Earlier this week, I said there would be reaction pieces and that most of them would come way too soon. I point that out in order to avoid the obvious calls of hypocrisy and to keep myself in check. Following sports is an emotional thing. Battle Red Blog could first of all be called a “fan site” and everyone that writes for BRB follows the team and roots for the team to succeed at the end of the day. That makes moments like this extremely difficult to be objective and driven by facts.
We should first
break down the trade that got them to the 26th pick from the 28th pick. Some observers will point out that they hardly every do this, but that would be incorrect. They traded up considerably to get Will Anderson in the first round and they have made numerous deals over the years to move up in later rounds. Nico Collins and Woody Marks are both products of trades where the Texans moved up in that particular round.
Essentially, they swapped their own third round selection for the right to move up with Buffalo. So, in tonight’s festivities, they will hold the 38th pick, 59th pick, and 91st pick. They will have seven total selections in this draft with two second round picks and zero sixth round selections. Given Caserio’s history, the chances of him sticking and picking each time are almost zero percent.
How should we view this pick?
I’m not in the habit of telling people what to think. This is just one man’s opinion in a sea of other opinions. The Texans moved up to select Keylan Rutledge out of Georgia Tech. There are multiple ways to look at this. If you are a glass half empty sort of person you will point out the likes of Kenyon Green, Blake Fisher, and Juice Scruggs. Obviously, this team’s record of drafting lineman is spotty at best.
If you are a glass half full sort of guy then I would point out that this player is a player we traded up to get. Green was a product of settling on a guy after we had moved back (we could have had Kyle Hamilton). Fisher was a stick and pick and the Texans did move to get Scruggs, but no one had really considered him at that spot. Some people had Rutledge penciled in with a second round grade. If that is concerning to you then you are certainly free to be worried.
I have no idea if he is going to be a good player overall or a good player for the Texans. Anyone that says they know is lying. There were two or three other guards on the board that were getting similar or better grades according to some draft experts. The key here is that the Texans saw something they liked and moved up to get it. The futures market (don’t even get me started on that concept) were betting heavy on Rutledge going to the Texans, so clearly someone knew something.
The key thing to remember is that most players are described in glowing terms when they are drafted. You will never see a draft profile from a team or league source that says, “this guy was a mediocre lineman at Mid Appalachian Tech. He was elected seventh team all conference and carried a sparkling 1.7 GPA in vacation management with an emphasis in vacations.” For his part, Rutledge was described as a mauler who’s strength is run blocking. It seems someone over there wants to reshape this offensive line into a run blocking unit. At least, it seems like there is a plan. Time will tell whether it is a good plan or not.
What about the rest of the draft?
For some people on our staff, this year is akin to Christmas. We even have a couple of reporters physically there for the draft in Pittsburgh. I’m not about to rain on their parade. There are sports dreams of mine (the baseball Winter Meetings for instance) and the NFL draft is their personal sports dream. They cover these prospects inside and out and they know who they like and who they don’t like. By all means, make sure you are listening to them for more information on these guys.
I look at the draft as a casual fan of college football has to look at the draft. The chances of me knowing any of these players from here on out is likely zero. I can read just like everyone here and that is what I do. I certainly haven’t formed my own opinion about what a player is capable of. So, when I look at the rest of the draft I am looking at the positions the Texans need the most help with. Is Nick Caserio addressing those positions.
For instance, after drafting Aireontae Ersery, Caserio neglected to draft another lineman. Players like Woody Marks and Jaylin Noel ended up being impactful players, but at the time I was screaming for an interior lineman. I might be doing this same this weekend if some positions are not addressed. Defensive tackle, tight end, and running back or corner seem like those spots this year. The difference might be that nothing is so acute as to make me throw anything at the television this year.
Please read the collective works of Kenneth Levy and Fizzy Joe because they know a whole lot more about these players than most of us do. What I hear of Rutledge I like. He seems like a “swarmy” kind of guy and supposedly was playing some center at the Senior Bowl, so he brings some flexibility across the line. We actually know very little about what he will actually do in Houston. Anyone saying different is a liar or a wishful thinker.
