Mel Kiper's latest mock draft is out, which means we finally get a chance to be patronized for the first time all month by someone who's been in the business of mocking way longer than anyone else. So who's the pick going to be to fix the terrible defense? It's...wide receiver Julio Jones, of course! Paul Kuharsky has the details.
↵↵↵Kiper: "I can see Houston looking here for a fit at outside linebacker as well -- and I expect some surprised Texans fans -- but Jones is a hunch call as a perfect option to take some of the pressure off Andre Johnson. Jones has Johnson's size and as a physical receiver brings his lunch pail as a blocker. He can stretch the field, can work underneath and isn't a distant second to Green in terms of overall talent. A good option to take advantage of Matt Schaub's growth into an elite quarterback."
↵Passed on: DT Corey Liuget, OLB Aldon Smith, DE Cameron Jordan
↵PK says: Paired with Andre Johnson, Jones could give the Texans an incredibly dynamic duo. But can a team with the league's worst pass defense that's transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4 afford not to use the pick to address those issues?
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Here's my take: if you think Jones is an elite talent in this draft--and I do--I don't have any problem with this pick. The Texans offense could use a new deep ball and red zone threat, particularly since another JJ, Jacoby Jones, failed to live up to the hype this year. Would I rather have an defensive star? Absolutely. But if Marcell Dareus, Patrick Peterson, Da'Quan Bowers, Nick Fairley, and Von Miller are off the board, the Texans might as well roll with the best player available and worry about needs later. They're just not talented enough yet to draft for fixing problem areas first.
↵That said, would the Texans ever make this pick? No. In fact, hell no. But it's nice to dream.
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