When the boss asked me last week to rank every Texans draft choice, my immediate reaction was oh, no! I’ve got enough to do on the draft. From David Carr to Dorin Dickerson — that’s a lot of draft choices over nine years. I mean, is there a limit on how many picks can tie for last place?
But the more I thought about, the more interested I became. Curious even. Something that subjective would get a lot of opinions. And a lot of hits, of course. I agreed to do it. There were no parameters. Just rank them any way I want to.
So here’s what I did: I ranked them based on what they contributed to the Texans considering where they were drafted or what I think they’ll contribute. The top pick was easy, of course. I can’t imagine anybody selecting anyone but Andre Johnson. I even think the second pick was easy, DeMeco Ryans.
I picked the bottom guys because of what they contributed based on expectations. They were at the end. Players drafted who were cut, I included them in the next group from the bottom. Players who haven’t been around here long enough to judge because of injury or opportunity, like Ben Tate, Anthony Hill, Garrett Graham, Shelley Smith, Dorin Dickerson and Trindon Holliday, I put them in the middle.
Here’s another thing I did: I listed some of them based on what I think they will do more than what they’ve done. For instance, as a rookie in 2009, Connor Barwin came off the bench in passing situations and recorded 4½ sacks. I thought he’d make the most improvement on the team last season, but he went down in the first game. Now I think he’s ideal for Wade Phillips’ 3-4, and I expect Barwin to have a big-time season, so I rate him highly based on my expectations. I’ve done that with other players, too.
As rookies, Glover Quin and Brice McCain played well. Last season, neither played as well as they did as rookies. I expect them to bounce back big time with new coaching.
And one more thing, if the Texans drafted a player and cut him and he has done well with another team, I only consider what he did with them.
Now, check them out, and let me know what you think, and where you would put players.
Click on this link to go to the photo gallery and see the rankings.