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Cincy Jungle Mock Draft


Hey all, over at cincyjungle.com they have a mock draft going similar to ours. I happen to be representing the Texans and just turned in our first round pick. Here is a recap of what has happened so far.

Colts - Andrew Luck

Redskins - RG3

Vikings - Matt Kalil

Browns - Justin Blackmon

Buccs - Morris Claiborne

Rams - Quinton Coples

Jags - Melvin Ingram

Dolphins - Trent Richardson

Panthers - Luke Kuechly

Bills - Michael Floyd

Chiefs - David DeCastro

(trade) Lions- Stephon Gilmore

Cardinals - Riley Reiff

Cowboys - Michael Brockers

Eagles - Mark Barron

Jets - Courtney Upshaw

Bengals - Dre Kirkpatrick

Chargers - Fletcher Cox

Bears - Kendall Wright

Titans - Nick Perry

Bengals - Cordy Glenn

Browns - Ryan Tannehill

Seahawks - Whitney Mercilus

Steelers - Dont'a Hightower

Broncos - Devon Still

And with the 26th pick in the draft, the Houston Texans select Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis.

What follows is my write up which I submitted to the Cincyjungle staff.

Despite losing so many great players this off season, Houston is still primed to select the best player available at the bottom of the first round. Wide receiver is an issue, but the extraordinary depth of this class can fix this in the second round. OLB is a tad thin, but Houston has had recent success finding great pass rushers out of the first round and could easily continue that trend. Offensive line might seem like a glaring hole, but the joy of being in a zone scheme is the ability to find smaller, quicker lineman late in drafts. Nose tackle, however, was flirting between below average and utter disaster for the entire 2011 campaign. Not only does Poe fit a need, but he is a top 15-20 talent falling all the way to 26.

What Poe brings to the table is exceptionally rare athleticism for his size. Speed, strength, and quickness were all on hand at the combine where he wow'd pretty much anyone who considers themselves a football fan. His hands and feet could use some refinement, but his sheer physical presence practically requires double teams every single snap. This propensity to eat up blockers is what makes him most valuable to Houston, as this frees up JJ Watt, Antonio Smith, Connor Barwin, and Brooks Reed to one-on-one situations. Wade Phillips loves throwing the kitchen sink at offenses in his base 5-2 (which is practically what it is since we have two DE's playing the OLB position), and adding Poe into mix all but guarantees someone is going to be left unblocked. Freeing up opportunities for the rest of your defense is arguably the most important ability of a nose tackle, and Poe will do just that for years to come.

If you thought Houston's defense was scary last year, just wait and see what a full off season and a shiny new nose tackle can do.

The second round should be coming up soon, but take some time and head over to Cincyjungle to follow their write ups and the Bengal fans' reaction to all the picks. I'll make sure to keep this thread updated with picks so we can discuss this mock as a whole as well.

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