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ITL breaks down Lopez’s case for why this draft may have been perfect for Houston.
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00:00What is the general feeling about the way that this draft rounded out?
00:03And honestly, I think it's worth having the conversation about
00:06how did you feel in the meantime, while it was happening and after,
00:10about the way that the Texans decided to go about the draft?
00:13Because this was fairly unique compared to the rest of the draft.
00:16It was, and you know this, and our listeners know this.
00:19I go out of my way to just look at it, ask the right questions,
00:22wonder about the right things, try not to be a homer.
00:26I try to be objective on everything. I just try.
00:29And I'm looking at this draft, and I mentioned it on the doc before we got rolling here.
00:35I think this is a Mary Poppins draft.
00:38I think this is a Mary Poppins draft.
00:40Practically perfect in every way.
00:43I really do think they got just about, they checked all the boxes,
00:47they got what they needed, they helped special teams,
00:50which I know is not going to necessarily steal a lot of headlines,
00:52but big time, they got upside.
00:54The three things they wanted was things that they needed,
00:58then they had things that they wanted in terms of identity on the offensive side of the ball,
01:03and then they also wanted to get some add-ons, some depth,
01:05some players that could maybe develop and everything.
01:08I think they got all of it, man.
01:09I think they got all of it.
01:10I can go through it more specifically, and we will,
01:14but I was trying to look for some holes here.
01:18Now, I get, you know, hey, they didn't get a running back.
01:20Hey, they didn't get an edge rusher.
01:22I understand that, but, you know, it's seven rounds.
01:26It's a limited number of picks.
01:27Yeah.
01:28I wish I could tell you I didn't like, you know,
01:30I didn't like some things with this draft.
01:32I liked everything about it.
01:33I liked a good amount of this draft, especially the first two picks.
01:36Yeah.
01:37I'm head over heels for it.
01:39Like, I love what they've done here,
01:41especially like the Caden McDonald.
01:43It felt validating me.
01:45You know me.
01:45I like being right.
01:47It is a, it can be a little bit of a personality flaw at times.
01:49I recognize that.
01:50I hadn't noticed.
01:54The thing that, you know, the conversations that have been had,
01:56some of the analyses headed in about how the Texans like these smaller
02:00defensive tackles, it didn't ring true in my ear.
02:04I was like, that doesn't feel right.
02:05And so, I was really excited to see them ultimately make that decision
02:08because he fits all of the personality type things,
02:11but he gives them an opportunity to address one of the things defensively
02:14that it felt like they didn't do well, which was stopping the run.
02:17So, there's that.
02:17There's the Keelan Rutledge, which we talked about on Friday.
02:19We'll talk more about it.
02:21The Marlon Klein was one of those things.
02:23That selection of the tight end out of Michigan with your second second-round
02:28pick at 59 overall.
02:30That one was when I started going, huh.
02:32Pursuant to what our question of the day will be,
02:35is this where we're overthinking?
02:36Is it possible that the Texans might be valuing the human parts of this,
02:41the cultural parts of this, to a fault?
02:43I think as I've dug a little bit deeper into them,
02:46I've been able to kind of step back from that thought.
02:48But we will, you know, I could see the logic behind all of it,
02:53which for me is ultimately the thing that I hold on to.
02:56Because, as you know, I like to say there's more than one way to cook chicken.
02:59Right.
03:00I feel like this is a cooked chicken.
03:01I don't know if this is teriyaki chicken or if this is baked chicken
03:05or if this is fried chicken.
03:06I can't, you know, depending on the flavors that you prefer.
03:09But I do think that this is a coherent, cogent, you know, draft class
03:14that makes sense.
03:15And ultimately, I also feel like the stakes weren't as high in this draft class
03:19because of the way that they handle it.
03:20So I have a hard time being worked up about anything.
03:24Like there's some little things that I go, huh,
03:25I wonder how I feel about that.
03:28But ultimately, I think that they address some of the big things
03:30that I thought they wanted to do.
03:32And I can see the logic within it, which ultimately is going to be good.
03:35I want to go back to Marlon Klein real quick.
03:38Because that's a pick that I will admit, you know,
03:43might be the reach, you know, air quotes,
03:45that people are going to hone in on.
03:47I started kind of laughing about this because people say,
03:50well, he didn't play football until he was 15 years old
03:53and he came from Germany.
03:54And I'm like, this dude went to a football academy in Georgia
03:58where, you know, predictably, I mean, supposedly, probably,
04:02you get better, more intense coaching, you know.
04:06And then he went to Michigan and was behind a couple of guys
04:09that played in the NFL.
04:11Yeah.
04:11And so they're like, they're acting like this guy is fresh off the boat
04:15or something.
04:16Like most kids start playing organized football.
04:19I know some, you know, peewee and all that,
04:21but like legit coached organized football in middle school
04:24when they're 13.
04:25Yeah.
04:25He's 15.
