PA Season Ticket Holder
04-17-2003, 02:49 PM
Per a league source, at least one AFC General Manager believes that the Texans "will find a way" to land offensive tackle Jordan Gross in the first round of the draft.
Given the fact that few (if any) league insiders expect left tackle Tony Boselli to return, it's critical for the Texans to nab a new left tackle.
Drafting at the three spot, the Texans likely are too high to justify taking Gross. However, they can't trade any lower than No. 9, where the Panthers would be poised to pounce on Gross.
Their best bet might be to slide down to No. 8, which would give the Jaguars a crack at either Carson Palmer or Byron Leftwich. But the Texans and the Jags might be reluctant to swing an intra-division deal.
Beyond the Jags, none of the teams who draft in front of the Panthers presently has a need to jump to No. 3. They key here could be defensive end Terrell Suggs, who will hold a "do over" workout on Friday. If he dramatically improves his time in the 40, a team like the Vikings (at No. 7) could be inclined to slide in front of the Bears at No. 4, who have been salivating over Suggs for weeks.
There's also some buzz that the Texans secretly are targeting Suggs at No. 3, and that any talk of drafting Miami receiver Andre Johnson or Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers is just a bluff. Under this scenario, the Texans could swing a trade for an established left tackle, in exchange for a second-round or third-round pick. (Then again, if they wanted to do this, they could have tried to land Kyle Turley.)
The other possibility, of course, is the rumored trade with the Rams for franchised left tackle Orlando Pace. The fact that the Rams (who draft at No. 12) wanted to bring in Andre Johnson for a visit suggests that St. Louis might be targeting a move north.
The Rams have had a rocky offseason (more on this is coming Friday), and they could use the boost of Houston's No. 3 overall pick, regardless of whether they use it on Terence Newman, Johnson, or Suggs.
http://profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
Given the fact that few (if any) league insiders expect left tackle Tony Boselli to return, it's critical for the Texans to nab a new left tackle.
Drafting at the three spot, the Texans likely are too high to justify taking Gross. However, they can't trade any lower than No. 9, where the Panthers would be poised to pounce on Gross.
Their best bet might be to slide down to No. 8, which would give the Jaguars a crack at either Carson Palmer or Byron Leftwich. But the Texans and the Jags might be reluctant to swing an intra-division deal.
Beyond the Jags, none of the teams who draft in front of the Panthers presently has a need to jump to No. 3. They key here could be defensive end Terrell Suggs, who will hold a "do over" workout on Friday. If he dramatically improves his time in the 40, a team like the Vikings (at No. 7) could be inclined to slide in front of the Bears at No. 4, who have been salivating over Suggs for weeks.
There's also some buzz that the Texans secretly are targeting Suggs at No. 3, and that any talk of drafting Miami receiver Andre Johnson or Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers is just a bluff. Under this scenario, the Texans could swing a trade for an established left tackle, in exchange for a second-round or third-round pick. (Then again, if they wanted to do this, they could have tried to land Kyle Turley.)
The other possibility, of course, is the rumored trade with the Rams for franchised left tackle Orlando Pace. The fact that the Rams (who draft at No. 12) wanted to bring in Andre Johnson for a visit suggests that St. Louis might be targeting a move north.
The Rams have had a rocky offseason (more on this is coming Friday), and they could use the boost of Houston's No. 3 overall pick, regardless of whether they use it on Terence Newman, Johnson, or Suggs.
http://profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm