star CB Dunta Robinson and the 4 game suspension of Brian Cushing. Of all the things we had to contend with last season, probably the biggest surprise was the ineffectiveness of K Kris Brown. After missing just four field goals in both '07 and '08, he missed an astounding eleven last season, as well as an extra point. So, for the first time, Brown has some competition in the form of veteran Neil Rackers. But Rackers isn’t the only new face in battle red and steel blue, there’s a whole new crop of draftees to cheer for. With our recent success in the draft, there’s no reason to assume this year’s won’t have the same positive effect. Let’s take a look …
Kareem Jackson DB 5’11 192 lbs Alabama
Jackson was picked mainly to replace Dunta Robinson. How well he’ll fare is yet to be seen, but he’s certainly gonna get the opportunity to try. He’ll be starting for sure. While it’d be crazy to expect him to live up to Dunta’s performance, he’ll need everything he learned during last year’s championship season with Alabama to hang in the AFC south. When you play two games against Peyton Manning every season, your secondary is definitely important. Hopefully we can count on more than the five career interceptions he had in college.
Ben Tate RB 5’11 218 lbs Auburn
Tate is going to get a fair shot at starting this year, but will mainly be used in goal line situations. Too many televisions were destroyed last year by angry Texans’ fans screaming and throwing remotes in disgust to see Kris Brown trotting out onto the field. Really? Its first and goal on the two and you couldn’t punch it in?! Well, it would appear they heard us and drafted this guy to shut us up. He’s a one-move-and-gone type guy who won’t be making guys miss like Slaton, but once he starts running downhill he should get some great yardage.
Earl Mitchell DT 6’2 295 lbs Arizona
Mitchell is definitely more suited for pass rushing as opposed to defending against the run. He has a great first move and when one on one, can usually get the best of the situation. He’s a local boy, formerly playing TE and FB at North Shore High. He might be a little small for his position but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. Obviously not an every down guy, but between him and Amobi Akoye, they should get the job done.
Darryl Sharpton LB 6’0 235 lbs Miami (Fl)
Sharpton is a little small, but its not all bad. He’s got great speed and that can go sideline to sideline. Not the greatest run stopper, he’s more of a cover 2 kind of guy. That being said, once he gets a hold of a guy, don’t expect him to get shaken off like some guys his size.
Garret Graham TE 6’3 250 lbs Wisconsin
This guy is a chain mover. He’s got great hands and can get separation pretty easily. I’m thinking Kubiak sees another Owen Daniels and thought a fourth round pick was worth the gamble. I’m willing to wait and see. We’re pretty set on tight end, but if he’s half as good as Daniels, I’d say its more than worth it.
Sherrick McManis CB 6’1 190 lbs Northwestern
McManis is a good all around corner, with one glaring weakness. He’s got the balance of a drunken barmaid trying to do the cupid shuffle. His speed is amazing, but he tends to outrun his own feet, which could lead to some embarrassing situations if its not addressed quickly. He’s good against the run, but can get faked out with relative ease. Not the greatest in man to man, but, if he learns from veterans like Eugene Wilson and Jacques Reeves, don’t be surprised if this guy brings a couple balls back for six.
Shelley Smith OL 6’4 293 lbs Colorado St .
Not super excited about this pick, but, then again, what the hell do I know? Smith has good ability, but is relatively raw. He tends to get a little too upright in his stance and can wind up on his back because of it. More of a run stopper due to mainly lateral movement, which seems to be his strong suit. While in motion, he looks as natural as if he’s standing still.
Trindon Holliday WR 5’5 161 lbs LSU
“Jack "Soapy" Shapiro was 5 feet 1/2 inches tall and weighed 119 pounds. He played fullback for the Staten Island Stapletons in 1929.” Ok, so, he’s not the shortest player ever in the NFL, but damn, five foot five! That’s an inch shorter than Darren Sproles. While he’s listed at wide receiver, this guy is all special teams. He is fast. Really fast. He ran a 4.27 at the combine. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psWYfO7rp9A&feature=related ] LSU fans shouldn’t be too shocked about this guy, he’s that tiny yellow and purple blur you’ve been seeing the last couple years. This guy has the ability to score every time he touches the ball, and an ability like that can’t be ignored.
Dorin Dickerson TE 6’2 230 lbs Pittsburgh
A legit deep ball threat. He can get separation and pick the ball out of the air almost every time. However, he’s not a great blocker by anyone’s standards. He played a little linebacker in college and I’d honestly be interested to see if that’s something worth pursuing at the next level. He’s a solid seventh round pick who might be able to do some creative things on special teams, but being the second TE picked in the draft on a team that’s already strong in that position isn’t usually a great recipe for success in the NFL.
Update by Chaser, follow him at www.Twitter.com/chaserjames!
0 comments:
Post a Comment