SB Nation - Paul McQuistan

Cowboys Injury Update

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:43 -0000

In his press conference today, Coach Phillips said that Ken Hamlin and Andre Gurode practiced today on a "limited" basis and were moving around pretty well. He expects them to put in a full practice tomorrow.

Also, the Cowboys worked out Pat McQuistan's twin brother, Paul, today.

McQuistan, a third-round pick of Oakland in 2006, was cut by the Raiders earlier this week. He started some games for the Raiders, playing tackle and guard, but spent most of last season on injured reserve.

More Cowboys @ Packers injury news after the jump.

Here is the week's injury report for both teams, courtesy of packers.com.

Green Bay Packers
Player	Pos.	Injury	Wednesday Participation	Thursday Participation	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Jake Allen	WR	Quadricep	Full Participation	Full Participation
Allen Barbre	T/G	Concussion	Limited Participation	Full Participation
Brandon Chillar	LB	Hand	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
Jermichael Finley	TE	Knee	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
Korey Hall	FB	Calf	Full Participation	Full Participation
Cullen Jenkins	DE	Ankle	Limited Participation	Limited Participation
Aaron Kampman	LB	Concussion	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
Derrick Martin	S	Concussion	Full Participation	Full Participation
Jordy Nelson	WR	Knee	Limited Participation	Full Participation
Brady Poppinga	LB	Quadricep	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
Aaron Rodgers	QB	Feet	Limited Participation	Full Participation
Mark Tauscher	T	Knee	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
Charles Woodson	CB	Hip	Limited Participation	Full Participation


Dallas Cowboys
Player	Pos.	Injury	Wednesday Participation	Thursday Participation	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Marion Barber	RB	Thumb	Full Participation	Full Participation
Andre Gurode	C	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation
Ken Hamlin	S	Groin	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation
Allen Rossum	CB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
Gerald Sensabaugh	S	Thumb	Full Participation	Full Participation
DeMarcus Ware	LB	Foot	Full Participation	Full Participation

Working Toward The 53-Man Roster: The Defensive Line

LiveAdam — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:10:16 -0000

With the first preseason game quickly approaching, the battle between 80 men vying for 53 spots on the Oakland Raiders final roster is intensifying. While many of the 53 spots are nearly guaranteed to our feature players, certain positions such as wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, and secondary still have a few roster spots that are up for grabs with several players making their case for the spot on the roster during training camp and the preseason games. Over the next month leading up to the season opener we’ll discuss position groups and who we’d like to see make the 53-man roster in those position groups.

Last season the Raiders kept 8 defensive linemen on their 53 man roster, 4 defensive ends and 4 defensive tackles. I expect the same basic format for this year’s defensive line, and I have identified 1 open roster spot at defensive tackle.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

The defensive end position has gone through a good bit of turnover from last season. Both of the starters at DE in the second half of the season, Derrick Burgess and Kalimba Edwards, are no longer with the team.

Greg Ellis

via imgs.sfgate.com

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Greg Ellis, he was drafted 8^th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys (much to the chagrin of Randy Moss). In 2006 Ellis suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. Through vigorous rehabilitation Ellis came back in Week 4 of the 2007, and in 13 games racked up 12.5 sacks on his way to both the Comeback Player of the Year Award and his first Pro Bowl appearance. Ellis’ playing time decreased with the addition of DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer to the Cowboys, along with the transition from a base 4-3 to a base 3-4. While listed at 265 pounds, Ellis’ playing weight is probably closer to 280 pounds, and he was not able to make the transition to OLB. As a result, despite starting all 16 games and tallying 8 sacks in 2008, the Cowboys decided to release Ellis in favor of Ware and Spencer (Ellis’ request for a contract extension assisted in his departure as well).

Ellis has been penciled in to replace Burgess at left defensive end. Like Burgess, Ellis’ run stopping at the left end may be a bit of a question mark, but he’s a bit bigger than Burgess so it may be an improvement. Ellis should also be able to provide nearly the same pass rush as Burgess. So long as he can stay healthy, I think we will all be pleased with Greg Ellis at left defensive end.

Trevor Scott

via www.raiderfans.net

By now we all know the story of Trevor Scott. The University of Buffalo product was converted from tight end to defensive end in the middle of his college career and made the most of it. In just two seasons at DE in college, Scott racked up 19 sacks. As a rookie last season, Scott got work as a situational pass rusher and recorded 5 sacks, with his best performance coming against Brett Favre and the New York Jets.

