O'Brien publicly stated during his pre-draft conference call with the media last Thursday that this is the most talented and complete roster the Texans have had in the "Deshaun Watson era." So what will be the philosophy behind this "DWE" offense suddenly missing arguably the best receiver on the planet? The system within the passing game won't be revamped, I'm told, but it now relies entirely on Watson to spread the football around equally between receivers, tight ends and running backs. Over the last few years, O'Brien used to openly admit that the Texans were trying to feed the ball to Hopkins as much as possible, and Watson had made similar comments. That mindset and that caliber of pass catcher are gone. Even if changes occur, Houston's system is still very similar to how the Patriots operate their dropback game. It's worth noting that in every season except for the short period where New England had Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss, Tom Brady never truly had a No. 1 receiver who compared to Hopkins. I think people would say this scheme worked pretty well in New England. Those same people would say it worked because the Pats had Brady. To my knowledge, the Texans are focused on being as precise as possible in how they operate with Watson completely in control. Everyone exactly where they're supposed to be, when they're supposed to be there. No freelancing in your routes. The emphasis this offseason, I'm told, is in the details of the passing game, and that it operates with everyone functioning as one cohesive unit. O'Brien believes this season, because of the current circumstances with social distancing, will be a veteran-driven one. Hence why Watson is now surrounded by a slew of vets at receiver, tight end and running back.
Jags are going through a dramatic change. Lee has hardly played the last 2-years because of knee injuries--I'd pass. We have 4 solid receivers, 2 decent back-up slots, and a few developmental guys; I'd pass on Lee and look for a rookie in draft or FA frenzy afterwards to bring into camp. Be nice if we found someone with size to give us another look if they develop.
Spoiler Which NFL teams have drafted the best in the past 5 years? How has your favorite team fared in recent NFL Drafts? The answer is not easy to determine. There’s no scoreboard. The standard M.O. is for experts to assign a letter grade to each team’s class in the initial days after the draft, but such exercises are highly subjective and woefully premature when most NFL coaches and scouts believe it takes three years to accurately evaluate a player. At The Athletic we tried to determine a more accurate method of evaluation by conducting an in-depth analysis of the past five NFL Drafts. We evaluated each team’s personnel hauls from the 2015-to-2019 drafts and ranked them according to the number of quality players they selected. How did we determine which players were considered “quality” talents? We leaned on the analysis of Pro Football Focus to establish the criteria. In its updated 2020 NFL Draft Guide, Pro Football Focus listed a projected starting lineup for each NFL team and categorized each starter according to its grading system: elite; high quality; good; average; below average; poor; or incomplete. Any player graded as elite, high quality or good was designated as a “quality player.” To break ties among teams with the same number of quality players, we used the number of elite players each team drafted. For example, the Saints ranked ahead of the other teams with eight quality players (the 49ers, Cowboys, Colts and Jaguars) because they drafted four elite players – Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk and Michael Thomas – while the 49ers (Nick Bosa and George Kittle) and Colts (Darius Leonard and Quenton Nelson) selected just two each. There are a lot of ways to procure NFL talent, but the college draft has always been the most popular and cost-effective way to do business. And the results of our study validated an age-old NFL tenet: Teams that draft well usually play well. Not surprisingly, three of the teams with the best records in the NFL last season – the Ravens (14-2), Saints (13-3) and 49ers (13-3) – also enjoyed the most draft success in the past five years, according