We’ve officially reached the point of the NFL draft universe where fans are getting slammed with multiple mocks a day from all sorts of sources. So I’m going to have a little round-up on the most recent ones and what they have to say about the Texans. Spoiler alert: Aldon Smith comes up a lot and I’m still not happy about it.
HoustonTexans.com — Aldon Smith (Video here) — If the Texans do indeed wind up with Aldon Smith, this video sure does cover a lot of tracks for it. N.D. Kalu and Marc Vandermeer join Nick Scurfield and Drew Dougherty to talk about the pick, which the Texans make over Prince Amukamara AND Robert Quinn. Kalu basically dismisses Quinn from the board entirely due to the benign tumor in his brain, which I think is a bit overcautious. Vander Meer seems to lean more towards Quinn, but consensus plays out with the Texans drafting Smith instead. If you aren’t on the Smith bandwagon, don’t watch this video in front of family or kids.
John McClain — Aldon Smith. Over Amukamara, as well. Along with that gratuitous Warren Sapp quote about Smith "being DeMarcus Ware in two years" while ignoring any sort of question about what Smith will do for the Texans right away and when Sapp became a personnel evaluator worth listening to. So, par for the course.
Shutdown Corner — Prince Amukamara — Doug Farrar writes:
This one’s pretty simple, folks. The Texans aren’t going to sniff the playoffs until they do something about their secondary, and if they miss another postseason, head coach Gary Kubiak and GM Rick Smith could very well be gone. Drafting Kareem Jackson in the first round last year was a step in the right direction, but adding Amukamara to the mix would be huge. A physical press corner with outstanding instincts, Amukamara might be saving a couple jobs if he plays to his game tape.
Amukamara does trail Aldon Smith in times approved by Warren Sapp though, so I don’t know if he counts.
ESPN’s AFC South Blog — Aldon Smith — Kuharsky rightfully senses the Texans blogosphere is not big on Smith, but pulls the trigger on him anyway over Amukamara. Gutsy call, Paul. That’s why you’re a shark.
So the major thing to take away from these mocks? Need is mattering more than skill, because it seems that Amukamara is the better player between he and Smith, and yet three of the four drafts made a beeline to Smith anyway.