WR Draft Pool

As promised in yesterday's post, let's take a look at some of the possible names at the WR spot the Texans could look to add in the upcoming draft.  Any WR help would almost definitely have to come via the draft, as there's not much out there in the free agent or trade market.  Drew Bennett?  Randy Moss?  No thanks.  

I don't see the Texans taking a WR in the first or second round.  They've already got Dre, and Eric Moulds has enough left in the tank that WR probably isn't a position Smith and Kubes have targeted to address in the first couple of rounds (unless Moulds is cut for salary cap reasons before the draft, in which case all bets are off).  At the earliest, I could see adding a WR in Round Three, but it's far more likely that we see one taken in Round Five or later.  That said, here are one man's top six WR prospects in the upcoming draft:

1.  Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech)--by all accounts, a total pipe dream.  Easily the class of the draft, and there's no way that he'll be around by the time the Texans pick.  As special as he looks to be, I don't foresee the Texans trading up to get him either.
2.  Dwayne Jarrett (USC)--will the stigma of Mike Williams affect his draft stock?  Unfortunately for him, probably so.  Regardless, this is a guy that may well be around at No. 8, but not by the time the Texans pick in Round Two.  As I think we can all agree that the Texans are very unlikely to take a WR at No. 8, Jarrett seems destined for a career outside of Houston.
3.  Ted Ginn, Jr. (Ohio State)--probably there at No. 8 but not available in Round Two.  That's just as well, as I'm not sold on him as a professional WR.  Kick returner, sure.  But not a wideout.  Either way, he won't be a Texan for the same reasons that Jarrett won't.
4.  Sidney Rice (South Carolina)--projected to be a late first rounder or an early second rounder; probably too high for the Texans to consider him.  But man...he'd sure look good lining up opposite Andre Johnson.  I really think Sidney Rice could be a nice number two.
5.  Robert Meachem (Tenn.)--apparently vaulted up a lot of draft boards after a blistering 40 and overall solid performance at the combine.  Again, probably out of the Texans' league, as he should be gone by early Round Three at the absolute latest.
6.  Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio State)--a really, really intriguing option.  Every Horn fan has a clear and horrifying recollection of what he did to the state's flagship institution last September.  So does he last until the third round?  Nah.  I'd love to have him lining up in the slot at Reliant, but it ain't gonna happen.

So if the Texans aren't going to snag one of those six, who are some legitimate options?  Well, I'll throw out some names of WRs I like that should be around in Round Three or later--Steve Smith (USC), Steve Breaston (Michigan), and Joel Filani (Texas Tech).  This isn't a particularly deep draft for wide receivers, so those three guys will probably go higher than they would in other years.

Anyone got ideas for other additions to line up wide?