Will The Texans Regret Their Draft

With major questions about their quarterbacks the Texans may regret passing on potential franchise quarterbacks Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater. The Texans may have pick the best overall player with the number one selection; but addressing their need for a QB may have been better for the team. Lets examine the situation and determine the chances Houston ends up regretting their actions in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Texans drafted the super-freak athlete, Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick of the draft. The dynamic DE/OLB figures to play opposite of the dominant JJ Watt. Watt is one of the best defensive linemen in all off football. The Texans also drafted defensive tackle, Louis Nix III. The Texans may have taken an already good front seven and made it scary good.

Its one thing to draft the best player available, its another thing entirely to ignore your biggest need. Houston draft screamed of arrogance. They must think that they are so uniquely special that they can win without good play from their quarterback.

Right now the Texans quarterback situation is bleak-and that is generous. They can start Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum or their 4th round pick Tom Savage. Fitzpatrick has an average arm and forces late throws- a recipe for disaster. Its hard to have faith in Keenum after a far from pretty 2013 performance. Savage is not even close to ready. Like I said bleak is a generous describer of Houston’s quarterback situation.

It looks like it is really a two horse race for the starting job. They could favor the experience of Ryan Fitzpatrick. That being said, Savage will compete for the job. I did not have a high grade on the Pitt Panther. In fact I did not have him as a draft-able quarterback. To my dismay Savage climbed up draft boards late in the draft process. He has some talent but I was not impressed with his accuracy, footwork or his ability to read defenses and swiftly go through progressions. Savage is a project. Its that simple. If this was Bill O’Brien’s answer at quarterback he was wrong.

To the notion that none of the big three quarterbacks were worth the number 1 selection, I say who cares. I had very high grades on both Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel- it would be hard to call them egregious reaches at pick number 1. The accepted business practice in the NFL is stopping at nothing to find and secure your franchise quarterback. If you learn one thing from Kaepernick’s astronomical contract, its that teams will overpay in the present to secure a stable future under center.

The Texans were not stupid to add to their defensive front. A good way to deal with their secondary problems is to add fuel to their pass rush. Clowney, Watt and company will have a chance to lead the league in sacks. You cannot double team both Clowney and Watt, at least not consistently. The Texans will get great pass rush and stuff the run. Quarterback hurries will lead to turnovers. Long story short, the Texans have a chance to be dominating defensively.

Still the Texans need capable quarterback play. Without a legitimate quarterback is hard to take any team seriously. If the Texans found a quarterback they could win a Super Bowl soon. Clowney will be a great player but will never be able to match the value of a true franchise quarterback.

Season Preview: AFC South

The AFC South is an interesting division. The Colts won the division in 2013 with an 11-5 record and the once powerful Texans had the worst record in the NFL. Jacksonville and Tennessee are both coming off an exciting draft but are unlikely contenders to win the division. With major questions surrounding Houston’s QB situation, Andrew Luck and the Colts are the clear front runners.

The Texans drafted a quarterback late in round 4 in Tom Savage. It is highly unlikely that Savage wins the starting quarterback job, he has much development to undergo. I guess Ryan Fitzpatrick is the frontrunner for their starting gig but that is not an attractive option. He may be a bright Harvard graduate, but Fitzpatrick specialty is late throws that get picked and he has limited arm strength. Case Keenum however did not fill Texans fans with hope last season. Its hard to win without good quarterback play; this is bad news for the Texans as I don’t see a good quarterback on their roster.

There is no question the Texans have talent, especially on defense. They drafted Jadeveon Clowney with the number 1 pick. A defense with Clowney and JJ Watt is too good to be true. If there is a team who can win without a quarterback it might be the Texans. Still it will be a tall order for new coach Bill O’Brien.

The Titans had a phenomenal draft. Taylor Lewan is one heck of an athletic offensive tackle and Bishop Sankey could be a game changer. The defense should be decent and DaQuan Jones will have an immediate impact up front. Jake Locker showed signs of life last year under center but nothing to be overly enthused in. Its possible Tennessee could fight for a wild card. They are a talented team but its hard to see them beating teams with good quarterback play consistently.

Jacksonville drafted Blake Bortles to be their future, but expect to start Chad Henne will play for the present. Jacksonville should be more explosive on offense with rookie receivers Marquise Lee and Allen Robinson. The Jaguars are still rebuilding. They seem to be in a positive direction, however they are not there yet.

By deduction the Colts are the clear front runner to win the division. Chuck Pagano’s defense will continue to improve, especially with the addition of Arthur Jones on the defensive line. The offense will improve as Andrew Luck has a new weapon in Hakeem Nicks and the team will have a healthy Reggie Wayne back. After going 11-5 two consecutive seasons it seems likely that the Colts will win a second consecutive divisional championship.

