Then select BPA at a position of need. DE, CB, or S. Although I feel like if Vontae Davis or Malcom Jenkins is available, take one of them at that spot. Otherwise, trade down.

Or a late first-rounder and an additional second-rounder. The late first round through the end of the second round are the best in terms of getting value for money.

As far as needs go, in the first round I think I would go with the best player available in one of the following positions: DE, DT and S. In later rounds I would look to find a short-yardage back, a center and a linebacker.

People don’t think CB is a need. Dunta’s contract is up and who knows if we’ll sign him. Even if we do, realistically he didn’t play that well this year, and who knows how well he’ll play next year. Reeves has potential but I doubt it will ever be fully realized. Bennett regressed this year and who knows what we have in Molden.

Meanwhile, Eugene Wilson played pretty well at FS this year. He may not be a game changing, Ed Reed type, but he’s pretty good and has a few years left. Now SS could be upgraded, but I think we can find some value in the 3rd-5th rounds.

Even though we have invested multiple #1 picks and millions of $$$ in free agents our defensive line is still average at best. DE and DT remain primary needs. Our #1 pick should be a pass rusher like DE Brain Orakpo of UT, or a run stuffer like Terrence Cody of Alabama. If both of those are gone I think Rey Maualuga, LB from USC is a great pick as well. I like how a LB trio next year of DeMeco flanked by X-Man and Zac looks, backed up by Bentley and Thompson, but durability may be an issue for both Adibi and Diles. If Maualuga is also gone by #15 then trading down is a good option. Don’t think Ohio State CB Malcolm Jenkins will still be on the board at #15, but if he is he would be a steal. Our list of needs is at an all time low, which is great, but we still have much work to do in free agency and the draft.

Our needs in order or priority:
1 & 1A – DE and DT
2 & 2A – CB and S (even if Dunta is locked up, we still need another CB)
(If Adibi and Diles look healthy we can pass on a LB unless Maualuga is available at 15)
3 – Short yardage back or LB
4 – OL (Starters are fine but could use another quality backup, particularly at C)
5 – Project QB or a WR/PR to let Jacoby know he is on the bubble.

Is there ANY chance in the universe that he would last to 15?

there has been too many times where our defender doesnt know where the hell the ball is when its in the air. we need a safety. taylor mays comes to mind out of USC. i would love to see o-sak-po on the other end of super mario as well. we just need to make sure that we take the best DE or Safety in that spot.

Terrance Cody, the ridiculous manmountain from Alabama, will be returning to school. He did not put his name up for the advisory board, so he will being staying in the ranks of college football, and competing with the likes of Marvin Austin ( NC ), and Vince Ohgobasse (Duke), for being the top DT coming out next year.

I was at the Alamo Bowl today, and I specifically watched two people all day, S William Moore and OLB Sean Weatherspoon from Mizzou.

Moore, to me, seemed like an absolutely average player the entire game. They never, ever, the entire game, played him back at safety, but instead either manned him up on the slot (which he allowed a TD on and provided subpar coverage), or moving him up in the box to play WLB, which he was decent at. The fact that he has been declared a ball-hawking safety prospect is odd, because I never once saw him make an above average attempt at the ball. If I never had heard about him before today, I wouldn’t believe the hype. I have not seen any other games he’s played in, just stating my observations from the Alamo Bowl.

Sean Weatherspoon, on the other hand, was an absolute beast. He was in on every tackle, was laying out to break up passes, providing great coverage in the flats, great awareness over the middle to position himself to limit throwing lanes, showed excellent closing speed, fought off lineman trying to come to the next level, and made a few excellent open field tackles. He was easily the best defensive player on the field, from both teams.

I really think Maualuga would be a terrible fit for the Texans. His major assets are his ferocious hitting and run stopping ability, and his size and speed slot him to be a MLB. That means that either he would be replacing DeMeco at MLB, or he would be moving to OLB, both which I think would be terrible moves. He would be a liability in coverage on the outside, and would get a chance to utilize his run stopping strengths where he can use it most – in the middle. I would rather have Weatherspoon over Maualuga if we are going to put him on the outside.

