After a quick glance of every reliable NFL draft site on the Internet, a few things have become apparent when it comes to the Texans. One of these is that just about everyone is picking a defensive player, and the other is that Missouri linebacker Aldon Smith continues to be the player who is most linked to the Texans. Call it a lack of faith in Daryl Sharpton as an outside linebacker, call it the need for Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense to secure the most important rush spot on the field, or call it a pick for youth and development. Either way, he is the leader in the clubhouse today. Here's what a sampling of nine sites gave the Texans:
SB Nation - Aldon Smith, OLB/DE, Missouri
SB Nation Houston (Charles) - Smith
Mel Kiper Jr. - Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
Draft Countdown - Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
Walter Football - Smith
Ourlads.com - Marcell Dareus, DE/DT, Alabama
CBS (Rob Rang) - Cameron Jordan, DE, California
CBS (Chad Reuter) - Dareus
Lance Zierlein - Jordan
By a nose, Smith edged out fellow defensive front seven players Jordan and Dareus to be the consensus pick of the lot.
Personally, I would rather grab a more NFL-ready player than Smith. The Texans defense needs to be equipped, as much as possible, to win now. Here's what my board, combining need/talent for the Texans, would look like as of today:
1) Patrick Peterson, CB/S, LSU
2) Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
3) Dareus
4) Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
5) AJ Green, WR, Georgia
6) Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
7) Jones
8) Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina
9) Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon St.
10) Amukamara
11) Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
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