As seen on Twitter yesterday from Lance Z (@LanceZierlein):

We just had @nfldraftscout on from radio row and he told us his sources indicated that Texans considering moving Brooks Reed inside

@nfldraftscout says that this consideration is only viable if the Texans retain Connor Barwin, so let's assume the Texans do that. Remember, Reed played sparingly at ILB late last season to accommodate the myriad of ILB woes we had, so this isn't an entirely unexpected consideration. However, I didn't really notice how he did in limited action. I'm most concerned with his ability to cover athletic TEs. If you'll recall his combine stats, he may have some physical promise in that area.

Was Brooks Reed Combine's Top Performer?

Currently listed at 250 lbs., down from his combine weight of 263, he may be quicker now than his 4.65 40-yd dash at the combine. Even at this lighter weight, he's still too big to be pushed around by physical TEs like Gronk (even though it wasn't Gronk, remember Aaron Hernandez twice pushing down our DB and getting away with it once...won't happen with Reed). On top of that, his 10-yd split was FAST, as in faster than Von Miller, Randall Cobb, and AJ Green. If I'm thinking wishfully, this means that short- and intermediate-routes by athletic TEs will have smaller completion windows and shouldn't result in big gains even if completed because Reed should be right there. Longer routes will be the safeties' responsibilities and I'm comfortable with that.

On paper it seems like a move with good potential. Not sure how his footwork is or what his small sample size of ILB tape looks like though. I'd be curious to hear from Rivers or Brett or anyone else that breaks down film as to how Brooks Reed performed in his limited time at ILB. That will be more telling than any of his measurements, though it's worth noting that an offseason and training camp of ILB work should greatly aid his transition (hopefully).

What do y'all think about this? What should we target in the 1st round if ILB is no longer a worry (but suddenly OLB depth might be)?