In what I can only assume to be a cruel idea of a joke made up to depress me, Brian Galliford continues to project Missouri defensive end/linebacker Aldon Smith to the Texans with the No. 11 overall pick in the latest SB Nation 2011 NFL Mock Draft. The scenarios that he lays out are dire, as North Carolina linebacker Robert Quinn and Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara are both taken off the board before the Texans pick. Rather than going with Julio Jones in a case of best player available, the Texans instead have to settle for Smith:
11. Houston Texans: Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri. Smith doesn't project perfectly as a rush linebacker, but in Wade Phillips' one-gap scheme, he'd have a lot of opportunities to blitz and get after the QB.
Which would be awesome if Smith had shown that he was NFL-ready in any other capacity but rushing the QB straight up the middle. Alas, he's not, and thus, the pick leaves me sad. You guys better get this ironed out by Thursday!
The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft starts at 8 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, April 28, and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare: NFL mock drafts, draft projections, scouting reports, the full NFL draft schedule and more. Check it out at SB Nation's NFL Draft page and our NFL Draft blog, Mocking the Draft.