Pro Pigskin Thoughts: The Football Roundtable is back. With the hottest names in free-agency off the board, our attention turns to the NFL draft, and beyond as we pose several football related questions to our panel of life-long NFL fans for their candid opinions. We invite anyone to participate by answering the same questions in the “Comments” section at the bottom of this article. In this edition, our panel consists of our LWOS football experts Chris Burnham (@cmb1979), Will Cotchery (@wcotchery2), Nick Frost (@N_1_C_K_F), Al Preziosi (@alprez96) and Alex Sibo (@lwos_sibo).
1) What should the Houston Texans do with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft?
Chris Burnham: I think they’ll select Jadaveon Clowney. When you’re picking first in the draft, you’re a team who has no wiggle room to play it cute. In my opinion, there really isn’t a can’t-miss quarterback prospect worthy of taking first overall. If they really want a quarterback, I would not be shocked to see them try to trade down.
Will Cotchery: There’s a lot of talk about the Texans snagging a quarterback with the top pick. Although that’s a fair assessment for the team’s needs, Jadaveon Clowney should be the first overall pick. Clowney is a freak of nature. Plain and simple. When you place him opposite of JJ Watt to further bolster that pass rush, that would be deadly because other teams can’t double team both of them. Another reason they should pass on the quarterback is because of Bill O’Brien. O’Brien has a solid track record of working with quarterbacks: Tom Brady in New England, Matt McGloin (who played solid as a rookie with Oakland and Christian Hackenberg. Case Keenum had a productive rookie season considering the Texans’ circumstances in 2013. Working under O’Brien, Keenum can only get better.
Nick Frost: As I mentioned in my most recent mock draft, if the Texans don’t want to take a quarterback in the first round then Khalil Mack is the best fit. Although Clowney is undoubtedly an incredible player, he fit in a 3-4 and concerns about work ethic means he isn’t worthy of the first overall pick. Mack has years of proven production, and is able to do everything Romeo Crenel wants and then some. But if the recent reports and simply rumours, and they do take a signal caller, then Teddy Bridgewater would be my selection.
Al Preziosi: As I said in my latest mock draft, I think they will fall in love with Bortles. Ultimately, the Texans aren’t going to succeed without a QB. Clowney is a great player and they wouldn’t be making a bad decision by taking him, but if they think Bortles can be their franchise QB, it’s an easy decision.
Alex Sibo: Trade down. The Texans have put themselves in a position where they have to draft a QB and this class lacks a hands-down elite player at the position. If you don’t have franchise signal-caller, and you’re not drafting one under the new CBA, you’re not going anywhere. Houston still needs some impact players in the defensive front seven and acquiring more picks will allow them to war chest for a pair of lottery picks. It’s not inconceivable that they can walk away on draft Thursday with a combo of Blake Bortles and Anthony Barr.
2) Sammy Watkins is a special talent, but there are so many good wide receivers available this year. Who drafts this elite wide receiver early instead of plugging another hole and going receiver later?
Chris: I think the Browns want Watkins desperately. They were down to the wire in the DeSean Jackson trade talks, so it’s clear that they want to build a dynamic offense. With two firsts this season, if the Browns manage to get both Watkins and, say, a sliding Teddy Bridgewater at 26, that would be quite a coup. Josh Gordon, Jordan Cameron and Watkins? Look out.
Will: This is by far the deepest draft I’ve ever seen regarding receivers. Sammy Watkins has been deemed the top wide-out in the draft based on his stellar college career and what he can bring to an NFL team from a skill standpoint. The question is what team he’ll bring that skill to. Ultimately, I have the give the slight edge to Cleveland over Jacksonville and Detroit. The Browns have the 4th and the 26th pick in the draft. I say they will pluck Watkins off the draft board at No. 4 to pair up with Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron and find their quarterback late in the first round since that position is very deep in this year’s draft as well. I passed on Jacksonville because quarterback is their most pressing need. I also kept Detroit out of the equation since they already signed Golden Tate in Fee Agency. Plus, the secondary should be their biggest focus anyway.
Nick: I can’t see Watkins getting past the Buccaneers, who will sprint to the podium if they can get him to replace Mike Williams. Cleveland are an option, although I think their need a QB is too big for them to hope someone falls to 26. I would not be surprised to see Detroit trade up to get, although they have bigger holes elsewhere. But the Raiders are the most likely option for me. After filling in most of their biggest needs with decent players in free agency, they still need a big-play receiver, and Watkins fits the bill perfectly.
Al: I see him going to the Browns. A Josh Gordon and Sammy Watkins combo would be incredible, and as I stated in my last mock, I think one of the top three quarterbacks will slip to the Browns pick at 26! Even if that doesn’t happen, Hoyer is a formidable QB and could work with that WR core.