04:26He's getting over here and playing.
04:27What's the, why are people like, well, he's a German
04:29that just didn't play until 15.
04:30You think he's going to be better than Kahali Ware?
04:32He, yes.
04:33He wore the polo tight end.
04:35Yes, yes.
04:36He started playing football at 15 in high school at an academy,
04:40then went to Michigan for God's sakes.
04:43Are they good at football?
04:44I mean, yes.
04:45People are like, wow, like he's just fresh off the boat.
04:47So that one just had me kind of giggling about that.
04:50But I get it that, you know, because of his production,
04:52because of some injuries, you know, that that's going to be a reach.
04:55But I also see a really big dude, really big dude.
04:596'6", 250.
05:00Yeah.
05:00That can do a lot of things.
05:02And maybe they had, I'll grant you that one,
05:04but it's still a little bit overstating that it was this big reach
05:07or something.
05:07Yeah, and the tough thing for me in it is, you know,
05:11sometimes you go, is there production there?
05:13And I know that that's not the end all be all.
05:15I see someone on the text line saying that they could have gotten him later,
05:17which I'm always very hesitant to do because the draft industrial complex
05:23leading up to the draft is not the draft, right?
05:25So all of these draft grades that we get,
05:27you think that some, you know, players you can have later,
05:31but in other instances you look up and you go,
05:33are you certain that that's the case?
05:35Because there was a run on tight ends there.
05:36And then also, the draft is malleable.
05:39The picks that happened before in a butterfly effect type way
05:42impact the picks that happened after.
05:43And once the magnificent Glassstone gets out here and breaks the seal,
05:48right, once he cuts, if we're going to talk about spades,
05:51once that first spade comes out, now here come all these other spades, right?
05:54And that's, I think that that in my mind is where it started going.
05:56If I wanted to have a criticism about this,
05:59it would be more that there were some tight ends that felt like
06:02they have more development that were still on the board, right?
06:06I think of Max Clare, I think of Oscar Delp,
06:08even if we're talking about like a dude who has traits.
06:11What helped me is I went back in,
06:13are you familiar with Bruce Feldman of The Athletic,
06:15covers college football, and obviously this is a good intersection for him.
06:18He has, every year he does a freaks list.
06:21Yeah.
06:21And after the season of just the dudes who are freakish in various different ways.
06:26Marlon Klein is one of them dudes.
06:27Now he came in like 31st on what is a pretty robust list,
06:30so he wasn't like freak number one.
06:32You want to know who freak number one on his list was this year?
06:34Kenyon Sadiq, right?
06:35Like, he's not that.
06:37But he's a freakish tight end who ran, you know, ran a really good three cone.
06:41I think he had a huge jump.
06:43He hit like almost 22 miles per hour on the GPS.
06:47Like, he has some freakish tools.
06:49So the thought that I had was he meets the criteria of what they want culturally,
06:54Marlon Klein.
06:54He was a team captain at Michigan.
06:57He is a gritty dude, right?
06:58He came over here, didn't know a lick of German, and just fended for himself, right?
07:01Without no family here.
07:03And he has these tools that hopefully you can develop into.
07:06So, like, these are the things that I try and come back to.
07:08But then in the second round, if we're talking about, like, that value,
07:11I would hope that you have a dude who's a little bit less developmental.
07:13But then that's when we get to the run start,
07:16and ultimately we can't know what we don't know of when you would have been able to get him.
07:20Well, I have a question for anyone who says they could have gotten Marlon Klein.
07:24I'm going to call him Garrett.
07:26I know I am because my son's best friend is Garrett Klein.
07:28Garrett Klein?
07:28Yeah, I almost did it right there.
07:30You're going to call him Calvin Klein?
07:32Yeah, I was about to say Calvin Klein.
07:33Colin Klein.
07:34Just word of warning, at some point, probably multiple times,
07:38I'm going to call him Garrett Klein instead of Marlon Klein.
07:40That's like me calling Aaron Glenn, Andre Glenn.
07:43But I have a question for anybody who says you could have gotten Marlon Klein later.
07:49Why didn't you get Caden McDaniels earlier?
07:52Because you could have.
07:53You could have drafted him at 28.
07:55So, see, it works both ways, man.
07:57You don't know what other teams are thinking on these players.
08:01So, you're saying, oh, they could have gotten him later.
08:03Well, they could have gotten McDaniel at 28.
08:06Are you mad that they didn't?
08:07Or are you glad that they got Rutledge and McDaniels?
08:11Yeah.
08:11So, think about it like that.
08:12Do you feel like people would be having this conversation if they drafted a different tight end,
08:17like a Max Clear or something like that?
08:18It's name recognition.
08:19It's the, as you put it, you know, the big draft, so to speak.
08:25Big draft.
08:26I think that's the issue.
08:27They got this tight end when you had maybe three other tight ends.
08:31But if you think about it like that, you should be pounding your fist on the table.
