Well, I guess DJ was never a real target for the Texans, kinda dissapointing but then again, I'm a Texas homer. Never heard of Travis Johnson, but they say he is the best defensive lineman in the draft. I really would have liked to pick up a DE, Spears and Pollack coud have been had. I'm a little dissapointed, but Casserly has done a good enough job in drafts.
I screamed at the tv when the Chiefs took DJ. I was a little confused when the Texans traded down too. Anyway I'm pretty dissapointed so far, but I hope Travis Johnson turns out to be a good pick. Now its time to root on the Rockets!!!
DJ doesn't fit a 3-4 linebacker. He can't pass rush or tackle. Remeber last year when no one heard of Dunta Robinson. How is he doing? Charley knows what he is doing, just look at his 3 superbowl rings.
I'm going to give this guy a chance. He seems to be pretty good, not much talked about. I like scrappy, hard-nosed players who just do their job, not needing ESPN spotlight. Now who will the Texans go for in the 4th Round?
A 3rd round pick is next (From Dallas, from the Drew Henson deal I think?). It seems forever between pick. I watched half the Astros game and the entire Rockets game and still forever
Sorry, I meant 3rd Round. Thanks Random. I also noticed our 2nd Round pick that we sent to OAK for Buchanon, they picked a UH Cougar - CB Stanford Routt. What a coincidence...
This article makes me really happy about the trade now. I was unsure if the Texans would lose their guy by moving down 3 picks. Missing out on a guy you really need just to get another 3rd round pick (which Casserly believes only 30% of them have a chance of really contributing, or something like that) would have been pretty crappy. Adding defensive depth has been one of the Texans’ primary goals this offseason, evidenced in many of the team’s free agent moves and recently in the trade for cornerback Phillip Buchanon. On Saturday, the Texans continued the trend when they selected powerhouse defensive tackle Travis Johnson with the 16th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. Johnson was at the top of the list of a group of players that the Texans had their eyes on near the middle of the first round. As the picks unfolded, general manager Charley Casserly discovered that Johnson, the draft’s top-rated defensive line prospect, and perhaps other players in the group could slip further than the 13th selection. With that in mind, Casserly began fielding phone calls from inquiring teams to move down. Ultimately, it was the New Orleans Saints’ offer of their first-round pick this year and their third-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft that caught Casserly’s attention. “Clearly, when we got to 13, there was a group of players, and we would’ve been happy with any of them,” Casserly said. “We would’ve taken Travis Johnson at 13, but we were offered the chance to move back with an extra pick for next year—a third-round pick, which is a good pick—to move back three spots. We felt comfortable that Travis Johnson could be there, and other players could be there.” When the 16th pick arose, certain clubs that wanted to move up in the draft called with offers. Nevertheless, with no assurance that Johnson would remain on the draft board, Casserly didn’t let the opportunity pass by and executed the choice. “As we looked at it, this is a guessing game,” Casserly said. “You don’t know where players are going to go, but we felt the percentages would be against us if we moved back again to get Travis Johnson, who was the player that we had targeted for this area of the draft. We decided to pull the trigger at that point.” Johnson, 6-3, 305 pounds, is known as a high-motor interior lineman that has the ability to pass rush and stuff running lanes. In 51 games at Florida St., the California native recorded 175 tackles with 10 sacks and 43.5 tackles for loss. As a senior in 2004, he earned All-American honors from ESPN and was an all-ACC first-team choice after posting 50 tackles, including 18 for loss, with 2.5 sacks and 12 quarterback pressures. Casserly admitted afterwards that the Texans were fortunate to land a player of Johnson’s talent level at that pick. With three running backs, three cornerbacks and three wide receivers chosen in the first 10 choices, it wasn’t a typical draft. Normally, a player of Johnson’s caliber is gone well before the middle of the first round. (I'm very happy we could get him then.) “You get a starting interior defensive lineman at 16, that doesn’t happen a lot,” Casserly said. “Especially the guy you have rated number one in a particular year.” Head coach Dom Capers envisions Johnson immediately contributing in the team’s nickel package as a substitute. Yet as has been the case in Capers’ tenure, there will be open competition for a starting spot. Regardless of Johnson’s role, with the way the Texans rotate on the defensive line, he figures to play significantly whether or not he’s penciled in as a starter. “He obviously gives us a young player in a position where we have