I like the Morency pick. They finally have a legit back behind Davis now. Wells is good in red zone situations and Tony Hollings is a joke. With Morency on the team I think it will be hard for Hollings to even make the squad.
I'm a strong believer in having two RB's see significant carries. RB's are the only guys on the field that touch the ball 20 to 30 times and get hit virtually every time they touch it. It's nice to have plenty of options, because you know they're going to get banged up. I don't recall seeing Morency play, but his frame makes it seem like he is a power back. We could definately use a guy to soften up the defense a little bit...DD is a great tackle-breaker, but doesn't really punish the defense. Wells just doesn't really do much unless it is short yardage. I think Hollings days in Houston might be numbered.
The delay was absurd and rendered the draft virtually unwatchable. They need to cut the first round back to 10 minutes or less and the rest should be 5 minutes. This 12 hour 3 round stuff is ridiculous.
Berman's a dick. I'm too tired to post why, but I will later. BTW, the draft in person rocked. I just wish one of the NY teams had a first round pick.
I don't really like the Vernand Morency pick, although some sites had him rated as a low 2nd rounder. Now we have to wait for 2 RB's to develop. Unless they've already given up on Hollings, which i doubt consideing what we gave up for him, along with his potential. Looks like Wells should start looking for another team ASAP. I would of rather waited for an O-Lineman to develop. But i guess we can use Morency occasioanly in the red zone right away even though he has the size but not the power. Short ESPN analysis http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=9080 Overall: Morency was signed by the Colorado Rockies out of high school and played minor league baseball for three years before enrolling at Oklahoma State in 2002. An ankle injury sidelined him most of his freshman season. Morency saw some action as Tatum Bell's (Broncos) backup in 2003, finishing with 918 yards and eight touchdowns 135 carries. Morency took over as a fulltime starter in 2004 and had a breakout season with 1,474 yards and 12 touchdowns on 278 carries. Morency is a 24-year old prospect with somewhat limited experience. He needs to improve his strength and become a more aggressive and powerful interior runner. However, Morency has the bulk, quickness, explosiveness and hands to emerge as a fulltime starter in the NFL. The team that drafts him will have to be patient in developing him and will assume a risk with an older prospect. But Morency's athleticism and potential ... And a more detailed analysis http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/morency_vernand OVERVIEW Morency is an explosive and talented back who showed the college football world what he was capable of at the end of the 2003 season. When starter Tatum Bell was sidelined with minor injuries, Morency answered with an exclamation point. He continued to excel on the football field in 2004. When head coach Les Miles departed the program to take over at Louisiana State, Morency, at age 25, decided the time was right for him to test his wares in the National Football League. Morency lettered four times in baseball and twice in football at Northwestern High School. He earned All-American honors in both sports. As a senior, he had more than 1,500 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns. Morency was then drafted in the 14th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft by the Colorado Rockies. He spent four seasons as an outfielder in the Rockies' minor league organization before hanging up his baseball glove for a pair of football cleats. He arrived on Oklahoma State's campus in 2002, playing in six games as a true freshman. Morency gained 269 yards on 58 carries (4.6 avg.) with three touchdowns, but missed the last five games with a high ankle sprain. The following season, Morency ranked second on the team with 918 yards and eight touchdowns on 135 carries (6.8 avg.), starting the final two regular season games when Bell was injured. Despite missing the 2004 Baylor game with a knee injury, Morency amassed 1,474 yards with 12 touchdowns on 258 carries (5.7 avg.). He also gained 101 yards on five catches with a score. He closed out his career with 451 rushing attempts for 2,661 yards (5.9 avg.) and 23 touchdowns. His 2,661 yards rank eighth on the school's career-record list. He also had 11 receptions for 119 yards (10.8 avg.), including a score and returned 10 kickoffs for 224 yards (22.4 avg.) while appearing in 30 games. ANALYSIS Positives: Has high calves with good thickness, wide shoulders with good muscle tone, big bubble and solid lower body frame … Good downhill runner who squares his shoulders and hits the holes hard … Shows quickness out of his stance and a good burst through the crease … Runs with a short step and shows good lateral and veer quickness … Fine off-tackle runner with the strength to run through arm tackles … Shows the ability to change direction in-stride and has the change-of-direction skills to bounce off angle tacklers … Keeps his pads low attacking the inside holes and has the short area burst needed to quickly get to the outside when the rush lanes are clogged … Not a striker, but will face up when blocking on the edge and does an adequate job cutting upfield … Sudden in his plant and is quick to change direction … Shows strength and vision getting through trash and has natural running instincts once he gets into the open … Fights for extra yards, squaring up to break tackles and is a load to bring down once he gets a full burst of steam. Negatives: Needs to learn to secure the ball better, as he leaves it exposed enough to cough it up … Carries the ball with the wrong hand at times when breaking toward the perimeter … While he can reach and pluck for the pass, he prefers to cradle catch the ball … Not used much in the passing game, outside of swing routes, as he does not have the natural, easy hands to guide the ball in … Has a good feel when running inside, but does not show the speed to consistently reach the outside or the second gear to maintain top speed when he gets into the open … Age could be somewhat of an issue (25) … While he has good lateral quickness, he is really not a nifty avoid-type of runner … Character and background need further review. INJURY REPORT 2002: Limited in fall drills by a left ankle sprain. 2004: Sat out the Baylor game (11/13) after having fluid drained from his knee. AGILITY CAMPUS: 4.67 in the 40-yard dash. COMBINE: Player did not participate in the 40-yard dash or 60-yard shuttle agility tests at the Combines (own choice), claiming to be suffering from a left hamstring pull … 4.12 20-yard shuttle … 7.02 three-cone drill … 33½-inch vertical jump … 9-foot broad jump … Bench presses 225 pounds 19 times … 31¾-inch arm length … 8 7/8-inch hands.
