Houston Texans NFL Draft 2010

With the 20^th Pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select…


Dan Williams (DT out of Tennessee)


Who? Even those subscribers to the “Kubiak-ian Church of Divine Football Schematics” would question ANOTHER defensive lineman being taken in the first round. But there is a certain method to my madness.


Problem Areas
DT, CB, RB, FS, OG, TE (healthy)


DT- With the departure of Dunta Robinson, the ineptitude of Eugene Wilson as a solid starter and two second-year corners slated as starters right now, one would assume the secondary would be the biggest problem area for 2010. One would assume wrong. It doesn’t matter how proficient the secondary is, if a team cannot stop the run and pressure the QB. With the undersized Okoye plugged into one DT spot, the Texans need a BIG DT who can clog the middle and occasionally apply pressure. (Although, if a Top 15 caliber secondary player falls to #20 (like Earl Thomas), don’t be surprised to see the Texans jump all over him.) 


CB- Remember the Texans draft solely on “highest rated player” on the board, rather than “areas of need”. Outside of Joe Haden (CB, Florida), the field of talented CB’s is scarce to say the least. Look at Devin McCourty (Rutgers), Kyle Wilson (Boise State) and Patrick Robinson (Florida State) as potential candidates. 


RB- With Steve Slaton suffering from a MASSIVE sophomore slump, look for the Texans to fill the backfield void with a bigger back. If they do address this need in the first round, they’ll have their eye on Ryan Mathews (Fresno State), CJ Spiller (Clemson) and Jonathon Dwyer (Georgia Tech). 


FS- Highly unlikely they draft a FS in the first round unless Earl Thomas (Texas) or Taylor Mays (USC) fall to them. 


History
Look at the history- Jason Babin (’04), Travis Johnson (’05), Mario Williams (’06) and Amobi Okoye (’07). Babin and Johnson aren’t even on the team anymore. Amobi has been mentioned in the same breath as the oh-so-looming phrase of “NFL Busts”. Mario is now a justifiable pick, but a PR nightmare at the time. This is THE make or break year for Gary Kubiak, Rick Smith and Texans' playoff push.