In the offseason Scott worked diligently on his strength and conditioning as well as his technique in order to crack the starting lineup for the defensive line, and for now it appears that his efforts are being rewarded. Scott is penciled in as the starting right defensive end. This will be a position to take note of during preseason to determine whether Scott can wreak havoc on opposing QBs as well as be stout at the point of attack against the run. If he is unable to hold his own against the run, the Raiders will need to look to Richardson or Shaughnessy as a base end and continue to use Scott as a nickel pass-rushing specialist.

Jay Richardson

via media.signonsandiego.com

The Raiders drafted Jay Richardson in the 5^th round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He proceeded to beat out 3^rd round pick Quentin Moses for a spot on the 53 man roster, and played in rotation in 2007. In 2008 Richardson was penciled in as the starter at right defensive end. Richardson didn’t get a lot of opportunities to play at that position however, as he shifted to left defensive end when Derrick Burgess suffered a triceps injury and missed six games. Working in rotation with Burgess and Trevor Scott, Richardson managed 3 sacks, including a safety sack on Miami’s Chad Pennington.

With Greg Ellis entrenched at left defensive end, Richardson and Scott are fighting for the starting role at right defensive end. Scott has the upper hand with his superior pass rush abilities. Furthermore, Richardson recently informed the media that he is still recovering from offseason knee surgery. So long as Scott proves he can handle himself against the run I expect Richardson to come off the bench to spell Ellis at left defensive end.

Matt Shaughnessy

via www.exposay.com

Much as the media labeled Darrius Heyward-Bey and Mike Mitchell as "reaches" in the draft, I actually labeled Shaughnessy as our biggest reach of our draft class. After reading some of the scouting reports on him I calmed down a little bit though. Every indication is that Shaughnessy is a high-motor guy who may not be the most talented but will work extremely hard to get the job done. Like Richardson, Shaughnessy is a more of a base defensive end, so it will be interesting to see if he can provide some pass rush. If he can and plays against the run better than Scott, he may actually find himself as the starter at right defensive end. If Shaughnessy gets outplayed by Gunheim or Gray he could be waived, but the Raiders cannot make a habit out of drafting 3^rd round players that cannot crack the 53 man roster.

Greyson Gunheim

via imgs.sfgate.com

Gunheim signed as an UDFA last preseason and showed enough promise to earn a spot on the Raiders practice squad before getting signed to the active roster in November. His claim to fame is the sack of Jeff Garcia that ended the 2008 season with a win against Tampa Bay. I’ve heard significantly less about Gunheim during this year’s training camp than I did last season, and Gunheim only has more people in front of him now. I consider him a long shot to make the squad this season.

Derrick Gray

via www.raiders.com

Like Gunheim, Gray signed as an UDFA in 2008 and spent the year on the Raiders practice squad. Again, he’s got a lot of people in front of him, and we haven’t heard enough about his play in training camp to think he’s going to make the 53 man squad.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

The defensive tackles for the Raiders take a lot of grief from the Raider Nation, some of it deserved and some probably not. We all understand that they are a talented group, but inconsistency seems to follow them wherever they go. Unlike the defensive ends, the group at defensive tackle is fairly set, with likely only one roster change from last year.

Tommy Kelly

via www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

Kelly joined the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2004. By 2008, he was one of the highest paid defensive tackles in the game, despite inconsistent play. Kelly has Ed Jasper and Warren Sapp to thank for his enormous contract, as both had high praise for him as a 3-technique defensive tackle. We all understand that Kelly may not be the best UT in the game, but he was the best UT in the 2008 free agent class and we absolutely needed to keep him around, so Al Davis did what he had to. Kelly had a fair 2008, collecting 4.5 sacks and 55 tackles. His presence in games varied from average to unstoppable. Raider Nation hopes to see more of the latter in 2009. Kelly once again will be the starting under-tackle on the defensive line.

Gerard Warren

via www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

The Raiders made a rare trade with the Denver Broncos for Gerard "Big Money" Warren before the 2007 season. Much like Kelly, Warren is exceedingly talented, but is very inconsistent in his play, and goes from being mediocre at times to being absolutely dominant at others. Warren has the starting nose tackle job locked up though, so we can only hope for more consistency in his play in 2009.