to our findings. In fact, the Ravens drafted so well, three of the quality players they selected — Breshad Perriman, Za’Darius Smith and Darren Waller — are now on other teams, and Baltimore has not skipped a beat on the field. The Saints’ draft success is particularly impressive, considering it occurred with only 33 selections (fifth fewest in the league) and not a single one from the Top 10. Their 2017 haul of Lattimore, Kamara, Ramczyk, Marcus Williams and Alex Anzalone ranks among the best classes in recent years. It was surprising to see two of the league’s most successful teams — the Patriots and Eagles — at the bottom of the rankings. Their poor work in recent drafts might eventually catch up to them, but for now they have managed to overcome it by utilizing the free agent and trade markets to stock their rosters. Despite failing to draft a single elite player between them since 2015, the Patriots and Eagles have combined for seven division titles and three Super Bowl championships in the past five seasons. A look at how each NFL team has fared in the past five drafts: Ravens: # Picks (1sts): 47 (6) |Average Draft Slot: 19 | Starters: 13 | Pro Bowlers: 7 | All-Pros: 3 | Quality Players: 10 1. Baltimore Ravens (47 picks, 6 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 10 (Elite: Lamar Jackson. High quality: Mark Andrews; Marlon Humphrey; *Za’Darius Smith; Ronnie Stanley; *Darren Waller. Good: Marquis Brown; Orlando Brown; Matt Judon; *Breshad Perriman). __________ Titans: # Picks (1sts): 38 (6) | Average Draft Slot: 11 | Starters: 12 | Pro Bowlers: 2 | All-Pros: 2 | Quality Players: 9 2. Tennessee Titans (38 picks 6 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 9 (High quality: Kevin Byard; A.J. Brown; Adoree Jackson. Good: Jayon Brown; *Jack Conklin; Derrick Henry; Harold Landry; Jeffery Simmons; Jonnu Smith). __________ Saints: # Picks (1sts): 33 (4) | Average Draft Slot: 16 | Starters: 12 | Pro Bowlers: 4 | All-Pros: 2 | Quality Players: 8 3. New Orleans Saints (33 picks, 4 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 8 (Elite: Alvin Kamara; Marshon Lattimore; Ryan Ramczyk; Michael Thomas. High quality: Erik McCoy; Marcus Williams. Good: Marcus Davenport; C.J. Gardner-Johnson). __________ 49ers: # Picks (1sts): 48 (7) | Average Draft Slot: 14 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 4 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 8 4. San Francisco 49ers (48 picks, 7 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 8 (Elite: Nick Bosa; George Kittle. High quality: Arik Armstead; DeForest Buckner; Deebo Samuel; Fred Warner. Good: *Trent Brown; Mike McGlinchey). __________ Colts: # Picks (1sts): 45 (4) | Average Draft Slot: 18 | Starters: 12 | Pro Bowlers: 5 | All-Pros: 2 | Quality Players: 8 5. Indianapolis Colts (45 picks, 4 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 8 (Elite: Darius Leonard; Quenton Nelson. Good: *Nate Hairston; Malik Hooker; Ryan Kelly; Bobby Okereke; Braden Smith; Kemoko Turay). __________ Cowboys: # Picks (1sts): 43 (4) | Average Draft Slot: 21 | Starters: 11 | Pro Bowlers: 3 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 8 6. Dallas Cowboys (43 picks, 4 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 8 (High quality: Ezekiel Elliott, *Byron Jones; Dak Prescott; Jaylon Smith; Leighton Vander Esch. Good: *Maliek Collins; Michael Gallup; Xavier Woods). __________ Chiefs: # Picks (1sts): 36 (2) | Average Draft Slot: 21 | Starters: 6 | Pro Bowlers: 7 | All-Pros: 3 | Quality Players: 7 7. Kansas City Chiefs (36 picks, 2 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 7 (Elite: Tyreek Hill; Chris Jones; Patrick Mahomes. High quality: Marcus Peters. Good: Mitch Morse; Steven Nelson; Juan Thornhill). __________ Browns: # Picks (1sts): 52 (6) | Average Draft Slot: 9 | Starters: 8 | Pro Bowlers: 4 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 7 8. Cleveland Browns (52 picks, 6 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 7 (Elite: Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett. High quality: Joe Schobert; Denzel Ward. Good: Baker Mayfield; Jabril Peppers; Danny Shelton). __________ Steelers: # Picks (1sts): 39 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 23 | Starters: 