tUnofficial Official Texans Draft Thread

[RobToxin]

Personally, I'm hoping to find a sucker who is willing to give up an entire draft for the #1 pick. I think we could go with Keenum if we just fix that offensive line. Maybe the Texans are thinking that way as well.

Texans might trade No. 1 NFL Draft pick | FOX Sports on MSN

The Houston Texans are in major need of a fresh start.

After ending the season on a 14-game losing streak, the Texans hired a fresh, new coach in the form of Penn State's Bill O'Brien.

The Texans are also in a position to get some fresh talent having '€˜earned' the No. 1 overall pick at the 2014 NFL Draft from May 8-10 at Radio City Music Hall.

But that doesn't mean they are necessarily going to use it.

During Friday's introductory presser to introduce O'Brien, the topic of the pick came up. "Just getting here yesterday, we've already started some of these discussions, but they're very preliminary," O'Brien said.

"At every position, we want a good team guy," he continued. "We want a guy that is a hard worker, a guy that's physically tough, mentally tough, smart guy. It doesn't matter what position it is. To me, it's a guy that understands the team concept and understands that it's not about individual stats or individual performances. It's about doing what's best for the team and being a good teammate. So whether it's a quarterback or defensive end or linebacker or wide receiver, that's what we'll always look for here at Houston."

But then Texans owner Bob McNair chipped in to make it known they were open to trading the pick.

"Maybe we'll trade down and still get a quarterback that can do the job and get an outstanding defensive player," McNair said Friday. "It's an exciting time. Everything's a moving target. Lot of different pieces."

Some of the big names that could possible take the No. 1 overall position include defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortle and Johnny Manziel (assuming he declares).

The Texans had visible struggles with the quarterback position this season, rotating through three without settling on any of them. Given the multiple talents up for grabs at the quarterback position this year, it is possible for the Texans to trade the pick and still get the man they want need.

 

[RobToxin]

BWTB: Top pick and a lot of questions

As with the other two times the Texans had the first pick in the draft, there's no apparent clear cut 'can't miss' choice at quarterback, or any position.

That's not to say there's not a franchise quarterback in the mix. Maybe there are several. But it's always an educated guessing game. In 2002, two quarterbacks went in the first three picks. Neither David Carr nor Joey Harrington went to a Pro Bowl, or had a winning season, for that matter.

In fact, '02 was a very thin QB year. The only quarterback taken who went to a Pro Bowl was fourth round selection David Garrard. The only one who has done anything lately is former third round pick Josh McCown (Go 'Kats!).

The 2006 class yielded the great talk radio debate of Reggie Bush vs. Vince Young. VY had some excellent early moments, Reggie Bush has been sometimes spectacular but never steady. Mario Williams never quite lived up to the number one hype but has certainly produced. As far as quarterback goes, Jay Cutler was the third signal caller taken and the best of the bunch.

We're all hoping there's that once-in-a-lifetime player at quarterback in this draft but no one can say for sure. In '06 it looked like a very good bet that between VY, Matt Leinert and Cutler, you'd had one emerge as an all time great.

This year's class is admittedly better for quarterbacks but the media often has a selective memory. Let's hope this class is more like '04, when you had three QBs taken in the top ten (Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger) and you could walk way happy with any one of them.

 

[jdwills126]

Teddy Bridgewater is gaining a lot of steam as the overall #1. That is going to cause the Texans issues.

1. It will drive demand for the #1 overall up. How high is the question as their is a legit 3 other QBs with 1st round grades.

2. It will create pressure on the Texans to draft Bridgewater. Could you imagine the balls it would take to pass on a franchise type QB when your team has a need at QB? Real or perceived I should say for QB need.

In the best case scenario you drop a few spots select Manziel and use the picks and hope to find a guy like Larry Warford in the 3rd.

 

[RobToxin]

2014 NFL Draft: Texans' Bob McNair envisions Clowney-Watt tandem - CBSSports.com

Bob McNair is foremost the owner of the Houston Texans, the franchise that holds the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after ending last season with 14 consecutive losses.

But McNair is also a proud alumnus of the University of South Carolina, and thusly he paid pretty close attention to junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the No. 2 overall prospect eligible for the May draft according to NFLDraftScout.com.

So while the Texans deliberate for the next four months how to invest the top pick in the draft -- a process that involves general manager Rick Smith and new head coach Bill O'Brien -- the owner let it be known he appreciates Clowney's rare athleticism.

"He's one of these players who's a once-in-every-10 years kind of physical specimen that comes along," McNair said, before comparing Clowney to the team's last No. 1 pick in 2006. "Mario Williams was that way. I think Clowney is actually a better athlete than Mario."

One disclaimer: McNair is also a businessman, and he said at O'Brien's introductory press conference last week that the franchise will consider trade offers for the No. 1 pick.

NFLDraftScout.com projects the Texans to take one of the top quarterbacks available -- Central Florida's Blake Bortles or Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater.

Clowney made plenty of highlight reels, notably for demolishing Michigan running back Vincent Smith in the 2012 Outback Bowl. He is also being dinged by scouts who question his desire and whether he is playing football for the love of the game or the fame and fortune.

McNair seems to be thinking ahead of the game on the concept of Clowney becoming a professional.

"Like many of these players that have great physical attributes, they didn't have to work as hard in junior high school and high school and in college to be a superlative athlete because they have this natural ability," McNair said. "He's not a J.J. Watt. J.J. didn't have that natural ability. He worked. He developed his. I said, 'J.J., I don't know what will happen, but if we get Clowney, we want you to instill in him the same kind of work habits that you have.' He said, 'If he's in the same room with me, then he'll have them."