Terdell Sands

via www.imageofsport.com

Terdell Sands – you either love him or hate him. Most fans expect a man with such an impressive stature to simply man-handle his opponent and win all individual battles. Unfortunately, Sands’ inconsistent play displays that he gets just as good as he gives at times. Part of our displeasure with Sands is his hefty contract that he simply hasn’t lived up to yet. Many fans call for him to be cut from the team, especially after allegedly punching Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler in the face. Still, Sands is the closest thing to a true nose tackle the Raiders have, and he does flash dominance at times (see last year’s game vs. San Diego where he sacked Philip Rivers twice in dramatic fashion).

Reports indicate that Sands has reported to camp in significantly better shape than in previous years. Also, an interesting article including an interview with Sands surfaced earlier this offseason which indicated that Sands understood he needed to step his game up this year. Sands has a roster spot locked up, and we can only hope he can do more to stuff the line of scrimmage in the run game and demand double coverage in passing situations.

Desmond Bryant

via www.imageofsport.com

Desmond Bryant is my official dark horse candidate for the final roster spot designated for the defensive line. The Raiders love versatility from their backups, and at 6’5", 290 lbs with sub-5 second speed, Bryant has the size and speed to be useful both as a UT and as a DE. Many have questioned his meager numbers playing for Harvard in Ivy League football, but one article I read stated that Bryant was consistently double and even triple-teamed by opposing offensive lines. One training camp report I read stated that Bryant was man-handling Paul McQuistan in drills, and may be impressing coaches Marshall and Board. I’ll be very interested to see how much time Bryant gets during the preseason to prove he can play at the NFL level.

William Joseph

via i448.photobucket.com

The Raiders do love to collect former first round draft picks. Joseph was drafted by the New York Giants in 2003 and spent 5 years with them before signing with the Raiders before the 2008 season. Joseph did not make the 53 man roster initially last season, but was finally added to the roster in early November once the Raiders finally realized that they could not go through games with only 3 defensive tackles on the active roster. All indications are that Joseph is a fine athlete but is a perennial underachiever. I would not be too surprised if Joseph ended up as the Raiders 4^th defensive tackle, but I would prefer the more versatile Bryant to make the team over Joseph. The upcoming month will determine the winner of this roster battle.

Ryan Boschetti

via static.nfl.com

The Raiders signed Boschetti as a free agent this offseason. He had previously been on the Redskins’ practice squad, and Coach Cable touted Boschetti’s work ethic and high motor as a motivating force for the rest of the defensive line. Cable also stated that Boschetti was getting work at both DT and DE, showing the versatility required for a backup. Unfortunately, Boschetti’s only mention from training camp reports was when Darren McFadden knocked him on his ass during a pass protection drill. If the Raiders are looking for versatility they should look to Bryant rather than Boschetti. Don’t expect him to make the 53 man roster.

So Silver and Black Pride Nation, what are your thoughts on the Raiders’ 2009 defensive line lineup?

Poll

Of those players not necessarily guaranteed a roster spot, whom would you like to see make the defensive line squad on the 53 man roster? Please state why in the comments section.

Desmond Bryant

240 votes

Greyson Gunheim

40 votes

Derrick Gray

20 votes

Matt Shaughnessy

382 votes

William Joseph

47 votes

Ryan Boschetti

42 votes

771 votes | Poll has closed

Recent Draft History: Oakland Raiders

Jeremy Bolander — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:00:11 -0000

2008 Draft:

1 (4) Darren McFadden, RB STARTER

No one doubts his talent, but better backs have faltered with fewer problems. McFadden spent he season never quite getting on track with various injuries, including the dreaded turftoe, which is the bane of speedsters everywhere. He will likely benefit from the new coaching regime in Oakland, and is a huge part of helping QB Russell develop.

4 (100) Tyvon Branch, CB STARTER

Multiple injuries put the kid on reserve, but in his short time starting, he made Michael Huff expendable. A key component going forward.

4 (125) Arman Shields, WR Backup

After missing most of offseason practices with a bum knee, he was finally IRed and missed the entire season. He'll get a chance to prove himself all over again in 09.