7 | Pro Bowlers: 3 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 7 9. Pittsburgh Steelers (39 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 7 (Elite: T.J.Watt. Good: Devin Bush Jr.; James Conner; Bud Dupree; *Javon Hargrave; Dionte Johnson; Juju Smith-Schuster). __________ Buccaneers: # Picks (1sts): 36 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 10 | Starters: 13 | Pro Bowlers: 3 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 7 10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (36 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 7 (High quality: Chris Godwin; Ali Marpet; Vita Vea. Good: Carlton Davis; Jamel Dean; Donovan Smith; Devin White). __________ Jaguars: # Picks (1sts): 36 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 7 | Starters: 12 | Pro Bowlers: 4 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 7 11. Jacksonville Jaguars (36 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 7 (High quality: Yannick Ngakoue; *Jalen Ramsey. Good: Josh Allen; Taven Bryan; D.J. Chark; *Dante Fowler Jr.; Myles Jack). __________ Panthers: # Picks (1sts): 32 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 20 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 1 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 6 12. Carolina Panthers (32 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 6 (Elite: Christian McCaffrey. High quality: D.J. Moore; Taylor Moton. Good: Brian Burns; Curtis Samuel; Shaq Thompson). __________ Bears: # Picks (1sts): 32 (4) | Average Draft Slot: 10 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 5 | All-Pros: 2 | Quality Players: 6 13. Chicago Bears (32 picks, 4 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 6 (Elite: Eddie Jackson. High quality: *Adrian Amos. Good: James Daniels; Eddie Goldman; Anthony Miller; Cody Whitehair). __________ Texans: # Picks (1sts): 35 (4) | Average Draft Slot: 15 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 2 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 6 14. Houston Texans (35 picks, 4 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 6 (High quality: *D.J. Reader; Justin Reid; Deshaun Watson. Good: Will Fuller; Nick Martin; Benardick McKinney. __________ Lions: # Picks (1sts): 41 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 19 | Starters: 10 | Pro Bowlers: 1 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 6 15. Detroit Lions (41 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 6 (High quality: Kenny Golladay. Good: Taylor Decker; *Graham Glasgow; Kerryon Johnson; Frank Ragnow; Tracy Walker).
Spoiler Chargers: # Picks (1sts): 34 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 14 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 3 | All-Pros: 2 | Quality Players: 5 16. Los Angeles Chargers (34 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 5. (Elite: Joey Bosa; Derwin James. High quality: Desmond King. Good: Hunter Henry; Mike Williams). __________ Vikings: # Picks (1sts): 49 (4) | Average Draft Slot: 19 | Starters: 11 | Pro Bowlers: 3 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 5 17. Minnesota Vikings (49 picks, 4 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 5. (Elite: Eric Kendricks. High quality: Dalvin Cook; *Stefon Diggs; Danielle Hunter. Good: Brian O’Neill). __________ Packers: # Picks (1sts): 44 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 23 | Starters: 10 | Pro Bowlers: 1 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 5 18. Green Bay Packers (44 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 5. (Elite: Kenny Clark. High quality: Jaire Alexander; Aaron Jones. Good: Elgton Jenkins; Darnell Savage). __________ Giants: # Picks (1sts): 34 (7) | Average Draft Slot: 10 | Starters: 10 | Pro Bowlers: 2 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 5 19. New York Giants (34 picks, 7 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 5. (Elite: Saquon Barkley. Good: *Landon Collins; Evan Engram; Dexter Lawrence; Steling Shepard). __________ Jets: # Picks (1sts): 34 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 7 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 2 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 5 20. New York Jets (34 