Texans Down 'N Dirty: Mr. Irrelevant Edition

by Jake on Mar 28, 2011 9:13 AM CDT in News

On Friday, the NFL announced the compensatory picks for the 2011 NFL Draft. The Houston Texans were awarded the very last pick of the seventh round, otherwise known as "Mr. Irrelevant. " For those not familiar with the title, every year draft analysts hold a contest to guess who the very last person to be picked will be, and they call that man Mr. Irrelevant. The name is a little misleading, as it makes it sound as if he was the last player picked in gym class, and it doesn't take into account the slew of undrafted free agents that get signed throughout the league.

Compensatory picks are determined by an unknown equation that takes into account the free agent(s) a team lost and those gained. The Texans' only notable free agent lost was Dunta Robinson to the Falcons, and they gained Wade Smith from the Chiefs and Neil Rackers from the Cardinals. John McClain of the Chronicle is on record saying that he thought the compensatory pick was going to be higher. Several writers, including our very own Rivers McCown, were sure that it was going to be a seventh round pick. Obviously, the NFL thought that Smith and Rackers were valuable editions despite the big deal Robinson signed in Atlanta. For more links pertaining to the Texans, follow the jump.

The NFL Draft is now one month away, and speculation abounds. Chris Watkins did a nice piece on taking the best player available philosophy at SB Nation Houston.

Gary Kubiak spoke at the annual owners meetings, and had some interesting things to say. He definitely made it sound like the Texans would not take any offensive player early in the draft, and brought up an interesting question of whether Connor Barwin will play WOLB or SOLB. My money is on WOLB, unless someone they like better falls to 11.

Some people think that that OLB may be Ryan Kerrigan. Alan Burge doesn't sound like he likes the idea, and I know that I don't. I get that the guy has an incredible motor, but why not draft someone with the athletic upside to warrant the pick, as there will be plenty available?

Stephanie Stradley thinks that everyone should go and vote for Chris Johnson to be on the next cover of Madden Football rather than Andre Johnson. Do it.

I'm sorry that the links were MIA last week. I was busy taking care of my new baby and his mother. Also, I have a new job writing for Bleacher Report. I know the reputation that the site has, but they have made an effort to hire selected writers for team coverage. I won't be plugging my articles over there regularly, but I thought I would make a general announcement in case anyone was interested in reading my stuff over there. You can find my author profile here, and you can always follow me on twitter (@JakeBRB) where I post all of my articles once their written. Thanks a lot for the support.

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Congrats, Jake!

Welcome to the wonderful world of fatherhood.

A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
"Blind fandom is all I got left." - LoneSpot

by bigfatdrunk on Mar 28, 2011 9:31 AM CDT reply actions

o wow congrats on baby and bleacher.

i did not know , i was wondering why no post from jake . anyways good luck with both cause you going to need it hahaha.

by southpaw70 on Mar 28, 2011 9:31 AM CDT reply actions

i like kerrigan just not for us unless we stay 4-3

but if we stay 4-3 then i would want other ppl still before him like cameron jordan phil taylor even cameron heyward jj. watt. I still think we should do all north carolina draft in first 3 or 4 rounds, but thats just me.
Check it out
Quinn
Austin
Bruce carter
Deunta Williams

by southpaw70 on Mar 28, 2011 9:59 AM CDT reply actions

Well, I guess, having Jake's name on it will make the Bleachspam a little more palatable...

Jake, writing for, them, does that mean you’re leaving us? Again? I can’t believe that cheapskate Tim can’t at least match their offer, maybe throw in a t-shirt with it…. Which brings me to my next point. You talk of draft day contest for My Irrelevant. Seems like a natural right here on BRB, for a t-shirt? I will divine the answer from Smithiak’s brain if you do it here!

I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.

by Rip Jersey on Mar 28, 2011 10:10 AM CDT reply actions

I'm not leaving BRB

I’ve spoken with Tim about the whole thing, and he is cool with me sticking around here.

Writer for Battle Red Blog - Twitter

by Jake on Mar 28, 2011 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions

Will you be drinking the kool-aid over there?

I can guarantee you I will be tuning in to BleacherReport to get the answer to that question, Jake.

Regarding Ryan Kerrigan. Before the draft two years ago, no one was saying that Clay Matthews had any kind of athletic upside, but they might have talked about his motor. Many analysts looking back at that draft might say Matthews was the steal of the draft. I see a lot of Clay Matthews in Ryan Kerrigan where he is now and where he could be in a couple seasons. And, we’ll just have to stay tuned in to see….

I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.

by Rip Jersey on Mar 28, 2011 10:33 AM CDT up reply actions

You knew this day would come

Rip finally had a bad thought. Clay Matthews is worlds more athletic than kerrigan. Kerrigan doesn’t even have close to the amount of quickness of the edge, mostly regarding the first step

by AllenOU on Mar 28, 2011 11:06 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

proof?

I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.

by Rip Jersey on Mar 28, 2011 12:06 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Matthews had a 1.49 10yd split...just saying

Don't ask me! Ask Google, you dumb Yahoo!

by Andre4000 on Mar 28, 2011 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions

Clay Matthews Scouting Report

Nowhere does it say anything about his first step. But it does mention his motor. Plus, if my recollection is accurate, he was picked 26, the tail end of the 1st round. Looks like you are eating crow, AllenOU and Andre4000.

Strengths

A self made football player who has earned everything he has gotten. Came into USC as a walk on before emerging as a special teams standout. Finally got his chance to start as a senior. Well built with tremendous strength. Tremendous motor and work ethic. Good in pursuit and attacking the ball. Has pass rush skills. Projects as a 3-4 outside backer and a top special teamer. What sets him apart is his competitiveness and love of the game.

