Pick # 11: Houston Texans

The Texans are another team that has been improving year after year and now features one of the most productive offenses in the game. They have the league’s leading rusher last year in Arian Foster, hands down the best wide receiver in the game in Andre Johnson and a more than serviceable QB in Matt Shaub. The team started off hot, finally beating the Colts in the first game but then collapsed down the stretch, losing 8 of it’s last 10 largely because they fielded an atrocious defense. The unit finished 30th in the NFL in total defense and dead last against the pass. Their secondary was abysmal but with Peterson and Prince off the board in this draft, and no other corner/safety rated high enough to justify this pick, the Texans address their horrid pass defense by bolstering their pass rush. They do so with arguably the best pure pass rusher in this draft, a kid who didn’t play a snap last year but was a physical specimen when he did play, and the year off might actually help his body long term.


(INSERT OFFENSIVE NAME) #10 OVERALL MOCK DRAFT PICK:
ROBERT QUINN - DE, NORTH CAROLINA


The Texans have been slowly adding nice pieces to their defense via the draft the last few years in Brian Cushing, Connor Barwin, and one of the best young linebackers in the game in Demeco Ryans, who missed most of last season with injury. The also have one of the best pass rushing linemen in the NFL in Mario Williams, who gets consistently double teamed because the Texans have not been able to develop a great pass rusher opposite him. Quinn has the chance to be that guy, to take doubles away from Williams or exploit a single blocker himself. Not only that, but Mario Williams will be a free agent after 2012 and will command a monster contract (from the Redskins) so the pick of Quinn will provide pass rushing insurance.

This kid has the chance to be special purely because of his physical tools. He ran a 4.6 40 at the combine and benched 225 22 times, both very impressive, and proof that he wasn’t sipping pina coladas and getting caught in the rain the whole time during his year off. He exploded onto the college football scene in 2009 with 11 sacks and 19 tackles for loss on the year. Most people didn’t see him play because UNC is rarely on television, but I happened to catch a UNC-Duke game and he was all over the field. He was subsequently suspended for the entire season for taking improper benefits from an agent, which is such bullshit I don't even want to address it in this space. I firmly believe that all the best college players get paid and take benefits, Quinn’s agent was just stupid enough to let his client get caught and putting him in a really shitty position. So the agent gave him a diamond bracelet, so he paid for a plane ticket or too, big fucking deal. Frankly, these college players should get paid so I don’t even think he did anything wrong to begin with, but that’s another argument for another time. The point is, if this kid drops because of “character issues” the team who gets him will be getting a steal, and in this scenario, the player that might just put the Texans over the top.

Entire Mock Draft:

1. Carolina Panthers - Marcell Dareus
2. Denver Broncos - Patrick Peterson
3. Buffalo Bills - Cam Newton
4. Cincinnati Bengals - A.J. Green
5. Arizona Cardinals - Blaine Gabbert
6. Cleveland Browns - Julio Jones
7. San Francisco 49ers - Von Miller
8. Tennessee Titans - Nick Fairley
9. Dallas Cowboys - Prince Amukamara
10. Washington Redskins - Jake Locker
11. Houston Texans - Robert Quinn