If Not Ryan Mathews, Who Do You Want?

Obviously, there is some major debate on Battle Red Blog lately over the opinions of Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews and his potential drafting by your Houston Texans. Some are for it, many are against it. While I think he would be a terrific fit here, I'm not a fan of taking him with #20 overall.

But it got me to thinking. If we don't go RB in the first and decide to go that way in the second round, who would I want?

There are plenty of intriguing backs in this draft that should be available in the second round. Houston has the 51st pick overall and it wouldn't be surprising in the least to see them go RB if they address defense (like they should) in the first. But putting aside all of the "What they SHOULD do" in the second round, let's say that it is a hypothetical foregone conclusion that Smithiak is taking a RB there. Who would you want?

Many of the backs in this draft moved up the boards with their combine or pro day workouts and 40 times. But this draft is deep and there should be a handful of pretty good backs still available when Houston goes on the clock with their 2nd pick. Likely to be there are the following guys: Ben Tate, Jonathan Dwyer, Jahvid Best, Toby Gerhart and Montario Hardesty (Joe McKnight of USC is close, but he looks to be a 3rd rounder at the earliest).

Now, Best and Dwyer could be gone by this point, but you never know. But of those five guys I just reeled off, which would you want and why? I wrote this morning about how my personal pick would be Ben Tate of Auburn. But I think Jonathan Dwyer may be a good pick should he fall. His game reminds me a lot of Glen Coffee, who Kubiak admitted to being on the teams board last year. So if he is there, I wouldn't imagine the team passing on him. I really don't believe Jahvid Best would be a good fit here and I believe he will be long gone by pick 51. Toby Gerhart is a very intriguing guy here. He just oozes Mike Alstott potential and looks to be Houston's answer to punching the ball in at the goalline. I wouldn't be disappointed with Gerhart at all. Hardesty also wouldn't look bad in the Texans backfield. But I am sticking with my pick of Ben Tate.

So, what say you BRB nation? If you HAD to pick a RB with our 2nd overall pick and those guys were all available, who you got and why?