Weaknesses

Classic try hard overachiever%2C who makes you wonder if he has maxed out his potential. Tight hipped and not comfortable in coverage. Had a great season and is getting a lot of positive press but you have to wonder if he was a product of the Southern Cal system. For all the talk of his great pass rushing ability and 3-4 OLB potential he had just 5.5 sacks in his college career.

I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.

by Rip Jersey on Mar 28, 2011 12:26 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

you mean coming in as a rookie

I mean looking at him NOW, his first step, on NFL film, is way quicker than any tape i have seen from kerrigan.

coming out, i agree with you. from what we know now i do not

Clay Matthews – 40 of 4.52, 10 yard split of 1.49, 3 cone of 6.9

Ryan Kerrigan – 40 of 4.67, 10 yard split of 1.61, 3 cone of 7.18

those are significant differences.

I see where you were trying to go, but kerrigan isnt the athlete mathews TURNED INTO AT THE NFL LEVEL, or IMO, he wont be the same type of athlete

by AllenOU on Mar 28, 2011 1:18 PM CDT up reply actions

oh why bother!!!!!!!!!!!

Are there any posters here who can score over 6 on the Wonderlic?

I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.

by Rip Jersey on Mar 28, 2011 4:07 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Rip...

I believe AOU’s argument to be sound. If athleticism is in question here, the stats above don’t lie.

A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
"Blind fandom is all I got left." - LoneSpot

by bigfatdrunk on Mar 28, 2011 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Read what I said and then read the scouting report on Clay Matthews and then note that Clay Matthews was picked 26th

It doesn’t matter what his Combine stats are. My statement is regarding what NFL scouts thought of him. If he was so good, why did he get picked 26th? Almost escaped the 1st round. And, for that matter, the stats support what I am saying. I am saying, look what the NFL scouts thought of Clay Matthews and look at how he turned out. Look at what they think about Ryan Kerrigan. The scouts thought Clay Matthews had topped out athletically before the draft. They seem to be thinking the same about Kerrigan. Talking about his motor. I will agree it appears that Clay Matthews times indicate that he has a step on Kerrigan, but not every good OLB has the first step that Matthews has either. What the hell are we arguing about anyway. I made an academic comparison of what the scouts are saying about one player now and comparing it to what they said about another player two years ago. That’s all. They said the same things about both players, is all I said. Then I said, “we’ll just have to stay tuned to see” how it will turn out.

What the hell is wrong with you people!

I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.

by Rip Jersey on Mar 30, 2011 8:33 PM CDT up reply actions

I think people were aware of Mathews' quick start

Seeing as how he had one of the fastest 10 yard splits in the past decade for a linebacker. It might have been overlooked by fans and such, but i’d wager every team looking at linebackers in that draft were aware of it.

As for combine numbers.. Brooks Reed had a 40 time of 4.65, his 10 yard split of 1.54 was the fastest for a LB since Mathews ran his, a 7.11 3 cone drill, and 20 yard shuttle of 4.28 compared to Kerrigan’s 4.39… and he benched 225lbs 30 times for whatever little that’s worth….

What i’m trying to say, i’d rather trade down and take Brooks Reed late in round 1 than reach on Kerrigan at 11.

by Bryan72076 on Mar 28, 2011 7:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Clay Matthews vs. Mike Mamula

I think that was what many scouts and GM’s were discussing amongst themselves in 2009. For all the hype surrounding him, He hadn’t played very many games in 5 years at USC. He contributed mainly on special teams, and in his final year had only 4 sacks and 54 tackles. Hindsight has shown that he was a late bloomer and it looks like he’s going to be a good pro for a long time.

Here’s his USC stats from ESPN.com. Not very impressive. . .

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=168858

by Drill Sarge on Mar 28, 2011 5:01 PM CDT up reply actions

Hurray for not moving Quin to safety.

First time I’ve heard it even mildly shot down by one of our coaches. It’s slightly reassuring.

by Nashmeister on Mar 28, 2011 11:06 AM CDT reply actions

If not then

Who are our starting safeties?

No way it would be Nolan and barber

I won’t hold my breath for weddle and pool

by AllenOU on Mar 28, 2011 11:07 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Given the way this front office has worked

Why would you be surprised in the slightest if it was Nolan and Barber?

- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement | Twitter | SB Nation Houston | Battle Red Blog

by riversmccown on Mar 28, 2011 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions

And backed up by Will Demps?

No, not at all.

A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
"Blind fandom is all I got left." - LoneSpot

by bigfatdrunk on Mar 28, 2011 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions

Not surprised

Just pissed

by AllenOU on Mar 28, 2011 12:23 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

If so...

Then who are our starting CBs?

Oh, the sacrifices we make. But consider: if you’re going to make a splash in free agency, the top CB on the market is going to run you $12-$14 million a year, whereas the top free safety is going to be in the $7 million range. I’d be surprised if you could even get Richard Marshall or one of the second-tier guys at CB for that number. Hell, look at what Dunta reeled in.

by Nashmeister on Mar 28, 2011 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions

I'd pay j Joseph

by AllenOU on Mar 28, 2011 12:07 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

which goes to show that there are other crazy GMs out there

The Atlanta GM has to be questioned in hindsight. Sure, maybe he gets a free pass because they were in the playoffs last season, but who in their right mind looks t the Dunta signing and says that was money well spent? Now look at them. They shot their wad signing Dunta and what kind of FA options do they have this off-season…. If there ever is a free agent off-season…..

I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.

by Rip Jersey on Mar 28, 2011 12:14 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

in other news

Andre moves on in madden tourney against vick would be a miracle if he gets past him. then again put vick on madden cover again and let the fireworks start all over.

by southpaw70 on Mar 28, 2011 12:42 PM CDT reply actions