I thought I'd start a thread about the upcoming NFL draft since there wasn't one already. I'll start it off with the Houston Texans, since they have the #1 pick Houston is loaded with options with how to approach the draft. Yes, they do need a quarterback. They could go with Johnny Manzeil. That would be the popular choice and great for selling tickets, but do they take the gamble that Johnny Football can translate his talents to the next level. Less risky would be to draft Blake Bortles of Central Florida. Bortles is more of a traditional pro style dropback passer and there is no real gamble with taking him. Other than the gamble that you are never really sure how a QB will turn out. Witness the 1998 draft when Ryan Leaf was rated just about as high as Peyton Manning. We all know how that turned out. Option 3: This is what I would do if I were in charge. Draft Jadaveon Clowney with the first pick. Houston has the first pick in the second round also and there will be good quarterbacks available. Zach Mettenbeger will surely still be on the board. Or they could trade down out of the #1 pick and get a monster left tackle in Auburn's Greg Robinson and get extra picks and still get their QB
Maybe I am being a hater but based on what I have seen of Clowney I just get the feeling he could flop due to effort. Dude took so many plays off in college and I don't think it was just because of conditioning.
I'd take Robinson and try to get Ryan Mallett or Kirk/Curt Cousins in a trade. I'm not taking a qb 1st overall unless it's an Andrew Luck talent. Bortles reminds me of Blaine Gabbert.
His measureables were off the chain, but one thing you can't measure is heart. It would be a huge gamble to draft him because, like you said, he took so many plays off in college when he wasn't getting huge NFL money. Once he's rich and never has to work another day in his life, how many plays will he take off then? Could be another Jamarcus.
The same could be said of Johnny Manzeil except that he is already rich. Not the part about him taking plays off. He is a great competitor. The part about it being a huge gamble to draft him very high. He will either be a huge success or a huge bust.
I don't see any QB in this draft that I would take in the first 5 or 10 picks, but that's just me. If one is taken in the first 5 picks, I'm calling it a reach. A big reach, there are a number of good players that can be taken in those early rounds. The QB's will be around later in the draft. Don't see anyone of them that will come right in and start. They all need work. The Tecans should take Clowney first, as with any player, put a bunch of incentives in his contract, make him work for it.
There is no Andrew Luck in this year's draft but there could be a Russell Wilson. There will be QBs taken in the early first round because there are so many bad teams that need to fill that position. Houston can't just lowball Clowney and incentivize his contract. He will no doubt have a good agents and there is a slotting rule about how much money you have to pay a player by his draft position and by the position he plays. If the Texans pick Clowney at least he would be with talented veterans like JC Watts who would push him
Agree, too many teams need a QB. Big word is "could", yep could have a Wilson. No one reached in the 3rd for him
