They don't need a guy to replace Walter - they need to find a guy to (within a year) replace Jacoby or at least get a situational deep threat for passing downs. That's very doable in the 2nd or 3rd.
Which is exactly what I said I wanted and expect them to do. Who that guy is, though, I have not the damnedest idea.
Yes, they have to get WR's. I don't necessarily expect a new WR to make a significant contribution, but I think there is a strong possibility it could happen. If AJ goes down, who else do we have? I know that we have running backs and tight ends, but we saw last year what happens with no real threat at WR. Unfortunately, I almost expect AJ to miss games this year, so our new WR's will get an opportunity to produce. I also think the WR position is a position where a rookie can come in and do well from the beginning as opposed to some other positions.
A 2nd RD WR supplanting Jacoby is not out of the question and I would consider that a significant contribution. Jacoby is useless on the field except as a punt returner. Unless the drafted player just can't learn the playbook at all there is no reason he can't beat out Jacoby. Lance still thinks the Texans are hoping to cut Jacoby in camp.
There's always "what ifs", but when you're talking about these scenarios, you can't factor in those variables, otherwise everything gets super convoluted. Barring injury is always a caveat to these discussions, IMO. I expect them to draft a WR and then sign.... Spoiler David Anderson Spoiler
I don't think it's out of the question either (I would fully expect any rookie we take to push Jacoby for WR3...), but we obviously differ on what "significant contribution" means. To me, dude would have to be a starter or chip in at least 400 yards to qualify for that, and maybe do kick returns. I don't see that happening, barring some kind of injury.
We only had our WR2 on the field for 64% of the snaps last year. I can't imagine with that low of a ratio for WR2, that WR3 was on the field all that often. The Texans don't run 3 receiver sets often with their love of double tights.
The Texans I really think are going for TE...if Fleener is still on the board...if not they will trade up if they can get him... But those sneaky Colts may pick him up to pair with Luck...
You consider 64% of the snaps to be a low ratio? I think a player that plays 64% of your teams offensive snaps is a pretty significant player.
Compared to other NFL teams, it's low. Which means WR3 would be even less. I never said our WR2 wasn't a significant player, where are you getting that from?
64% seems really, really low for a WR2. Really low. So our team's priority on a WR2 would be less than the average bear's. Reasoning would lead me to believe WR3 is used to an exponentially lesser extent. Look, I don't think we need anything to complete this offense. It's versatile. Dressen is gone? We'll find a way to make-up those touchdowns. But the organization is probably far less worried about drafting a WR than the fanbase.
they are common for a lot of teams, but not that common for the texans. If Kubes has his choice, he'd rather go a 2 tight set than a 3 wide.
A lot of 2nd and 3rd round WRs turn out to be better than late 1st round WRs. If you want proof of how drafting a WR can be a total crapshoot look back to the 2001 NFL draft. First Round 8 Chicago Bears David Terrell Wide Receiver Michigan 9 Seattle Seahawks (from San Francisco)[7] Koren Robinson† Wide Receiver North Carolina State 15 Washington Redskins Rod Gardner Wide Receiver Clemson 3 Complete busts for the most part. 16 New York Jets (from Pittsburgh)[11] Santana Moss† Wide Receiver Miami (FL) 25 Philadelphia Eagles Freddie Mitchell Wide Receiver UCLA 30 Indianapolis Colts (from N.Y. Giants)[12] Reggie Wayne† Wide Receiver Miami (FL) A couple of consistent pro bowlers and a guy who at least will always have that catch on 4th and 26. 2nd Round 33 Cleveland Browns Quincy Morgan Wide Receiver Kansas State Didn't do much. 36 Cincinnati Bengals Chad Johnson† Wide Receiver Oregon State The best WR in the AFC in his heydey. 41 Green Bay Packers (from San Francisco)[16] Robert Ferguson Wide Receiver Texas A&M Wash-out. Miami Dolphins (from Indianapolis through Dallas)[14][19] Chris Chambers† Wide Receiver Wisconsin A Pro Bowler early in his career. 3rd Round 74 Carolina Panthers Steve Smith† Wide Receiver Utah Yes. That Steve Smith. 10th WR taken. 77 Kansas City Chiefs Marvin Minnis Wide Receiver Florida State Sucked. Badly. 4th Round 116 St. Louis Rams Milton Wynn Wide Receiver Washington State Who? 124 Tennessee Titans Justin McCareins Wide Receiver Northern Illinois Had a couple of decent seasons. 131* Minnesota Vikings Cedric James Wide Receiver Texas Christian Nothing. 7th Round 204 Cincinnati Bengals T. J. Houshmandzadeh† Wide Receiver Oregon State Very productive alongside Ocho Cinco for multiple seasons.
Regardless I believe the texans will be taking a receiver this round. Randle may drop to them but I doubt Jefferey does. If neither are there I expect them to take a guy like Sanu.
I think there's close to 0 chance that Randle falls that far. He could easily be the first pick in the round by the Rams.
Nevermind I forgot about Tommy Streeter. I think we should go o-line or BPA (maybe Dwayne Allen) and then take Streeter in the 3rd. May even still be there in the 4th. I had no idea we didn't pick all the way till 58.