Given the fact the Teddy B thread was closed, I thought it would be worth it to consolidate the discussion between Clowney, Manziel, Bortles and Manziel into a single thread. I would put much more of an emphasis on the offensive line and the defense than less than stealer QBs. I think Clowney is the way to go. Not sure if he is a 3-4 DE or a 3-4 LB. That might mean trading away Whitney Merciless if we draft the big guy. Either way, his ability to stop RBs in their tracks makes him a must have. If we drafted a QB then I would go for Johnny Football. He won't be able to run all over the place but he will have pocket mobility and he has a surprisingly good arm for a little guy.
It's as simple as this: if O'Brien sees a QB in this class that he considers a franchise guy, that'll be the pick. If not, Clowney.
Clowney is a 34OLB. Although I'm sure he'll line up on the first level a ton in this scheme (nickel all day). It's possible Reed could move to ILB in base sets leaving room for Merciless. Clowney is a pass rusher and Merciless cant plug the run worth a damn and O'Brien wants priority #1 to be stopping the run. I assume we lose Antonio Smith, that's another hole. The idea of Watt, Clowney and Merciless or Reed (or both) on the first level on passing downs is definitely exciting.
I selected the option to draft Clowney, though I'd be happy with just about anyone at this point. Can't wait for the combine to finally answer all the questions about this year's QB class (height, weight, etc.). I'd still like to look at trade options, but it's not too common in the NFL.
Everything that we are hearing now seems to be a mute point. Teddy's coaches raved about his football IQ and that is something BOB wants. If that is the case, than you would have to think TB is automatic at the number one slot. NFL defenses can be made off of schemes, so IMO, take the franchise guy that is TB. I will not whine if Manziel is taken, but if the Texans take Bortles, I may jump off the railing next year jump kick Rick Smith in the balls.
That's why this years combine and pro days are going to be huge without a consensus #1. Between clowney, manzel, bortles, and bridgewater there are a lot of unknown factors that could have other teams falling in love with them willing to trade up.
After all is said and done I still believe the #1 overall pick will be Bridgewater. He may not be Manning, Luck, or Elway but he is by far the best QB prospect in this draft class. I find it quite hilarious that people label this the 2011 QB class with no Cam Newton when half the league GMs didn't even consider Cam Newton worth a first overall pick. He steadily climbed up draft boards after the combine over the likes of Marcell Dareus rolleyes and Nick Fairley rolleyes:). So for anyone to say that, to this point, is fooling themselves already.
I feel like I've said this before, but no point in the history of points has ever been a "mute" point.
Teddy B is the rout this team needs to go. The average fan sees one position of need on this team and that's QB. Maybe the best pick is Clowney instead but once again the average fan wants Matt Schaubs replacement picked #1. With all that said I think Teddy B is the right pick out of all players that we could choose. I'm not sold on Clowney, I think he has alot of talent but talent doesn't take you far in pro sports. You need that competitive fire and for him to take even one play off in college shows all I need to k is about him. He might have 14 sacks his rookie year but he's not a winner and that's not good for a team that's wants to win championships. The reason why I think Teddy B is the best QB in the draft is because the negatives about him our easy fixes. Arm strength? Name one qb who hasn't gotten a better arm one in the pros. Even Case Keenum has improved his arm strength alot and he's a small guy. Weight? He's 21/22 yrs old? He's a student athlete, meaning he can't focus on football 100%. Name one person who doesn't put on solid weight in pro sports? The things he does well you can't teach, he has a feel for the game that is rarely seen out of a signal caller coming from college. He does have that Aaron Rodgers feel to his game were he can extend plays with his feet but is not a running qb. He directs plays looks DBs off makes the right check downs and even audibles any play he sees necessary. The only way I see the texans not drafting this guy is if he tears his acl and doesn't want to play football anymore. Lol. I expect him to come in and really impress at the combine, I'm sure he's put on weight. I see him coming in at legit 6'3 and weigh 215 if he does measure out to what people say I don't see how you could pass the guy up. He's not undersized at 6'3 he will put on weight and he's a natural leader who doesn't get rattled and is known for his professionalism and dedication to the team something I know McNair likes plus he doesn't have off field red flags like jonny football and Clowney.
Trade Andre Johnson to the Rams for the 2nd pick. Then we can draft Teddy Bridgewater and Clowney. Problem solved.
In reality its a guessing game on who gets drafted. You can only gather the information given to suggest who you think will be drafted. Bridgewater has been called a "savant", and BOB has basically said he is looking for such, but will his smaller frame dissuade the Texans? Manziel is an other world talent, yet is a giant wild card on and off the field. Bortles has the arm/frame to be a great QB, but there seems to be too many what ifs surrounding him. Clowney has the most red flags of all, yet might spurn out the greatest combine from a defensive player ever. I think the safest/most logical pick is Bridgewater. His only knock is his body, and I can pull up a pic of Tom Brady at the combine to prove a point. Teddy will fill out in time.
We were 2-14 so pick Clowney who is clearly the best talent UNLESS you think Teddy or Johnny are franchise guys. I'm good for any of the 3 and at this point have to trust the Texans. A trade down assuming you still get one of those 3 is the ideal scenario.
I'm all for having this one now, it'll be funny how much it'll change when they do a new one after the combine.