6 (169) Trevor Scott, DE Backup

As a rotational starter this late pick showed the kind of workethic that could elevate him to a star. WIth 5 sacks in only limited reps he looks to be a key piece moving forward, but his slight frame and lower weight than ideal for the position may cap his ceiling at exceptional backup, or roleplayer.

7 (226) Chaz Schilens, WR Backup

Another solid late round pick, injuries hampered him, but whne he was given opportunities, this big WR managed to make Russell's life a lot easier. A big third down target, Schilens could have a possession role for the rest of his career and thrive.

2007 Draft:

1 (1) JaMarcus Russel, QB STARTER

While his development may not be going at ludicrous speed, lost in all of that he is still the youngest QB in the league, who was drafted on upside. With his arm, he has the ability to get out of any predicament, but he still needs to get the nuances of NFL QBing under his belt. Development, development, development is the word with Russell. he can't be asked to dumb his game down with dink and dunk Flacco-style playcalling, or he will never see his full potential. The Raiders knew they would have some growing pains with this QB, and more important than laboring over every little flaw in his game, is the addressing of the offensive line to give him the opportunity to continue to grow.

2 (38) Zach Miller, TE STARTER

By far the most potent and consistent weapon on the offense, Miller will only get better as the team upgrades around him. Tough, no-nonsense, and a willing and capable blocker make Miller one fo the top finds for Oakland in this draft.

3 (68) Quentin Moses, DE Backup/Miami

Moses made no impact for Oakland, and was shipped out before the 2008 season. In Miami he has been injured and deactivated.

3 (91) Mario Henderson, OT STARTER

Henderson has been a huge part of Russell's development, and looks to continue to be so. With his ability to shift to RT, it will give the Raider's plenty of options in the draft.

3 (99) Johnnie Lee higgins, WR STARTER

One of the few Raiders WRs who isn't mired in personal problems, Higgins is their most legitimate threat at the position. He is better served in the #2 role however, so the Raiders will be hoping someone else steps up and allows Higgins to slip back into a less central role.

4 (100) Michael Bush, RB Backup

After failing to be activated in his rookie year, his development was even further delayed under oustered coach, Kiffin. When he can get into a game, he tends to have a dramatic effect, and his bruising style should be jsut what the 2009 Raiders are looking for. He has the potential to be a "breakout" player, just from being used consistently and correctly.

4 (110) John Bowie, CB Backup

After playing the role of weekly inactive his first season, his second season was over before it started with a trip to IR. Bowie will be retained for depth reason, but should be jettisonned once the team clears the high water mark in this rebuilding phase.

5 (138) Jay Richardson, DE Backup

Richardson has stepped in adequately the last two years in the event o fiinjury, and has a good, teamfirst attitude. he will likely serve a depth role for a while with Oakland, and has just enough potential to not be written off in the future as a player who could deliver some impact.

5 (165) Eric Frampton, S backup/Vikings

After failing to turn heads in Oakland, the Vikings poached Frampton and struggled to get him on teh field, deactivating him initally for depth reasons,a nd eventually for injury reasons. his future looks pretty uncertain.

6 (175) Oren O'neal, FB Backup

After an inconsistent rookie year, injuries reared again in 2008 and cost him the whole season. His rehab has been reported as going well, and he expects to be ready for 2009.

7 Jonathan Holland, WR Backup

After being waived with an injury settlement as a rookie, Holland was brought back to the practice squad in 08, and eventually promoted to teh active roster. He will be in the mix for reliable receiver depth in the 09 training camp.

2006 Draft:

1 (7) Michael Huff, S STARTER

Though the team was expected to let Huff go, the loss of Wilson in FA forced their hand. This highly touted prospect is essentially down to his last chance. If he fails to improve by leaps and bounds in his fourth year, there is no chance he even makes it through the whole season.

2 (38) Thomas Howard, LB STARTER

Howard has developed into a young stud, and has prompted comparisons to all time greats at the position. He is definitely an anchor that the team can rely on, and is a devestating force in the middle. 2008 seemed to expose some flaws in his coverage, but he will probably rebound from that in 09, along with the rest of the defense.

3 (69) Paul McQuistan, G backup

With Jake Grove leaving in free agency, the interior of the line should see some shifting to go along witht eh shifting on the ends. McQuistan is one of the bigger more powerful guards, but he will have a tough battle with icumbent Cooper Carlisle, who has done a good job and held his own.