two players, Gary Walker and Seth Payne, who are 30 years of age or older,” Capers said. “Defensive interior linemen are at a premium. You don’t get them in free agency. You have to draft them and they normally are drafted fairly high. That’s one of the reasons I think this is a premium position…We like what he adds to our football team.” Versatility could be Johnson’s biggest strong suit. He’s played defensive tackle on both the left and right side, and as a redshirt freshman in 2001, he was a freshman All-American at nose guard, recording 31 tackles with a pair of sacks. He’s certainly up for the challenge, no matter where he plays. “I love nose tackle,” Johnson said in a conference call with Houston media from Los Angeles . “I’m just waiting for the challenges and opportunities to show that I can play all three positions there.” When asked what his best attribute is, Johnson mentioned many of the same characteristics that Capers listed in the press conference: aggressive, strong, athletic, ability to shed blocks and rush the passer. Above all, Johnson sees himself as a player on the rise. Just hours after being selected, he already has something in common with his newest employer. http://www.houstontexans.com/news/news_detail.php?PRKey=1643
A RB makes zero sense to me. As I said earlier... [totally dumbfounded] What the hell would the Texans NEED to take an RB for. What the hell has Davis done wrong!? OMG! 2003: 1031 rush yards, 4.3avg, 8 TD's and 1382 yards from scrimmage* 2004: 1188 rush yards, 3.9avg, 13 TD's and 1776 yards from scrimmage. *Keep in mind that was only in 14 games while starting just 10. [/totally dumbfounded] This team does not NEED a RB. I think Domanick has been doing great. Could they have not gotten a solid OL, WR, or LB then to develop for later?
Although there are still a few nice WRs (Steve Savoy, Will Peoples among others) left IMO, there weren't any that wouldn't be around for the 2nd day. I don't know about the OL/LB prospects, but it seems there's a pretty drastic drop between the "1st round" talents and the rest of them. So we can use later picks for them... Just what I think their rationale is...I think Morency could be a great change of pace for DD/Hollings. Maybe he was the "best player available" because the playiers in the need positions would be a reach for a 3rd pick?
Can't rush? Can't tackle? I wonder why he won linebacker of the year and defensive player of the year then.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3150005 Texans move down, pick DT Travis Johnson at No. 16 Associated Press The Houston Texans were in no hurry to make their first pick in the NFL draft. True to general manager Charley Casserly's belief that no one in this year's crop of prospects was a definite starter, the Texans traded down in the first round Saturday and still were able to choose Florida State defensive tackle Travis Johnson with the 16th overall pick in the NFL draft. Earlier in the day, Houston traded the 13th pick to New Orleans for the Saints' selection three spots later and a third-rounder in the 2006 draft. The Texans then chose Johnson with its belated first-round pick, taking the first defensive tackle of the afternoon instead of addressing pressing needs at left offensive tackle, defensive end or outside linebacker. "Getting a starting interior defensive lineman at pick 16 does not happen a lot," Casserly said. "In normal drafts, that player is not available at the 16th pick." Indeed. Top defensive tackles are coveted like few prospects in the NFL draft; 13 defensive tackles went among the first 15 picks in the previous five drafts, including four each in 2002 and 2003. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Johnson went from a reserve to a captain of Florida State's defense in his senior year, earning first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. He finished the season with 50 tackles, an ACC-leading 18 tackles for loss, 2 1/2 sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. Johnson might have been gone higher, however, if not for a college career that was mostly marked by inconsistency, injuries and a rape accusation in February 2003. He was acquitted of the charge six months later in less than a half hour by an all-woman jury. "That was the only time I was ever in any trouble," the 22-year-old Johnson said by phone from his hometown of Sherman Oaks, Calif. "I don't think it was ever really an issue. I just can't wait to get down there and get to work. "I'm a defensive lineman who plays the ball from sideline to sideline, who continues to get better every day and every play." Looking to add more athleticism and depth to their defensive line, the Texans will immediately plug Johnson into their rotation with aging veterans like Gary Walker and Seth Payne. Houston's starting defensive line of Payne, Walker and offseason acquisition Robaire Smith combined for only 4 1/2 sacks in 2004, a big part of the NFL's least-productive pass rush. The Texans finished last in sacks in 2004 (24) and second-to-last