The Texans got a wide receiver in Jerome Mathis from Hampton. This guy was one of Kiper's top people remaining. I don't know what type of receiver he is though.
He runs a 4.3 40 And his senior year averaged around 29.6 yards per catch. He is a big play waiting to happen. And he returns kicks. nice sleeper pick
Wow... I was pretty sure we'd take a WR this round, but surprised we took this burner over some other "solid" WR picks that seem to be still on the board...good pick though, our special teams should be exciting next year...
Her'e the ESPN take on Mathis: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8974 Strengths: An absolute blazer. Is one of the fastest players in the entire 2005 draft class. Improved as a route runner and return specialist with more experience. Shows the ability to pluck on the run when he concentrates. Is a vertical threat with the initial burst and top-end speed to consistently get over the top of defensive backs in coverage. Is a huge home run threat after the catch, as well as on reverses. Also a big-time threat as a KOR specialist. Has good vision, smooth hips, good COD skills, initial explosiveness and big-league acceleration. Will win most foot races in the open field. Weaknesses: Has character concerns. Level of competition is a concern. Lacks ideal size and strength. Will have more trouble getting off the LOS in the NFL. Lacks ideal height as a vertical receiver. Needs to improve his route running skills. Rounds off too many of his routes. Needs to learn to shift his weight better when getting in and out of breaks. Does not show a good ability to find soft spots in zone coverage. Focus and concentration is too inconsistent in terms of catching the ball. Is a below average blocker and will never get much better in that facet. Overall: Mathis won six state track championships in high school. He was a non-qualifier because of academics in 2001. He finished with 24 receptions for 615 yards and three TD's in 2002, whjile also averaging 20.9 yards per kickoff return on 20 attempts. As a junior in 2003 he became a fulltime starter and finished with 40 receptions for 977 yards and nine TD's. He also returned 17 kickoffs for 343 yards and one punt for 42 yards. As a senior in 2004, Mathis finished with 30 receptions for 884 yards and nine TD's. He also returned 25 kickoffs for 888 yards and five TD's as a senior. Mathis ran track throughout his career at Hampton and was a three-time NCAA track All-American in the 200 meters. Mathis is a track star turned football player. He has some character concerns, lacks ideal size and needs some refinement as a route runner. However, he's one of the fastest prospects in this year's class and he improved each of the last three seasons on the gridiron. Mathis may take more time than most Day 1 prospects to develop but his versatility and speed are enticing. Mathis has the potential to develop into a vertical No. 2 or No. 3 receiver in the NFL and he also has a lot of upside as a KOR specialist at the next level, which is why it's not out of the realm of possibility for Mathis to come off the board as high as the second round.
he might give us that downfield threat that bradford really hasnt given us If he pans out our WR could be nice. AJ is our big go to WR Mathis the burner and big play guy that goes get the deep ball Gaffney is that slot guy or possesion reciever armstrong is that guy that just makes catches and is ignored by other teams
Wow, that's interesting....I thought Texans were trying to build a class organization and wouldn't take players with "character concerns"? Although I guess everyone deserves a fresh start (ala our new CB)... Anyone see Darren Sproles going 4th round? I know I was trying to be excited about the Morency pick, but with Sproles still there....We probably could have used a OLer like Elton Brown or something...
