Who did the BRB "braintrust" draft on behalf of your beloved Texans? While there was a bit of a debate, it wasn't that heated. Although fine cases can be made for a couple of other options, we would be thrilled to see this player become a real Texan (instead of just a fake Texan in this mock draft) come April 26th. Hit the jump to see who we went with and why.
Nick Perry (OLB/DE--USC).
Given how the draft has unfolded, we quickly narrowed our choices down to Perry, Whitney Mercilus, and Kendall Wright. Some of us were skeptical of how Wright would fit in Kubiak's offense; I'm not one of those people, but I appreciate the argument. That wasn't the real deal-breaker for us deciding to pass on Wright here, though. It's simply that there are too many enticing wide receivers we could theoretically snag later in the draft. We felt we could get a good WR as late as the third (and maybe fourth, if you're particularly bullish on a certain WR), so we turned our attention to the defense.
There's no real debate that the Texans need to address OLB. Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed were exceptional last year, but having depth for a rotation at OLB is not a mere luxury; it's a necessity. The two best available fits at OLB left on the board were Mercilus and Perry. So why Perry, especially with his lack of experience as an OLB in a 3-4?
In a word, speed. Everything you'll read and see about Nick Perry talks about how explosive he is off the snap. Now, that's not to say he doesn't have plenty of room for improvement. Every player does, and a guy you're going to get at No. 26 most certainly does. I don't know about you, but I'm confident Wade Phillips can help Perry take that next step. Furthermore, if there's a 3-4 where a ridiculous athlete who's primarily played DE in a 4-3 can come in and contribute at OLB, it's Wade Phillips' 3-4.
Agree? Disagree? Think we make Charley Casserly look like a genius? Let us know in the Comments.
NoSafetiesNeeded, for the Patriots, is now on the clock. Please e-mail MDC and I your pick by 12 p.m. CDT today.
The breakdown:
1. Indianapolis Colts--Andrew Luck (QB--Stanford)
2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis)--Robert Griffin III (QB--Baylor)
3. Minnesota Vikings--Matt Kalil (OT--USC)
4. Cleveland Browns--Trent Richardson (RB--Alabama)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--Dontari Poe (DT--Memphis)
6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington)--Justin Blackmon (WR--Oklahoma State)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars--Morris Claiborne (CB--LSU)
8. Miami Dolphins--Ryan Tannehill (QB--Texas A&M)
9. Carolina Panthers--Quinton Coples (DE--North Carolina)
10. Buffalo Bills--Luke Kuechly (LB--Boston College)
11. Kansas City Chiefs--David DeCastro (OG--Stanford)
12. Seattle Seahawks--Courtney Upshaw (LB--Alabama)
13. Arizona Cardinals--Michael Floyd (WR--Notre Dame)
14. Dallas Cowboys--Fletcher Cox (DE/DT--Mississippi State)
15. Philadelphia Eagles--Riley Reiff (OT--Iowa)
16. New York Jets--Melvin Ingram (LB-South Carolina)
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland)--Dre Kirkpatrick (CB-Alabama)
18. San Diego Chargers--Shea McClellin (LB-Boise State)
19. Chicago Bears--Cordy Glenn (OG/OT--Georgia)
20. Tennessee Titans--Stephen Hill (WR--Georgia Tech)
21. Cincinnati Bengals--Mark Barron (SS--Alabama)
22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta)--Mohamed Sanu (WR--Rutgers)
23. Detroit Lions--Stephon Gilmore (CB--South Carolina)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers--Jonathan Martin (OT--Stanford)
25. Denver Broncos--Peter Konz (C--Wisconsin)
26. Houston Texans--Nick Perry (OLB/DE--USC)
27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans)--NoSafetiesNeeded
28. Green Bay Packers--HabitualHoustonFan
29. Baltimore Ravens--MD.Texan
30. San Francisco 49ers--TexansDC
31. New England Patriots--NoSafetiesNeeded
32. New York Giants--DaGoaT