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Compared to how tortuously long the summer months seem to be, fall passes in the blink of an eye. The 2013 season is nearly half over. Right about now is when teams' true identities, and in some cases draft positions, start to solidify. The Texans still may yet rebound from their rough start to make a run at the playoffs, considering they are still only two games back in the division.
2-4 is still 2-4.
I took the liberty of scanning through the world wide web to accumulate some mock drafts that reflect the Texans' first third-ish of the season. Interestingly enough, I found that not everyone has been completely sold (yet) on the Texans being a bad team. Perhaps this Sunday's game against the Chiefs will help sway the collective needle one way or another. In the meantime, the mock drafts!
Date: 10/15/13
Texans Draft Position: 8th Overall
Selection: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
With Pick-6s thrown in their last five games, the Texans are desperate for a spark at quarterback. No one provides a spark like Johnny Football, whose short to intermediate-level accuracy and dynamic athleticism could make him quite a fit in head coach Gary Kubiak's offense.
Date: 10/15/13
Texans Draft Position: 8th Overall
Selection: Zach Mettenberger, QB, LSU
At Matt Schaub's current rate, he's going to throw more touchdowns to the other team than Texans' receivers. If Houston misses out on the playoffs due to inconsistent quarterback play, it won't be a shock to see the position addressed in the offseason.
Walter Football - Charlie Campbell
Date: 10/11/13
Texans Draft Position: 14th Overall
Selection: Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
The Texans have the roster ready to compete for a championship, but Matt Schaub is melting down. Boyd would be a good fit in Gary Kubiak's offense just like DeAndre Hopkins has been.
Boyd has completed 66 percent of his passes in 2013 for 1,449 yards with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. He's run for 213 yards (154 net) and four touchdowns, too. Boyd opened this season with a gritty performance to lead Clemson to a win over Georgia. He made clutch plays all evening and would have had an even bigger night if his receivers hadn't dropped so many passes. Boyd completed 18-of-30 passes for 270 yards with three touchdowns. Also, he ran for 42 yards on 13 carries and two scores on the ground.
Boyd was one of the best quarterbacks in college football in 2012. The junior completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,896 yards, 36 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also ran for 769 yards (514 net) with 10 touchdowns on the ground. Boyd finished the season by leading an impressive fourth-quarter comeback win over a good LSU defense. He made some tremendous throws to move the ball for points.
Date: 10/16/13
Texans Draft Position: 10th Overall
Selection: C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama
The Texans really wanted to add some inside linebackers in the 2013 NFL Draft, but never got around to it (Arthur Brown was snagged off the board right before they picked in Round 2). They remain pretty thin at the position.
I thought about slotting Johnny Manziel here, but the Texans put so much stock into character that they may look elsewhere for a solution at the quarterback position.
Date: 10/3/13
Texans Draft Position: 22nd Overall
Selection: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
A.J. Bouye, Brandon Harris, Johnathan Joseph, Brice McCain, and Kareem Jackson are the CB's on the Houston Texans' roster and none are F/A's in 2014 . . . the issue here is more about quality, both from a perspective of starters and quality depth for nickel and dime packages when Uncle Wade dials up one of his exotic blitzes. This Oregon Duck has speed to burn and coverage skills that should lead to a starting position during the 2014 season, if not on Day One.
Date: 10/8/13
Texans Draft Position: 20th Overall
Selection: A.J. Johnson, ILB, Tennessee
The Texans would love for C.J. Mosley or A.J. Johnson to be available as a starter next to Brian Cushing. In the 2013 draft the Texans were set to take Arthur Brown in the second round until the Ravens swooped in ahead of them. I'm sure they would also be interested in Lache Seastrunk given Arian Foster's injury concerns and Ben Tate's pending free agency. One issue that's plagued the offense is at right tackle. They've tried to use mid-round picks to solve it in the past but either Antonio Richardson and especially James Hurst may be too good to pass up.
Date: 10/6/13
Texans Draft Position: 24th Overall
Selection: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
After another mediocre performance from Matt Schaub, the Texans have to be asking questions about their future at the position internally; Schaub has already been boo'd off the field at home in Houston. So let's say a hometown Heisman winner is still available when the Texans are on the clock... Could Manziel be the game-changer the Texans want/need?
Date: 10/1/13
Texans Draft Position: 18th Overall
Selection: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
In a 2014 draft class that will be loaded with storylines, Johnny Manziel's draft stock will be front and center from now until April. First off, Manziel might not even play a game this year which would really throw a monkey wrench into things. Even if Manziel does play, there are serious questions about his maturity on and off the field. Does Manziel have the mental makeup of a franchise quarterback? Regardless of what happens, he will need to do some serious growing up over the next year. All things considered, could there be a more perfect landing spot than Houston??? He is beloved in the state of Texas, Matt Schaub could hold down the starting job for at least one season while Manziel matures. It could be a match made in heaven.
Date: 10/15/13
Texans Draft Position: 10th Overall
Selection: C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama
No explanation :(
If you didn't notice, apparently the Texans are heavily favored to win either the Johnny Manziel or C.J. Mosley sweepstakes. I could definitely live with Mosley, who in my opinion is on par with Luke Keuchly in terms of pure linebacking ability. The Manziel-Texans fixation will likely grow very old, very quickly with me this spring. I agree that the Texans' highest priority this offseason is quarterback, but Manziel is about the furthest possible thing from an answer. Bob McNair and Rick Smith like to stay away from egotistical, poisonous personalities just as much as they do drug addicts and weapons enthusiasts. If "egotistical" does not describe Johnny Manziel, I don't know what does.
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