Now that Mel Kiper has assigned draft grades to the Texans, they can have their "draft picks to cut immediately" list ready to go once the lockout is lifted.
Mel's grades are set up a bit differently this year, with three letter grades instead of one. There's a grade for how the teams picked according to need, one for how they picked according to value, and a final "overall" grade. Of course, it's hard to tell what Kiper is ever thinking with these, since there were few C's and only one D. I guess everyone was either great or average at drafting this year, huh Mel? As far as the Texans go:
Needs: A-
Watt is a versatile defensive end who will fit that 3-4 scheme and Reed is the outside rusher they needed. The Texans then went to the secondary, a disaster in 2010, adding Harris with a particularly good value pick,
then Carmichael and Keo. I would have liked to have seen another wide receiver in the mix, but I love the pick of Yates, who could be a good one if given time to develop.
Value: B-
The new defensive coordinator (Wade Phillips) for the Texans got a lot of new toys to work with, and I think Houston did a solid job in terms of value in addressing what was simply a bad defense in 2010.
Overall: B
So, the most famous "draft guru" seems to be a fan of Houston's 2011 class. That might resonate with a bit more significance if so many teams hadn't done well according to Mel's grades. Participation ribbons for everyone! Except the Seahawks. Like many others, Mel had a bit of a "what the hell were they thinking" reaction to Seattle's draft.
Personally, I don't know that I would grade Houston's class with a B- in terms of value. Many say that Brooks Reed had first-round talent. Maybe so, but as with J.J. Watt, I thought there were better value options on the board for Houston. That said, the Texans knocked it out of the park with two tremendous value picks in cornerbacks Brandon Harris (60th overall) and Rashad "Roc" Carmichael (127th overall).