4 (101) Darnell Bing, LB Backup/Detroit

After failing at LB in oakland, the 49ers picked him up and tried hima t safety, followed by an experiment witht he Jets, and finally an inactive roster spot on the Lions.

7 (214) Chris Morris, C Backup

Morris has amounted to little more than safe depth at the center position. As a value at #3, it is unlikely that the Raiders will part with him anytime soon, especially with the loss of a free agent C.

7 (255) Larry McMahan, WR Out of NFL

McMahan disappeared sometime during the 2006 training camp,a nd was never seen nor heard froma again...

Should Texans Fans Watch The Combine?

Jake — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:42:35 -0000

Its mid February and the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine is almost upon us. As I have stated before, I personally am not a huge fan of the Combine because I believe too much emphasis is placed on the drills that the players perform. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t know how fast a guy is and the league should stop testing them in the 40 yard dash; that would be absolutely silly. I just think that the Combine was something that started off as another good tool for general managers to add with all the other steps they took to evaluate and eventually decide if a player was right for them or not, but somewhere along the way it went from a measuring stick to the end-all/be-all of player evaluation.

I’m not alone with my opinion of the Combine. Even Mike Mayock, who is employed as a draft analyst by NFL Network and therefore by the league itself, has criticized the Combine occasionally. He makes good points too, citing the difference between what he calls “functional playing speed and manufactured speed.” The only player that is going to run perfectly straight for 40 yards in a game is a WR, and even he isn’t going to do it from a three point stance.

Proponents of the Combine will be quick to tell you that the myriad drills simulate and test the physical talents you need to play in the NFL no matter what the position, and that the Combine is a venue where athletes from smaller schools can be sized up against players from larger programs while all in the same setting. The problems I have with these arguments are 1) many of the athletes choose not to participate in the other drills (in fact the majority only do the 40 yard dash and the bench press), and 2) the athletes all compete but they do so in athleticism tests, not at football.

For all my whining about the Combine, there is one thing I can’t refute--I will spend a lot of time watching and reading coverage of the event. What can I say? I love the NFL, and the only things happening in the league in mid to late February happen in Indianapolis. Interesting stories always come from putting that many front office personnel in one place during free agency, and draft speculation abounds, which helps me through my withdrawals from football, which are really bad right now (I tried watching basketball the other night and just felt cheap).

The biggest reason, however, that I will be paying close attention is not listed above. While it may not interest you to learn how I feel about the player tests, it will certainly be in your best interest to know how Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith feel about them. Unfortunately, we don’t regularly swap phone calls and I’m not exactly on their e-mail distribution lists. So in the absence of asking them, I took a look at how their draft decisions might have been influenced by the Combine since they took over in 2006, and I think you might be surprised at what I found.

Let me set the record straight by saying that there is no way of knowing that a good or bad Combine performance directly led to Smithiak taking or passing on particular players. They obviously looked at intangibles such as if they fit or respective schemes; Alex Gibbs’ zone blocking system, Kyle Shannahan’s vertical passing attack, or the lack of scheme in the case of Richard Smith’s Defense (sorry, still bitter). Also, some people around the league will roll the dice on a draftee with “personality problems”, but Kubiak and Smith placed a high priority on detecting if a player is right for our locker room, which I’m proud to say seems like a deal-breaker for whether or not they would add someone to the roster.

Draft analysts have identified another trend with the Texans besides looking for players with good character that fit their schemes. In May of every year, most of the articles about the Texans center on the fact that we “reached” for our draft selections. The most notorious of the "reaches" was in the first Texans draft in which Kubiak participated. Every so-called expert slighted us for taking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush, and comparisons were immediately made to passing on Michael Jordan. While Super Mario’s play since then has vindicated that pick, the criticism for other drafts has been the same. While I have confidence that Kubiak and Smith know what they’re doing, I’ve often wondered why we continually take players before they’re “supposed” to be picked. With the Combine coming up now, I decided to try and discern if the famous scouting event might be part of the reason.

Author’s Note: I have to admit that my brother Tyler (a.k.a. Prussian) also inspired me to take a closer look at the Combine. The research for this post was extremely difficult. Thanks Ty.