'I will be the best out of this class' Hampton's Jerome Mathis is determined to prove that he has the talent and character to be the best wide receiver in the NFL draft. BY MARTY O'BRIEN Daily Press Published April 20, 2005 HAMPTON -- Jerome Mathis thought he'd long since put those character questions to rest. He also believed that he'd risen near the top of the wide receivers' list for the NFL draft with workouts that included a faster 40-yard dash time than any prospect and a 371/2-inch vertical jump. Then, while weightlifting at Hampton University on Monday, he glanced at this week's "Sporting News." He was bemused that the magazine pegged him as a third-round pick and stung by this description Was considered a fourth- or fifth-round pick before running a great 40-yard dash. Plays as fast as he times. Separates from defenders. Is an Olympic-caliber sprinter. Hands are a bit inconsistent - and so is his play. Is not a polished route-runner. Does not relish blocking responsibilities. Has character issues. Mathis looked at the page again and began his rebuttal. His voice was confident and determined, rather than angry. Hands are a bit inconsistent? "I never said my hands were the greatest. I had some drops, but I've worked hard on that and they're getting better everyday." Play is a bit inconsistent? "I always showed up." Doesn't relish blocking responsibilities? "None of this is true. This is why you can't always believe what you read." He takes a final look at "The Sporting News" wide receivers ranking list and sets the magazine down. He is ranked No. 9. "It's like I'm the underdog because I'm from a I-AA school," he says. "Braylon Edwards (of Michigan) and Mike Williams (Southern California) are going to be the top two. After those two, there's me; I proved that at the (NFL scouting) combine. "In the long run, when all is said and done, you can put this in quotes: 'I will be the best (wide receiver) out of this class. I will be the most productive one. And it's going to come back and haunt a whole lot of teams because they passed me up when they could've had me.' "It's just not true that I'm not a character guy. My life has come a long way." HU coach Joe Taylor and Shaun Huls, the Pirates' strength and conditioning coach, will vouch for his character. Both had criticized his work ethic or attitude in the past. Prior to last season, Taylor urged Mathis to display more leadership. He responded by becoming one of the most vocal members of the Pirates' 10-player leadership committee. On the field, he sacrificed individual glory by often acting as a decoy to open things up for HU's other receivers. As a result, he caught just 30 passes but still led Division I-AA with 29.8 yards per catch. Taylor says Mathis never complained about the role on the team that finished 10-2 and won the MEAC title. "There were times when he came off the field and asked for the ball more, because he's such a competitor," Taylor said. "But he always put the team first. That's what we mean when we talk about character." Mathis did not sulk when Taylor criticized his commitment to weight-lifting in a newspaper article last August. Instead, he became a weight-room junkie. Huls had also butted heads with Mathis' about his lifting habits the previous year. But they quickly became allies in Mathis' quest to reach the NFL. "Sometimes it's hard for the really good athletes to see that they need to work harder," Huls said. "But when he realized that he was just scratching the surface of his potential, that's where he turned it around." Since concentrating on lifting, Mathis has gained 23 pounds, from 158 to 181, and added five inches to his vertical jump. He did so without losing any speed, as evidenced by his 4.26-second 40 at the combine. In between, he broke the Division I-AA record for kickoff return touchdowns (five) and caught nine touchdown passes. Then he impressed NFL scouts with a dominating college football all-star game performance. But the character questions still linger. Mathis was charged with assault for fighting more than two years ago, but says the charges were dropped. He says he put that behind him and became smarter. If scouts don't believe that, he says he'll win them over with his actions, same as he did Taylor and Huls. "I know teams are worried about making a million-dollar investment in a guy and they don't want it to be a risk," Mathis said. "But I've never been a character problem. If you want to fault me for mistakes I made when I was young, it'll come back to haunt you. "Know that I know what I have to lose; I can easily walk away from trouble. I guarantee this: I'm going to leave a mark in the NFL, in a good, positive way. http://www.meacfans.com/cgi-bin/ubb...43;t=005238;p=1 Kid talks a good game too, he could be something special and with AJ, could give teams real coverage problems.
Do the Texans plan on doing anything about their pathetic O-line? I don't believe they have done anything in note to fix one of the worst pass blocking units in league history and nobody at this stage in the draft is going to be much help.
Texans take a center Drew Hodgdon. Overall: Hodgdon was a heavyweight weightlifting champion in high school but he also tore his left ACL. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2000 and was a reserve interior offensive lineman as a redshirt freshman in 2001 before becoming a fulltime starter at right guard in 2002. He moved to center in 2003, where he was the fulltime starter his final two seasons at Arizona State. Hodgdon lacks exceptional tools but he is a player that continues to improve and has excelled since his move from OG to OC. He has below average bulk and strength, and he doesn't have great downfield mobility. He is, however, an above average athlete with good lateral movement skills and short-area agility. He also is technically sound, efficient, tough and durable. Hodgdon has a passion for the game and shows a very good work-ethic on and off the field. http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft...r?id%3 D8497
I like the Morency pick. I watched a lot of Oklahoma State games last year and he was a beast. He's got a good balance of speed and power and some nice offensive moves.