I dont know if there is going to be our DE of the Future available at 15, but its possible. But Orakpo will almost certainly be gone by then.

Any plan that involves moving DeMeco outside would worry me. Solomon is foolish to suggest that, and I would be shocked if Smithiak are even considering it. At this time, I think our top need is an impact DE or DT. Free agency could address that, but if it does not, then that’s where we should be looking with the 15th pick.

I do not purport to have better knowledge of college prospects than you. The posts you have made to date are truly impressive and I really appreciate you sharing your research with the rest of us. I was looking at a Scouts Inc top 32 list recently posted on the ESPN 2009 draft page.

Scouts Inc.’s Top 32

Player Pos. School Grade
1. Andre Smith* OT Alabama 98
2. Sam Bradford** QB Oklahoma 98
3. Matthew Stafford* QB Georgia 97
4. Michael Crabtree** WR Texas Tech 97
5. Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio State 97
6. Aaron Curry OLB Wake Forest 97
7. Jeremy Maclin** WR Missouri 96
8. Vontae Davis* CB Illinois 96
9. Aaron Maybin** DE Penn State 96
10. Eugene Monroe OT Virginia 96
11. Everette Brown* DE Florida State 95
12. Rey Maualuga ILB USC 95
13. Gerald McCoy* DT Oklahoma 95
14. Brian Orakpo DE Texas 94
15. Jermaine Gresham* TE Oklahoma 94
16. Terrence Cody* DT Alabama 94
17. Mark Sanchez* QB USC 94
18. Sen’Derrick Marks* DT Auburn 93
19. Knowshon Moreno** RB Georgia 93
20. Michael Oher OT Mississippi 93
21. B.J. Raji DT Boston Coll. 92
22. Chris Wells* RB Ohio State 92
23. James Laurinaitis ILB Ohio State 92
24. Michael Johnson DE Ga. Tech 92
25. Brandon Pettigrew TE Okla. State 92
26. Brian Cushing OLB USC 92
27. LeSean McCoy** RB Pittsburgh 91
28. Jerry Hughes** DE TCU 91
29. Percy Harvin* WR Florida 91
30. Jason Smith OT Baylor 91
31. Tyson Jackson DE LSU 91
32. Russell Okung* OT Okla. State 91

One asterisk means the player has completed his junior season and two asterisks means the player is a draft eligible player that has just completed his sophomore season.

“Underclassmen have until January 15 to declare. The buzz is that many more underclassmen might declare this year because of the uncertainty in the NFL labor agreement and the possibility of a wage scale for rookies after next season.”

According to them either Orakpo or Cody (if he decides to declare) are slotted very near where we are picking. That was the extent of my (pseudo) research. I have seen them both, and would feel good about the Texans getting either one with the 15th pick.

Michael Johnson DE, Georgia Tech
 Malcolm Jenkins CB, Ohio State
Taylor Mays S, USC
Vontae Davis CB, Illinois
Brian Orakpo DE, Texas

From what I’ve seen of the footage that Riott has posted, Johnson would be great as well. I haven’t seen any of the other guys.

But from the press releases so far, it seems almost certain that Cody isnt going to declare – but you are correct in that he still does have time to declare. Same with Aaron Maybin, but again, the lure of huge payouts could cause people to declare early when they should stay.

 Ill be completely honest, I had no idea that DeMeco played outside in college, but I still stand that I think he is a superior fit on the inside. We would be displacing one of the best players on our team to relearn a new position, when he is already performing well where he is. Maualuga probably could play OLB in the 4-3, but again, it seems like we would be taking a polished talent, displacing it, and then your sure pick seems not so sure anymore. What if Maualuga can’t handle the extra coverage responsibilities, or just take the transition well? We know how he will play inside, but have no tape to evaluate his play outside. I think I would rather have Laurinitas outside, or Cushing (though there are whispers about Cushing and steroid use), or hopefully (crosses fingers) Curry from Wake Forest.

The whole point of that post is I don’t like displacing players from where they have played, simply because you are making a lot of their experience and what makes them great null and void, that’s all. Not that the players can’t take it, just that there is unnecessary risk in that.