the year before (19), a stat that Texans coach Dom Capers surely mentioned often to Casserly during the offseason. "We obviously wanted to address trying to rush the passer better," Capers said. "We felt (Johnson) had the most speed, athletic ability, size combination of any interior lineman in the draft ... a guy we can fit into the rotation with our front people." But the Texans still failed to make much improvement at protecting quarterback David Carr and at outside linebacker, the position that provides most of the pass rush in Capers' 3-4 defense. Carr has been sacked 140 times over the past three years, including an NFL-record 76 during his rookie season in 2002. The Texans will apparently go into 2005 with the same shaky offensive line, including struggling left tackle Seth Wand. Capers will also need to continue his search for a speedy pass rusher, just like some of the ones he had during his years coordinating dominant defenses in Pittsburgh, Carolina and Jacksonville -- Pro Bowlers like Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene. The Texans gave up second- and third-round picks this year for cornerback Phillip Buchanon, a first-round pick in 2002, in a trade with Oakland on Thursday. Houston doesn't pick again until the 73rd overall pick in the third round.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3149866 Texans fans flock to draft party By JIM WALDEN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Before the doors opened at the West Gate at Reliant Stadium for NFL Draft Day, there was already a festive spirit at South Main and Kirby. Earlier, the Texans hosted the Running of the Bulls, their fourth annual 5-K charity race. Now the focus turned to football and the draft. The long lines of Texans fans entering Reliant were ready to find out. With the 16th pick (traded for 13th and a third round pick in 2006), the Texans have their work cut out for them to match their first two. Last year, the Texans made Dunta Robinson their first pick. Houston also selected linebacker Jason Babin in the first round. Their second year, the Texans picked wide receiver Andre Johnson. And, their first pick in the college draft ever was quarterback David Carr. While the general manager Charley Casserly and coach Dom Capers and their staff are working in the draft war room, the fans are having fun. The excitement picked up at when the draft started. But, there were some questions when the Texans traded positions in the first-round in a deal with the Saints. "At first I was a little disappointed," said Tim Lancon of Baytown. "But now I am happy with the pick." That pick was Travis Johnson, a defensive tackle from Florida State. "With Gary Walker getting older and with Seth Payne, you don’t always know how much you are going to get out of him (injuries), I think it was a good pick," said Lancon. Zachary Spears of Houston agrees that it was a good pick. "He brings some youth, and we need some tenacity in there, someone with a mean streak," Spears said. Jason Gomez of Houston says he understands the trade. "They have to plug holes for the future," he said. But Gomez thought the Texas might go for an offensive lineman, especially a pass blocker. "They know something I don’t," he said. Mark Womack of Deer Park also thought the Texans might go for an offensive lineman. "I thought they might go for some better protection for (quarterback David) Carr," Womack said. But Womack is happy with a defensive lineman. "I think it was good," he said. "They (Texans) do a good job of stopping the rush, but do not do a good job of getting penetration. What the fans are saying ... "I come out because we are Texans fans," said Preston Chauvin from Cut 'N' Shoot. "We like to come to the stadium" said Chauvin, who is here with his wife. The family said they also enjoyed the tour of the Texans’ locker room and gym. ... The locker room tour is popular with Texans fans as Houstonian Chris Spencer will attest. "This is my first time to be in Reliant Stadium, and to go down on the 50-yard line and look up … Well it is amazing." Spencer says the event works well for the fans. "I will be back," he said. "I plan to make this another tradition." ... The Rubio family could of watched the draft at home, but decided to come to Reliant. "We are definitely having a good time," said Louis Rubio, here with his wife, Amele, and son, Jacquez. The reason the Rubios decided to come are simple. "The fun. The excitement. The atmosphere," said Louis Rubio.
I dont really see anyone else in this range of picks that could help our team any better. Morency has a chance to get some playing time this year. Remember last year when Hollings was injured and we were having to depend on Jonathan Wells to come in and spell DD. There can be a chance Morency could be that perfect guy to fit that backup role in case Hollings never pans out wether it be by more injury or just not putting up the numbers. This is a good move mainly because it gives depth at a skill position and give Wells a challenge for its job. Grade: B-