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 5. (Elite: Jamal Adams. Good: Chris Herndon; Marcus Maye; *Leonard Williams; Quinnen Williams). __________ Redskins: # Picks (1sts): 45 (6) | Average Draft Slot: 14 | Starters: 14 | Pro Bowlers: 1 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 5 21. Washington Redskins (45 picks, 6 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 5. (High quality: Terry McLaurin; Brandon Scherff. Good: Kendall Fuller, Matt Ioannidis; *Preston Smith). __________ Falcons: # Picks (1sts): 32 (6) | Average Draft Slot: 18 | Starters: 11 | Pro Bowlers: 5 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 4 22. Atlanta Falcons (32 picks, 6 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 4. (Elite: Grady Jarrett. High quality: Deion Jones; Good: *Austin Hooper; Calvin Ridley). __________ Dolphins: # Picks (1sts): 36 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 14 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 2 | All-Pros: 1 | Quality Players: 4 23. Miami Dolphins (36 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 4. (High quality: *Minkah Fitzpatrick; Xavien Howard; DeVante Parker; *Laremy Tunsil). __________ Seahawks: # Picks (1sts): 49 (3) | Average Draft Slot: 29 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 4 | All-Pros: 2 | Quality Players: 4 24. Seattle Seahawks (49 picks, 3 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 4. (High quality: Chris Carson; Tyler Lockett. Good: *Frank Clark; D..K. Metcalf). __________ Raiders: # Picks (1sts): 44 (7) | Average Draft Slot: 12 | Starters: 7 | Pro Bowlers: 1 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 4 25. Las Vegas Raiders (44 picks, 7 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 4. (High quality: *Amari Cooper; Josh Jacobs. Good: Maxx Crosby; Maurice Hurst). __________ Bengals: # Picks (1sts): 48 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 15 | Starters: 11 | Pro Bowlers: 0 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 4 26. Cincinnati Bengals (48 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 4. (Good: Jessie Bates; Tyler Boyd; William Jackson; Joe Mixon). __________ Rams: # Picks (1sts): 42 (2) | Average Draft Slot: 14 | Starters: 11 | Pro Bowlers: 3 | All-Pros: 2 | Quality Players: 3 27. Los Angeles Rams (42 picks, 2 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 3. (High quality: Tyler Higbee. Good: John Johnson; Cooper Kupp). __________ Broncos: # Picks (1sts): 41 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 19 | Starters: 8 | Pro Bowlers: 1 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 3 28. Denver Broncos (41 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 3. (High quality: Justin Simmons; Courtland Sutton. Good: *Connor McGovern). __________ Bills: # Picks (1sts): 35 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 17 | Starters: 10 | Pro Bowlers: 2 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 3 29. Buffalo Bills (35 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 3. (High quality: Tre’Davious White. Good: Dion Dawkins; Matt Milano). __________ Patriots: # Picks (1sts): 42 (4) | Average Draft Slot: 31 | Starters: 7 | Pro Bowlers: 0 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 3 30. New England Patriots (42 picks, 4 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 3. (High quality: *Trey Flowers; Joe Thuney. Good: Shaw Mason). __________ Cardinals: # Picks (1sts): 37 (5) | Average Draft Slot: 15 | Starters: 7 | Pro Bowlers: 2 | All-Pros: 2 | Quality Players: 2 31. Arizona Cardinals (37 picks, 5 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 2. (Good: Budda Baker; *David Johnson). __________ Eagles: # Picks (1sts): 32 (4) | Average Draft Slot: 18 | Starters: 9 | Pro Bowlers: 1 | All-Pros: 0 | Quality Players: 1 32. Philadelphia Eagles (32 picks, 4 first-rounders) Quality players drafted: 1. (Good: Carson Wentz).
Heres a little bright news to Texans fans. Jerry Jones will draft at home alone, with no one to stop him
LOL. Theyre playing on Rookie level. They couldve made Tom Savage, Keith Mumphery, Alfred Blue and Lestar Jean look good.
2nd+3rd+ Bmac for 1st round pick then trade that first round pick for Patrick Chung. That sound good? ok. Just give it some time.
