The 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft rolls on, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams. Bigfatdrunk, lead blogger at SB Nation's Houston Texans blog, Battle Red Blog, checks in to make the No. 20 overall selection in this year's mock. Analysis is from appropriately named BRB'er bigfatdrunk. Take it away, you alcoholic!
2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 20
With the No. 20 overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the Houston Texans have selected Dan Williams, defensive tackle, Tennessee.
Bigfatdrunk says: Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to have a defensive tackle who wasn't an embarrassment. No, wait... I mean the Texans have yearned for that. Over the past couple of years, we've trotted out the likes of Travis Johnson, Anthony Maddox, Shaun Cody, and Jeff "Cankles" Zgonina. In fact, when fans voted on an all-decade Texans team, the eminently mediocre Seth Payne and underachieving Amobi Okoye were our big winners at DT. Hold on, I need to chug some whiskey.
...
...
Okay, I'm back.
Some of you might be saying, "Hey, the Texans' run game last year was a joke! You guys need a running back." This is half right, but the basic assumptions are incorrect. Our run game was horrible because we trotted out two of the worst starting guards in football last year, and our run game play-calling was dark humor. We believe we can address the run game in later rounds, and with Iupati and Pouncey already off the board, the talent gap at NT is simply greater. Ryan Mathews might be a good pick here, but not even the love child of Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders would've done much behind the play of our offensive line last year. Plus, Steve Slaton should be back and healthy, and he's just one year removed from a 1,282-yard rushing season.
So, why NT? Simply, we need to free up
Antonio Smith
, Okoye, and
, and getting to the QB quicker means our secondary needs less time to hold coverage. In addition, Dan Williams strengthens our run defense even more, and his presence could (and should) allow us to blitz
and
more freely. With only 30 sacks last year, we just aren’t getting to the QB on a consistent basis.
Super Mario
is a deity, and Smith isn’t going anywhere. Okoye could blossom with his ability to shoot gaps, and we believe a true NT will help him explode in 2010.
The Texans are going to put up points by the bushel, but we need to do a better job keeping points off the board. The Battle Red Blog brain-trust (sic) believes Dan Williams will bring better interior line play and help push us over the brink and into the playoffs.Mocking Dan reacts: A player like Williams is what the Texans’ defensive line has needed. Dez Bryant would have been a neat pick, but Williams is a necessity pick. The play of Okoye has been unimpressive because he’s been miscast as a run stuffer. Williams could be that presence and Okoye could more easily split gaps.
There are plenty of second-round running backs that will be available for Houston.
Mocking the Draft's Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Dez Bryant/WR/Oklahoma State, 2 - Everson Griffen/DE/USC, 3 - Jermaine Gresham/TE/Oklahoma, 4 - Anthony Davis/OT/Rutgers, 5 - Sergio Kindle/OLB/Texas
Sound off, SB Nation! What say you of Houston’s pick of Dan Williams? Please be sure to check out Battle Red Blog for all of your Texans needs.
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