AFC South Draft Grades

Houston Texans: C+

The Houston Texans grabbed the best overall prospect in the draft, Jedaveon Clowney. The Texans got a decent haul in terms of talent but really dropped the ball on their biggest need. The Texans revamped their already strong defense with Clowney to start the draft and got a steal in Louis Nix in the third round. Their second round selection was decent, as they got UCLA guard Xaiver Su’a-Filo. Andre Hal was a good value in the 6th, round. The problem is that they laid an egg at the quarterback position. Tom Savage was their answer under center in the fourth round and I hate the pick. I see Savage as an undraftable project that won’t be ready to start in his rookie year. The Houston Texans still do not have a franchise QB; this docks a decent draft considerably.

Indianapolis Colts: D

This is the second straight year that Indianapolis has had me scratching my head. First knock the Colts for giving up their first round pick for Trent Richardson- that worked out poorly. Their second round selection was poor in my eyes. They took Jack Mewhort, the offensive tackle from Ohio State. I think they may move him to guard but I had better guards ahead of him at that point. If they intend him to be a tackle, I see that ending with a disappointing result. Their best value pick was Andrew Jackson, the linebacker from Western Kentucky in the 6th round. I thought that was a steal. Donte Moncrief is a decent prospect but is a bit raw of a wide receiver.
I had receivers ranked higher, at the time he was selected.

Tennessee Titans: A

The Titans had an amazing draft. With the 11th pick the Titans selected Taylor Lewan. Lewan is an amazingly gifted left tackle prospect. The the Titans selected my top rated running back, Bishop Sankey. Sankey is a compact runner who is hard to bring down because of his low center of gravity. I have compared him to a smaller version of Marshawn Lynch, who is more elusive and better catching out of the backfield. In the third round the Titans drafted one of my favorite prospects in DaQuan Jones. Jones is a mammoth space eater upfront who reminds me of Vince Wilfork. I pts hard to find an example of more value in three picks. I am not a fan of their 6th round pick LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger. In the 6th round however its hard to knock them for the selection.

Jacksonville Jaguars: B

I am not high on Blake Bortles. I see him as a very unpolished quarterback who struggles unless he rolls out of the pocket. The Jaguars thought they drafted a traditional pocket passer but I don’t think they got one. I had a third round grade on Marquise Lee, but I am in the minority on that. Allen Robinson who they took at pick 69 is a tough, physical receiver who reminds me of a young Anquan Boldin. Robinson was a steal. The Jags found talent and value deep into the draft. In the 5th round they selected Telvin Smith who fits nicely on the weak side of their defense. Aaron Colvin may have been a second rounder if he did not suffer a knee injury; they got him in the fourth. Chris Smith and Storm Johnson were also high value selections.

Houston is On The Clock

-Chris Schisler

The Houston Texans have the number 1 pick in the 2014 draft and in my eyes there is only one acceptable selection. Houston’s downfall was the lack of good quarterback play. The Texans have to get their quarterback of the present and future. Therefore the only acceptable selection is Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater.

Teddy Bridgewater is the best quarterback in this very respectable 2014 draft class. While all the pre draft hype is going to Johnny Manziel, Bridgewater is simply better. He has all the strengths of Manziel and less weaknesses and concerns.

What makes Teddy the best? He has all the tools. He has great footwork, great arm talent, accuracy and a high football IQ. Bridgewater’s main weakness is that he tends to put to much touch on his passes and often throws the ball high.

Johnny Manziel has a lot of little problems in his game that could be problematic in his transition into the NFL. Manziel has to work on his mechanics. Often he lazily drops back- knowing his feet are like a get out of jail free card. Late throws that are forced into coverage are a constant concern for Johnny Football. Interceptions in the red zone were an all to common occurrence. Manziel never gives up on a play but half the time he runs around aimlessly taking his eyes off his targets and to the escape route. The magician act works more than it doesn’t but the act will wear thin on NFL coaches. Manziel has a bit of Brett Favre in him. Johnny Manziel is a gunslinger who loves him some Johnny Manziel. We will have to wait to see if Johnny Football has the same Favre magic in the pros. While Manziel is talented and has a high ceiling he has more concerns for NFL decision makers then Teddy Bridgewater does. One of these concerns is also the media circus Manziel can so easily spin out of control.

Jadeveon Clowney is also talked about as a potential first pick overall. Clowney is the most freakishly athletic defensive end/OLB I have seen enter the draft in some time. Clowney is a fan favorite because of a highlight reel of nothing but explosive hits. Imagining the Gamecocks defensive end opposite of J.J. Watt is very very daunting. As nice as a combo as that would be Houston cannot pass up on a franchise quarterback. They have a very talented defense already.

Teddy Bridgewater should be the number 1 pick. With Houston on the clock all we can do is wait til May to find out if they agree with me.