Alex: I’ve yet to finish film study on Watkins, but right now I’d say he’s on a similar tier with A.J. Green when he came into the league in 2011. However, there are a lot of QB-needy teams in the top ten, and other mercurial talents in this class which means Watkins could get lost in the shuffle and end up outside of the top five, where he would be a lock in most years. The Bucs and Lions are the most likely beneficiaries of this scenario, however his pure talent could be too much for Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders to pass up at five.
3) Ndamukong Suh is missing workouts with the Detroit Lions in a contract dispute. We all know the history here, is he becoming too big of a distraction in Detroit?
Chris: Yes. But I think the Lions are wanting to try to give him one more season to see if Jim Caldwell’s demeanor can be the tonic to changing Suh’s “loose cannon” persona. But if money’s the real issue, I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to move him. They just may be fed up with his antics, and it’s not as if the Lions won’t have offers for him.
Will: Here’s the thing about Ndamukong Suh. He’s just the latest player to intentionally skip practices and workouts in order to get his money. What makes this even a story is that he has a checkered past. I honestly feel that this season was very quiet for him. Suh is a three-time Pro Bowler and arguably the best defensive tackle in the league. He’s one of those players whose talent and potential is so far superior to a replacement that you give him a pass for a number of his screw-ups. Dez Bryant is one of the recent examples of these players; now he’s a Pro Bowl receiver and one of the top pass catchers in the game. Outside of Megatron and maybe Matthew Stafford, he’s the Lions’ best player. With that said, they have to pay him, especially since he’s not the reason why they are missing the playoffs.
Nick: As an isolated incident, I’m not worried. All he’s missing is strength and conditioning work, and there’s no history of him starting the season out of shape, even though he has been absent from organized team workouts before. The problem is that when looked at with his past actions, and the rumours of a contract dispute, you have to be concerned. The Lions are in a difficult situation cap-wise over the next few years, with Suh, Fairly, Johnson and Stafford all earning big bucks. Although Suh is an outstanding player, he may be seen as too toxic to bring back.
Al: Just like with every other diva that’s a great player, the Lions will have to make up their own mind. I think they can deal with it because of his talent. But I may be wrong, especially if you look at the Desean Jackson situation and how that played out.
Alex: Living in the greater Detroit area, I’m aware of all the missteps that have gone on with Suh during his tenure with the Lions that haven’t reached the national media. There’s been multiple off-field confrontations and issues, power struggles with coaches, players, and team executives, etc., all just in the past year. Not only has Suh worn out his welcome with the fans, his teammates, and the local media, but by all accounts he is actively trying to get himself off the team, given the fact that no one in the organization can say they know where he is, or who will be representing him in negations. Trading him on draft day and eating $19.5 million in dead money will go a long way towards bettering the team and changing the losing culture that has persisted in the Lions organization for decades.
4) Fantasy Football: Who is your #1 pick next year? Peyton Manning? Lesean McCoy? Someone Else? Why?
Chris: My top pick would probably be Colin Kaepernick if I were to be so fortunate to have him available. I think we’ll see a big step forward in his production. He’s going to make owners everywhere, very, very happy. Put yourself in your playoffs immediately if you grab him.
Will: I haven’t played Fantasy Football since 2012, but I did keep pace with it occasionally last season. Based on how Manning and McCoy played last year, it’s difficult to argue anyone else going ahead of them. If I were to play fantasy football this upcoming season, I would surprise the world by selecting RG3 #1 overall. I didn’t pick Manning because losing Eric Decker takes a huge hit at his fantasy numbers. The Redskins brought in DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts to help out Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed. Griffin already has two-time Pro Bowl running back Alfred Morris at his disposal on offense. If RG3 comes back 100 percent, he can this year’s Peyton Manning.
Nick: Although a QB is an option, it still makes much more sense to me to go with one of the few elite running backs in the first round. Although both Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte would be good picks, my choice would be Lesean McCoy. The Eagles lead ‘back had the second most carries in the league last year, with an impressive five yards-per-carry. Without Desean Jackson in the passing game, I can see McCoy becoming even more important to the Eagles offence, and therefore producing big numbers for his fantasy owners.
Al: I’m going with the top running back on the board. Running back depth is weak, so if you have an opportunity to land a great one, you have to. You can still get a great quarterback in later round. I haven’t decided which running back I would take yet though.
Alex: I have to take McCoy, but I wouldn’t be thrilled if I ended up with the #1 pick in any draft. The top two players from last year are either a) old with a surgically repaired neck, or b) will be fighting for touches with another back, albeit one who is mostly a receiving threat, so it’s a wide open field. Going with the conventional wisdom and taking one of the most consistent rushers of the past five years is a relatively safe pick, with some upside.
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