Good read....... HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans signed one big-fish defensive lineman in free agency, retained another and expect a third to be healthy by the opener after knee surgery. So they're out of the market at that position with their 10th overall pick, right? No so fast, says general manager Charley Casserly. "I still think if there's a defensive lineman there we'll take him with the idea that you never can have enough," Casserly said. After having the top pick in 2002 (QB David Carr) and the No. 3 choice last year (WR Andre Johnson), conventional wisdom has the Texans concentrating on defense after building a competitive young offense. That wisdom focused on the defensive line until Houston plucked Robaire Smith from AFC South rival Tennessee and restructured a deal to keep two-time Pro Bowler Gary Walker. Assuming Seth Payne will be ready in September after multiple knee operations, the starting unit in the Texans' 3-4 alignment appears set. But the Texans lost backup Steve Martin to the Minnesota Vikings and still hunger for depth at a position where coach Dom Capers consistently rotates players to keep them fresh. Hence, Southern California end Kenechi Udezi could be a first-round candidate. Or Oklahoma tackle Tommie Harris. Or Maryland tackle Randy Starks. Then again, the Texans ranked last against the pass a season ago and need safety help. Sean Taylor of Miami could fill that prescription, although Houston might have to trade up to get him. Neil Stratton, who runs industry Web site InsideTheLeague.com, believes two teams ahead of Houston expected to be interested in Taylor -- Washington and Atlanta -- might go in different directions, meaning Taylor would fall to the Texans. "I think the Redskins need to take a cornerback, they've got a really big hole at cornerback right now after trading Champ Bailey to the Broncos," said Stratton, who believes this year's draft goes "about nine or 10 deep" as far as top-tier talent. A more intriguing option for the Texans would be to take one of the highly rated cornerbacks -- Virginia Tech's DeAngelo Hall, South Carolina's Dunta Robinson or Ohio State's Chris Gamble, for instance -- and move Marcus Coleman to safety. "Anything's possible," Casserly said. "We have talked about it, but if we felt that was a major objective in the offseason we would have signed a cornerback in free agency." Such a move would break up what's been one of the most successful cornerback tandems over the last eight years. Coleman has been paired with Aaron Glenn for both their Texans seasons and six years before that with the New York Jets. Coleman has switched positions before. The Jets converted him to cornerback after he starred in high school in Dallas and at Texas Tech as a safety. Glenn believes his pal can pull it off again if needed. "If there's anyone who can make a switch like that, it's Marcus," Glenn said. There's also the glaring need for pass rushers. Houston's 19 sacks were worst in the AFC and last year's signing of outside linebacker Charlie Clemons didn't pan out. Second-year linebacker Antwan Peek should push for that job this year, but Casserly will be on the lookout for sack masters who fit into the four-linebacker scheme, although he probably can wait until the middle rounds to get one. The Texans are expected to fill holes and build depth across the defense with their 10 overall picks, starting with their lowest first-round choice in three years of existence. They can't pencil in their top player before the draft, as they have the previous two seasons, but Casserly admits that's not all it's cracked up to be. "There certainly are a lot more options," Casserly said. "We'd like it a little more clear, like it was the first two years. But you also don't want to be there (picking high) very often, either."
