Chron: Johnson, Suggs try to convince Texans they are worthy

I think we should go w/ Andre Johnson....

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/1860655

The two players most often linked to the Texans' first-round pick visited Reliant Stadium on Wednesday. However, one bond appears stronger than the other.

Miami receiver Andre Johnson and Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs met with the Texans, each hoping to convince the team he is worthy of the third overall pick in the draft. Most indications suggest Suggs has more to prove than Johnson, who would fill the Texans' biggest need of a playmaking receiver for quarterback David Carr.

Suggs and Johnson appeared to be running neck and neck for the Texans' draft-day affection before Suggs' highly publicized workout last month in Arizona. Whereas Johnson wowed coaches and scouts at his workout, Suggs left some of his scrutinizers scratching their heads.

Suggs ran a 4.86-second 40-yard dash on his first attempt and a 4.78 on his second try. Both times were significantly slower than the 4.6 that had been advertised. Fortunately for Suggs, who was heavier than he should have been for the first workout, he will get another chance to run for scouts before the draft.

One bad day at the office might not mean much on some jobs, but in the NFL, it can be the difference in millions of dollars in signing-bonus money. Before his workout, Suggs was considered a sure top-five selection. Now, there are mixed opinions about where he will be picked. Of course, with a good workout later this month, his stock could be on the rise again.

"It's a little disappointing," Suggs said of the emphasis placed on workouts. "But it's a business. If you can perform on the field, you have to perform on that other stuff also.

"They've been doing it like this for years, so why should it change for me? It definitely bothered me a little bit, but I've got to perform when it's all said and done. I know I'm faster than 4.7. That day I just ran badly. There really are no excuses for it."

Ultimately, Suggs is hoping his unprecedented production on the field will make it easier for teams to overlook a couple of poor times in the 40. Suggs, who received the Lombardi Award last year, set an NCAA record with 24 sacks last season for the Sun Devils, and he finished with a school-record 44 sacks in only three years.

"You can learn to be a pass rusher, but some guys are just born with pass-rushing instincts, and I think I'm one of those guys who on any given day can go out there and rush the passer," Suggs said.

If Suggs lands with the Texans, he will have to learn a new position. Because the Texans use a 3-4 defense, Suggs would project as an outside linebacker, a position with which he admits to being intrigued. He has even gone so far as to study tape of Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

"I can definitely be a presence coming off the edge and a player an opposing offensive coordinator would have to worry about," Suggs said. "When you have somebody like that, it definitely opens things up and stops the offense from doing something they really want to do."

At what appeared to be the height of the Texans' interest in Suggs, the team still was looking for a right outside linebacker to replace Jeff Posey, who signed with Buffalo on the opening day of free agency. That position has since been addressed. The Texans signed veteran linebacker Charlie Clemons to a four-year, $6.7 million contract, including a $1.3 million signing bonus. Clemons had 13 sacks in 2001.

Also, the Texans officially signed free-agent running back Stacey Mack to a one-year, $705,000 contract that included a $175,000 signing bonus.