The way I went about analyzing how the Combine affected their decisions was definitely not what you might call exact, but I feel it gives insight nonetheless. I looked specifically at the players that the Texans drafted in the first four rounds in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (I used only the first four rounds because I believe any player you select in rounds 5-7 is an educated guess and therefore the “reach” theory doesn’t apply). First I took note of where they were projected to be drafted and where we actually took them. With the “reaching” trend in mind, I then researched their combine performances, and tried to determine if the way they tested could have influenced our early selection of that player. Lastly, I tried to compare the player we selected with other players at the position that were still available who were projected before or near our draftee in an effort to see if the respective combine performances were drastically different. I realize that this process is limited because it assumes that Kubiak and Smith were drafting for a specific position, but the idea of analyzing every position of need instead of the position we took makes my head hurt. Call me lazy.

2006 Draft:

Mario Williams – DE – NC State. Obviously everyone thought that Mario Williams was a reach. In fact, as long as we’re being honest, I wasn’t thrilled either. I didn’t think it was terrible overall, I just didn’t understand why they didn’t trade down if they knew they weren’t going to take Reggie Bush or Vince Young. Later, after I found out that there were pretty much no deals on the table, I was ok with it. Mario, as you would expect, had a great Combine. Comparing Mario to any other DEs would be unnecessary because it was pretty much unanimous that he was going to be the first defensive player taken. It seems apparent that the mixture of need on defense and not being sure about Young and Bush as franchised players led to this decision, not the Combine.

DeMeco Ryans – LB – Alabama. DeMeco was projected to be a first round selection, which he missed by one pick after being selected 33rd overall. DeMeco had a good Combine, but was pretty comparable with both Thomas Howard and Roger McIntosh. Howard’s 4.42 was much faster than both Ryans’ and McIntosh’s 40 times, while the results of everything else were very similar. If the Texans were just using the combine, they would have missed out on the 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Many reports cite DeMeco’s uncommon intelligence and character as the reason he was chosen before the other two candidates.

Charles Spencer – OG – Pittsburgh. Spencer was taken slightly early with the first pick of the third round, as he was supposed to be selected either later in the round or the beginning of the fourth. Both Max Jean-Giles and Jason Spitz were projected as higher values, but at the Combine Spencer showed that he was bigger, stronger and faster, which was enough for the Texans to look past fluctuating weight and motor issues and pick him before the other two candidates. Score one for the Combine.

Eric Winston – OT – Miami. Winston actually slipped, as he was supposed to be selected in the second round, possibly even late in the first. He was clearly the better athlete among Paul McQuistan, Rashad Butler (yes I know Butler plays for us now) and pretty much every other OT still left. Questions as to whether Winston had the footwork to play LT was the primary reason he slid so far; coincidentally, these questions arose after scouts observed poor testing at the Combine, which obviously didn’t faze the Texans that much.

Owen Daniels – TE – Wisconsin. OD was selected in the very beggining of the fourth round, which was a round earlier than he was projected. Daniels had a decent Combine but nothing that was earth-shattering. The Texans likely saw something in him that sparked their interest outside of his 4.65 40 time so they decided to take him early. Then again, the alternatives were Garrett Mills and Jason Pociask. I’ve never heard of them either.

2007 Draft:

Amobi Okoye – DT – Loiusville. Amobi may or may not have been considered a reach depending on where you looked for pre-draft projections. Some people had him slated as a mid to late first round pick, while others thought he belonged in the early first round range, which is where we consequently selected him with the 10th overall pick. Okoye ran a 5.06 40 and had 29 bench press reps, which were fairly comparable numbers to both Alan Branch and Justin Harrell. Harrell, who was projected as a late first round pick, ran a 5.10 and had 24 reps. Branch, who was projected as a mid first round pick, ran a 5.04 and had 33 reps, which was technically better than Okoye’s. In the end, Okoye’s age (19) and his lights-out performance at the Senior Bowl is probably what led to the Texans taking him before all other DT prospects.

Jacoby Jones – WR – Lane. Jones was definitely considered a reach when we selected him with the 9th pick in the third round, as he was not slated to be picked until somewhere between the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth rounds. At the Combine, Jones ran a 4.53, which was ok for a 6’2” receiver who weighs 205. Yamon Figurs, Jason Hill and Paul Williams all had better Combine numbers. Also, Figurs was the only receiver smaller than Jacoby, while Hill and Williams were just about the same size but ran faster at the Combine. I’m not saying they were right, but it doesn’t seem like Smithiak selected Jones based off just his Combine performance.

