Dan Williams, DT - Tennessee
Pick made by Aerostar193:
The Texans need some major help in their secondary, but with all of the top prospects off the board (Taylor Mays doesn't cut it for me), they can switch their focus to defensive tackle and select Dan Williams. After trading the disappointing Travis Johnson to San Diego last season, there was no player left on the roster to replace him. Veterans Shaun Cody and Jeff Zgonina did their best to fill the hole, but neither of them are answers going forward.
Williams is a massive body with outstanding power and strength who could do wonders for a Texans team that is dead-set on stopping the Colts high powered offense. He's an excellent run-stuffer and dominates the line of scrimmage with ease, opening things up for his teammates to make more plays. And with already established stars like Mario Williams, Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans on the Texans defense, the addition of "Big Dan" could potentially vault their level of play, along with the inconsistent Amobi Okoye, to the next level. One issue with the idea of Williams going to the Texans is that he's mostly viewed as 3-4 nose tackle at the next level, often being pegged in mock drafts as the Dolphins or Broncos pick. However, I think he proved he had the athleticism to play in the 4-3 after he ran the 40 in 5.17 seconds while weighing 327 pounds. The Texans are only a few pieces away from becoming an elite team in my eyes, and Williams could definitely fit in as one of those pieces.
How would he impact the 2010 Texans?
There's really no reason for Williams not to start from Day 1. The Texans coaching staff has never been hesitant to start rookies in the past. Established players on the Texans defense like Cushing, Williams, Ryans, and Okoye all started their entire rookie seasons, and Dan Williams should be no different. I expect him to have a smooth transition to the NFL and become an immediate difference maker for the team.
If Williams is taken #20 by the Texans, it would be the 3rd DT taken in the first round by the Texans over the past 6 years (Travis Johnson & Amobi Okoye). This doesn't include taking Mario Williams #1 overall in '06 as well. He will also be the 2nd DT taken in the first round from Tennessee over the past 4 years (Justin Harrell).
Williams's Scouting Report from Mocking the Draft
The Bengals, and FineClub, are on the clock...
Pos | Team | Player | Pos | School | Drafter |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | St. Louis | Jimmy Clausen | QB | Notre Dame | TouchdownColts |
2 | Detroit | Russell Okung | OT | Oklahoma St. | coltsfan723 |
3 | Tampa Bay | Ndamukong Suh | DT | Nebraska | TheAngelsColts |
4 | Washington | Sam Bradford | QB | Oklahoma | Colts Homer |
5 | Kansas City | Eric Berry | S | Tennessee | sanders_fan89 |
6 | Seattle | Gerald McCoy | DT | Oklahoma | shake n bake |
7 | Cleveland | Earl Thomas | S | Texas | 2ndBlueGeneration |
8 | Oakland | Bruce Campbell | OT | Maryland | LovinBlue |
9 | Buffalo | Bryan Bulaga | OT | Iowa | Cassieper |
10 | Jacksonville | Rolando McClain | LB | Alabama | peytonsthebest |
11 | Denver | Derrick Morgan | DE | Georgia Tech | JPBarnett |
12 | Miami | Dez Bryant | WR | Oklahoma St. | fpacheco |
13 | San Francisco | Joe Haden | CB | Florida | BlueVol03 |
14 | Seattle | Charles Brown | OT | USC | shake n bake |
15 | N.Y. Giants | C.J. Spiller | RB | Clemson | gizzardfanny |
16 | Tennessee | Jason Pierre-Paul | DE | South Florida | Addai Another Day |
17 | San Francisco | Mike Iupati | G | Idaho | BlueVol03 |
18 | Pittsburgh | Kyle Wilson | CB | Boise St. | LV Steelers Fan |
19 | Atlanta | Brandon Graham | DE | Michigan | fiftycal2004 |
20 | Houston | Dan Williams | DT | Tennessee | Aerostar193 |
21 | Cincinnati | FineClub | |||
22 | New England | skywalker | |||
23 | Green Bay | bracketismyboy | |||
24 | Philadelphia | TehRhino | |||
25 | Baltimore | SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs | |||
26 | Arizona | NYKings | |||
27 | Dallas | jules62 | |||
28 | San Diego | chad72 | |||
29 | N.Y. Jets | diagenesis | |||
30 | Minnesota | DClark#44 | |||
31 | Indianapolis | mgrex03 | |||
32 | New Orleans | palco |