Texans reportedly wanted Melvin Gordon in the 2015 Draft

CBS Houston/SportsRadio 610 reports that the Texans wanted Gordon:

A source with the Texans tells SportsRadio 610 the team wanted Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon in the 2015 draft. Gordon was the top back on the team’s draft board.

In 2014 the Badger rushed for almost 2,600 yards and 29 touchdowns. Gordon finished second in the Heisman voting.

A draft night trade with the San Francisco 49ers allowed the San Diego Chargers to select ahead of the Texans at 15 where they took the highly touted ball carrier. With the pick following, the Texans ended up selecting cornerback depth with Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson.

Another recent article from CBS Houston/SportsRadio 610 highlights that Houston was indeed trying to trade up to get Dorsett:

Coming into 2015 the Houston Texans roster had some holes, like most teams in the NFL. But the Texans holes were in some of the key positions on offense. Quarterback is still undecided, the number two wide receiver position is looking like it will go to veteran Nate Washington and with Arian Foster’s injury the running back position looks, at best, shaky.
What might have been. Three draft picks that seemed to be poised for the Texans, but were snatched from their fingertips at the last second in 2014 and 2015 could have made the 2015 Texans not only a team to contend in 2015, but a team to contend for the next five or six years. Currently, who knows.
The offense is the big question for the Texans. With three holes at the three biggest skill positions the Texans will rely on their top tier defense to win games. But what if I told you they were just inches away from having a bright future at those positions instead of a big questionmark.
First we’ll jump back to the 2014 draft where the Texans had the first overall pick. They should have taken Jadeveon Clowney. It was the right pick for that year. There wasn’t a quarterback in the draft that would have been worth taking that high. But at 32 Teddy Bridgewater was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings after they traded up into the last pick of the first round to get the quarterback. Now, we don’t know if the Texans would have taken Bridgewater at 33 to kick off the second round, or if they could have traded up with the Seahawks at 32 to get him. But the Texans needed a quarterback, and they were very close to having what seems to be a pretty good one.
Now let’s look at the 2015 draft. On Wednesday, Cody Stoots reported the Texans were looking at Melvin Gordon in the first round of the draft. He was their highest rated running back and the plan was to take Gordon at 16th overall. Then the San Diego Chargers traded with the the San Francisco 49ers for the 15th pick and took the Wisconsin running back. The Texans took Kevin Johnson (who looks solid in his first training camp) to add some corner back depth.
Later in the first round of the 2015 draft, SportsRadio 610, the Boston Globe and numerous other outlets reported the Texans and Patriots made a deal for the 32nd pick in the draft. The Texans wanted wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. A strong, fast, good receiver from the University of Miami. The Texans thought he’d be there at 32. The trade was ready. Then the Indianapolis Colts, who had TY Hilton, Andre Johnson and Donte Moncrief already, and needed defensive line help, took Dorsett. The Texans dropped the deal with the Patriots and took Benardrick McKinney in the 2nd round. A position of need, yes, but maybe not as big of need as 2nd wide receiver.
It’s not clear if the Texans didn’t make the moves for Bridewater or Gordon because they thought they would get that one more spot. It is certainly plausable that the teams that leap frogged the Texans offered more or got to the teams ahead of the Texans before the Texans could even make a call. As for the Colts taking Dorsett, well you can’t predict crazy.
It isn’t always the best idea to play the what if game. But after Arian Foster’s injury it would sure be a lot better to be looking at Teddy Bridgewater, year two, at quarterback, Melvin Gordon in the backfield and Phillip Dorsett out wide. But that is a what if. And now it’s time to see what this team is made of.



http://houston.cbslocal.com/2015/08/05/texans-highly-coveted-gordon-in-2015-nfl-draft/

 

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