Defending The Pick: Why I'm Taking A CB Over A DT/NT In Round One

After being mistakenly lumped into a category by TGC about what the Texans should do in the first round of this years draft, I figured I would explain why my choice differs from the rest of the BRB staff.

Now, before I go any further, I do want readers to realize that I am not against taking Dan Williams in the first round. The guy would be a huge help to the D-line. But, if Kyle Wilson, Devin McCourty, Earl Thomas or miraculously Joe Haden is still on the board, then I don't give Big Dan a chance on my draft board.

If all those guys are gone and trading down just isn't an option, then of course I take him. I just don't see that being the case, though. One of those guys will fall to us.

Yes, our pass rush is lame. But the myth that if we get a DT/NT that can magically turn Amobi Okoye into a good player by playing next to him is going to make our secondary better is just that...a myth. Sure, an improved pass rush is something Texans fans have only dreamed of up to this point and the thought is tantalizing. But drafting Dan Williams isn't going to make us the '85 Chicago Bears. We would still have a pretty weak secondary where Jacques Reeves is your "best" cover guy. So, therefore, cornerback in Round One is the way I am going and I hope the team does, too.

So, which guy do I want to be in Deep Steel Blue this fall? Well, I am one of the people who thinks Joe Haden dropping to 20 isn't going to happen unless he gets busted with a Singapore hooker the night before the draft. Earl Thomas, while not impossible, is unlikely to be there either. If he is, that is the one exception I would take over a corner. But there are plenty of scouts saying that he would/could be able to make the transition to corner rather easily. He has all the tools and the biased UT guys here on BRB would be doing cartwheels and back flips for Earl.

That leaves us with cornerbacks Kyle Wilson of Boise State and Devin McCourty of Rutgers most likely to be there when Houston is on the clock.

I have been in Kyle Wilson's camp for quite a while now. I think he is the playmaker at corner that Atlanta believes they're getting with the departed Dunta Robinson. Playing in the pass-happy WAC certainly helped Wilson get ready for what seems to be becoming a passing league in the NFL. And when you have that Peyton Manning guy in your division, a good cover guy with playmaking ability as CB1 is a must.

However, the more I hear about Devin McCourty, the more I like him.

"I think being a complete player and not just a corner or a nickel, being able to do everything a coach wants on special teams, works to my advantage. We played quite a bit of press coverage, usually on third down. We played cover-2 and man, so we were kind of a half-and-half defense. I played inside my first two years. The last two years I moved outside. I saw a lot of action in the run game as well as the pass game. I love to compete, and it's a really neat position."  - Devin McCourty

Sounds like he just might be a better fit for Frank Bush's fun cover-2 scheme he likes so much. He is also a special teams demon who blocked seven kicks while at Rutgers.

So, either guy would help Houston a ton. If you thought Dunta was bad in a Texans uniform last year, imagine if Reeves or Glover Quin get injured in the preseason and we have a full season of Brice McCain or Fred Bennett as a starter. Sure, there are other options in the later rounds for decently rated corners, but this is a position that needs a high value pick in my opinion.

But I guess it isn't going to matter when the team picks Ryan Mathews in the first when Wilson and McCourty are both available...