Fred Bennett – CB – South Carolina. Bennett could be considered a reach because he was taken in the fourth while he was projected in the fifth, but this is misleading. The 2007 draft had an amazing run on CBs that I don’t think anyone could have seen coming. By the time the Texans selected Bennett with the 7th pick in the fourth round, there were only a couple of CBs with better Combine performances, but none had Bennett’s mix of athleticism (4.55) and size (6’1”, 196). It seems like Smithiak realized they waited too long to take a CB and they picked the best available.

2008 Draft:

Duane Brown – OT – Virginia Tech. Brown was considered by most, if not all, to be a reach when we selected him 26th overall after our trade down with Baltimore. He was slated to be taken around the middle of the third round, and many speculated that his impressive performance at the Combine enticed the Texans to be impatient. His 5.08 40 time was the fastest of all lineman, and he was one of the few to participate in the vertical, shuttle and cone drills, which showed confidence in his athletic ability. When I was trying to find players to compare him to, however, I found something startling; there were none. Brown was the sixth OT taken, and between him and the third round (when he was supposed to be taken) there were only three OL selected--two guards and one center. Obviously the Texans needed a OT and they saw that they were getting scarce so they took Brown. The fact that he knew how to block in a zone blocking system and he had a great combine was a plus, but they were smart to take him when they did since OT was a priority.

Antwaun Molden – CB – Eastern Kentucky. This wasn’t a reach in the classical sense because he was taken with the 16th pick in the third round, which fulfilled his mid third round projection, but there were two CBs still available, Justin King and Tyvon Branch, who were projected for the second round. While King’s 4.37 time and Branch’s 4.33 time were both faster than Molden’s 4.44 time, Antwaun put on a show at the Combine by adding 23 reps and a 37.5 inch vertical to his 40, which was far better than both King and Branch. This is probably a clear-cut case of the Combine causing the Texans to draft someone before they were “supposed” to be taken. Side note: I didn’t realize that Molden was such an impressive athlete. Hopefully he can translate that athleticism to success on the field next year.

Steve Slaton – RB – West Virginia. With the 26th pick of the third round, the Texans took Slaton slightly earlier than his early to mid fourth round projection. After his phenomenal sophomore season at WVU, Slaton was talked about as a potential first round pick in the 2008 draft. His production diminished his junior year, which worried scouts, and ironically, he was compared to Reggie Bush (see comments above about taking Mario instead of Bush) as a RB that could not run between the tackles and would be injury-prone due to his size. His 4.44 time was one of the better runs, which was to be expected of a smaller RB who was only 5’9”, but his 33.5 inch vertical was better than all but one, showing how good of an athlete Slaton is. This performance was slightly better than Tashard Choice, who was the only other back on the board who fit the mold of speed back, which I believe the Texans were specifically targeting. Maybe the Combine gave him a slight edge, but I would tend to believe that it was more because of his starting experience that the Texans ended up selecting Slaton. Whatever it was, I’m ok with it.

Xavier Adibi – LB – Virginia Tech. Adibi was actually taken after he was supposed to be, which is a rarity when it comes to the Texans’ drafts. Adibi’s 4.69 time was comparable with Bryan Kehl ,who was still on the board, but was slower than Stanford Keglar. Also, both Kehl and Keglar tested in the bench press, vertical, shuttle, and cone dirlls, all of which Adibi did not. Even though Adibi was impressive, he was obviously not taken for his Combine performance.

Overall, I’m actually surprised by what I found when researching for this article. I expected that the Texans’ commonly documented tendency of taking players earlier than most think they should was directly associated with stellar Combine performances, but for the most part that wasn’t the case. As for the “reaching” theory, I would much rather Kubiak and Smith be proactive, i.e., “We know this guy will be great and he might not be there next round” than reactive, i.e., “Well, everyone thinks this guy is going to be good and I guess we got lucky that he fell to us.”

We commonly praise the Texans for their ability to find talent in the later rounds, as we should. I guess I should not be surprised to see that they are not relying just on the Combine to simply plug in “the most talented player”, but rather using it as a tool that is combined with scouting diligence to determine overall intelligence, character and talent of prospective Texans. Having said all this, I’m sure they still scrutinize the Combine heavily. And so will I.