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No matter what your Houston Texans do with the 27th pick this evening, there will be a vocal segment of the fan base that hates it.
Trade up? How could they give up those kind of assets?
Trade down? Don't they realize who they could have drafted if they'd stayed put?
Stand pat at No. 27 and draft? I CANNOT %*^#ING BELIEVE THEY PASSED ON ____________ ___________! HE'S GOING TO BE THE NEXT ______________ _____________! HOW COULD THEY HAVE DRAFTED ____________ ____________?!!!? HE SUCKS/ISN'T WORTH A FIRST ROUND PICK/IS A LATTER DAY TRAVIS JOHNSON!
Those reactions are as predictable and timeless as me making a Amobust Amobi Okoye joke. Based on what we've seen from the Smithiak Era Texans, those inflammatory reactions are almost also assuredly wrong.
Make no mistake: The NFL Draft is an inexact science (if you even want to call it a science). Nobody really knows anything. It's all about making the best guess possible. Teams do that after digesting a staggering amount of information. We, as fans, do not have access to nearly the amount of data teams do, so it stands to reason that we have even less of a clue as to what we're talking about. I don't say that to dissuade you from stating your opinion; Durga knows I'm going to react, probably strongly, to whatever the Texans do tonight.
No, I remind you that none of us has a clue as to what we're talking about only to urge you to support whatever the Texans do tonight. If your Houston Texans draft someone this fine evening, the newest Texan is likely--not guaranteed--to be a solid, if not name-your-first-born-Justin-James-Watt-spectacular, contributor to your favorite football team. That's generally how Rick Smith's first round picks have worked out, and it's something worth keeping in mind as we watch the 2013 NFL Draft.
Questioning that rationale? I don't blame you. Hell, I frequently and readily admit that I have no clue what I'm talking about. With that universal truth revealed anew, I give you BRB's initial first round analysis since this little site opened its virtual doors on January 22, 2007. Make sure to read the comments to each post as well; they're awesomely even-keeled and totally on point.
More later, but I love this pick. Trade would have been nice, but I'll definitely take The Phenom at No. 10. Defense has gotten a lot stronger.
You read that right. I once called Amobi Okoye "The Phenom." I shouldn't even be allowed to speak, much less write things.
2008 NFL Draft (Part I here, and Part II here)
Houston sent No. 18 to Baltimore and received their recently acquired first round pick (No. 26 overall), one of their third-rounders (No. 89 overall), and their sixth rounder (No. 173 overall).
It goes without saying, but I'm thrilled. Much more later...
And then...
Hmmmmm. I get that the guy is allegedly a good fit for the zone blocking system, but in the first round? With Brandon Flowers, Phillip Merling, and/or Kenny Phillips available? Unless you're hooked up to a Smithiak Kool-Aid IV drip, this raises eyebrows.
That said, remember Shake's sig line:
We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.
I need a(nother) drink. Discuss in the Comments below if you like.
Duane Brown. I'd say adding a franchise left tackle was a fairly wise decision. I guess. I mean, I'm no expert. I loved the Amobi Okoye pick. I shouldn't be allowed to voice an opinion or use oxygen.
Well, I hate this pick more than any other pick Smithiak has ever made. I hate it with the fire of a thousand suns. I hate life.
Vent as you see fit. I'm going to be catatonic until the second round.
My reaction to the selection of Brian Cushing is one of my favorite things I've ever written here. It's also Exhibit 439 as to why I can't even take my own draft "analysis" seriously.
Deep breath. You with me? I'm good with your Houston Texans' decision to select Alabama CB Kareem Jackson with the twentieth overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Admittedly, I was confused (and remain confused) as to why Smithiak opted for Kareem over Kyle Wilson, Devin McCourty, and/or Dan Williams. But, as it's been repeated ad nauseam, I'm an amateur. Following the Texans is a passion and/or a hobby. Rick Smith, Gary Kubiak, and the rest of management get paid to make the calls. They're in the position they're in for a reason. Remember last year? I certainly do. We needed a cornerback. We got a cornerback. If Smithiak says Kareem Jackson was the best fit for your Houston Texans at No. 20, they get the benefit of my doubt.
Plus...many of you were geeked when we fake-drafted him in the second round. If you were cool with Kareem Jackson being one of your Houston Texans' first two picks, you may still be cool with it tomorrow night. Keep the faith.
Talk about rationalizing a pick. I remember watching the Texans picking Ice Kareem like it was yesterday. I didn't even know how to react. I wasn't angry. I wasn't excited. I just sat there, staring at the television. It was the very definition of a "meh" reaction. Of course, by the next day, I had justified the heck out of it. Granted, I looked like I was huffing glue throughout the entire 2010 season and started a nasty habit of cutting myself to feel alive, but my sad justification of a pick I didn't totally understand doesn't look quite as bad now.
My son was born shortly before the 2011 NFL Draft, so my reaction to the addition of J.J. Watt was not memorialized on BRB. It did, however, involve me circulating a picture of my newborn son as he appeared to be in the middle of a bowel movement with a caption of "J.J. What?" to friends and family. When the pick was made, I remarked that it made sense only if the Texans planned to stand Mario Williams up. They did exactly that, J.J. Watt became the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen, and the rest is history. History that we're still in the middle of. WE'RE A PART OF HISTORY BECAUSE OF J.J. WATT.
Thing is, I'm still not entirely sure what my reaction is. I mean, I certainly didn't want Coby Fleener (and, truth be told, I kind of think you were a complete fool if you did, no offense). Nor did I have any desire for Stephen Hill. I wanted the Texans to go defensive front seven on the first pick, and Chandler Jones was gone, so Mercilus made sense on that level.
/pauses to think about the pick for a minute
/continues pausing
/reaches decision
You know what? I like this pick.
Yes, Nick Perry was on the board, and his edge speed made him intriguing (not that Mercilus is slow, mind you). Still, Mercilus gives the Texans a guy who just put up 16 sacks and 9 forced fumbles on a team with very little defensive talent. Even if it was only one season, that's a hell of a single season to put on your resume.
(Do prospective NFL players have resumes? Probably not, I guess. Whatever.)
Besides, it's not like guys with a single dominant season as an NCAA pass rusher have no track record in the NFL. Jason Pierre-Paul and Aldon Smith come to mind as far as recent picks in the Mercilus mold. It can work. And, at the end of the day, there's the X-factor: Wade Phillips. If he wanted Mercilus, then, by default, I wanted Mercilus.
I just didn't know it until tonight.
Basically, if Wade told MDC to choke himself until he passed out, MDC would do it. Maybe he'd start to ask why, but probably not. Such is his faith in Wade. Should the Texans pick a defensive player tonight at No. 27, I want you to think about MDC choking himself out. That'll sell you on the pick.
The moral of the story? None of us knows what we're talking about. The draft will take its course, and the pick will ultimately be judged by its onfield prowess, not the reaction it garners from the fans. While BRB is the perfect place for you to sound off with your thoughts (and that's what we're here for), remember that we're all Texans fans, and we'll support whoever the team takes once the 2013 season starts.
Unless it's a Sooner. If that happens, the Texans are dead to me.