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2012 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 26

The SB Nation two-round NFL mock draft continues along with each lead NFL team blogger making the pick for their team. Up now is the Houston Texans with the 26th pick.

With the 26th pick in the 2012 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft, the Houston Texans select Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe.

Tim from Battle Red Blog checks in for the second pick of the day. He explains the choice and I respond after the jump. For the latest on the Texans, makes sure to check out his site BattleRedBlog.com.

Tim explains: Lost in the Texans’ defensive improvement last season was that the defense was still weak up the middle against the run, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has ever seen Shaun Cody or Earl Mitchell play. Enter Dontari Poe. While Wade Phillips does not normally use a NT with 2-gap size, he’s done so when the talent was available (Ted Washington, Jamal Williams). Poe would give him that talent, but with the added bonus of having the speed and agility to play the 1-gap style that Wade prefers, especially on passing downs. There was some discussion that perhaps the Texans should look at Whitney Mercilus or Nick Perry due to the departure of Mario Williams, and there were some concerns about Poe’s possibly being a Combine warrior. In the end, however, we simply couldn’t pass up improving the NT position with the unreal combination of speed, size, and strength that Poe brings to the table.

Dan Kadar responds: A few months ago, Poe was a popular choice for the Texans but it’s tailed off some. At this point, many expect Poe will be gone before this pick. So to get him at this point should be considered a steal. Poe is more than just a pure nose tackle, so don’t be fooled by just his size. He can shoot gaps better than most think but has the power to hold the line against the run.

Mocking the Draft's Top 5 Remaining Prospects

OVR Name Pos. College Report
12 Devon Still
DT Penn State
prospect notes
19 Peter Konz
C Wisconsin scouting report
22 Zach Brown
OLB North Carolina
prospect notes
23 Brandon Thompson
DT Clemson
scouting report
24 Andre Branch
DE Clemson
scouting report
Pick Team Player Pos. School Story
1 Indianapolis Colts Andrew Luck QB Stanford Story
2 Washington Redskins Robert Griffin III QB Baylor Story
3 Minnesota Vikings Matt Kalil OT USC Story
4 Cleveland Browns Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State Story
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Morris Claiborne CB LSU Story
6. St. Louis Rams Trent Richardson RB Alabama Story
7 Jacksonville Jaguars Quinton Coples DE North Carolina Story
8 Miami Dolphins Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M Story
9 Carolina Panthers Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State Story
10 Buffalo Bills Mike Adams OT Ohio State Story
11 Kansas City Chiefs Riley Reiff OT Iowa Story
12 Seattle Seahawks Courtney Upshaw OLB Alabama Story
13 Arizona Cardinals Jonathan Martin OT Stanford Story
14 Dallas Cowboys David DeCastro G Stanford Story
15 Philadelphia Eagles Luke Kuechly LB Boston College Story
16 New York Jets Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina Story
17 Cincinnati Bengals Stephon Gilmore CB South Carolina Story
18 San Diego Chargers Mark Barron S Alabama Story
19 Chicago Bears Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame Story
20 Tennessee Titans Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama Story
21 Cincinnati Bengals Cordy Glenn OT Georgia Story
22 Cleveland Browns Kendall Wright WR Baylor Story
23 Detroit Lions
Janoris Jenkins CB North Alabama
Story
24 Pittsburgh Steelers
Dont'a Hightower MLB Alabama
Story
25 Denver Broncos
Michael Brockers DT LSU
Story
26 Houston Texans
Dontari Poe DT Memphis
Story
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