08:34They should have drafted McDaniel at 28.
08:36It works both ways, man.
08:38I really, really like this draft.
08:40I think Bond, we talked about him a little bit.
08:42Kind of a move the sticks guy at that place.
08:45Good value.
08:46That's sixth round, right?
08:47Kamari Ramsey.
08:48That's the one.
08:49There's your Jalen Petrie.
08:50Of your day three guys, that's the one who really made me go, oh, okay, I'm interested.
08:55And, of course, the Texans seemingly love a USC defensive back.
08:58But, yeah, Kamari Ramsey is the dude who goes, all right, now you're adding to that high-flying secondary
09:03with another dude who likes to thump.
09:05And it feels like you have a guy who could possibly slide in as a backup for Jalen Petrie.
09:11What if you want some coverage in your linebacking, right?
09:14Okay.
09:15You know, there's a chance right there that's a guy that can cover.
09:18I mean, flat out, the numbers say so.
09:20The production says so.
09:22Again, I can talk about the edge rusher and the running back, and we will.
09:26They've addressed it some with the undrafted free agents.
09:29I know that's not as sexy.
09:32But you went out.
09:34We're sitting here the Monday and Tuesday after they get eliminated by the Patriots saying,
09:39man, they really need to help this offensive line.
09:41You go out in free agency and get some dudes.
09:44You go out and two of your first three picks are on the offensive line.
09:48We were sitting here, and this was one of your pet projects, so to speak,
09:51or the interior defensive line.
09:53What are you going to do when you absolutely know they're going to run the ball?
09:58Put this big dude in there.
10:00I'm glad you didn't say what you were supposed to say.
10:01I can see it.
10:02Man, I've got two near misses already in this segment.
10:05We are 15 minutes into this thing, man.
10:07Buddy, you really love this draft, man.
10:09I never heard you just giddy over a draft.
10:12Again, I said it earlier, Figgy.
10:14How long have we been working here?
10:15I always try to, all right, where's the holes?
10:17Where are the questions marks?
10:19You got John Harris beat right now, man.
10:21I'm telling you, man.
10:22I'm surprising myself.
10:24I think the fact that I'm always a little skeptical and I ask the questions kind of tells you how
10:28I really feel about this draft.
10:30I think it's a home run given the picks they had and what they needed.
10:35Oh, one more thing.
10:36What did we really need to do for this team?
10:39Let's change the attitude on offense.
10:41Yeah, and that's the thing.
10:42It shows up that that was the most important thing, right?
10:46The cultural fit was, I think, the big thing that shows up through the entirety of the draft class.
10:50If you are not, what's the old Bill O'Brien, smart, dependable, tough?
10:56Tough, smart, dependable.
10:57There we go.
10:57In some order.
10:58If you are not those things, you can't play here, right?
11:00If you're not a smart dude, if you're not a culture dude.
11:03Tough, smart, dependable guy.
11:04I appreciate that, Bill.
11:06That's not the only time you'll hear his voice in this program, unfortunately.
11:09I've got to tell you that right now.
11:10But, yeah, if you do not fit the culture that they want, which particularly on offense, they weren't going to
11:17take you.
11:18And it feels very much like they looked up and they were like, what the most important thing is,
11:22making sure that that thing that we know that permeates the defense, that makes the defense a talking point across
11:27the league,
11:27we want that to permeate the entirety of the team, and that also starts with getting those trenches right.
11:31How many team captains did they get that they draft?
11:33Oh, that's a good question.
11:35I think they drafted at least three teams.
11:37It wasn't Boyd.
11:38I mean, yeah, Bond.
11:40Bond was a team captain.
11:42I believe McDaniel, wasn't he?
11:45McDaniel's a team captain.
11:47You know, in this break, I will do the work of making sure and checking how many team captains.
11:51Rutledge was a team captain.
11:53There's three, so it might be four or five.
11:56This is a new thing that we put on there.
11:57We're drafting team captains.
11:58Next year, it's like, hey, man, you want to get to see the Texans bump on the number?
12:03Hey, forget swarmy, was he a team captain?
12:06Was he a team captain?
12:08But, I mean, I know that's relatively minuscule, but it kind of speaks to what they really were after in
12:14terms of offensive swarm and stuff like that.
12:16No, without question.
12:17And so, yeah, I don't think it's one of those things where you go definitively, I hate this draft.
12:22I think that there's matters of taste that could come in with this draft.
12:26It feels like also the stakes were low enough that if you're just in a place where you're like, huh,
12:30I don't know about that, rather than I am completely out on that, you can make it ride.
12:36And ultimately, I think the way that they did this, it sets them up to throw a whole bunch of
12:40dudes out there, let them go into camp, have real competition, and competition at the high end.
12:45Remember last year at training camp, we were talking about competition, but it's competition amongst backup-type players?
12:49Right.
12:49They got starting caliber competition that can happen.
12:53I think ultimately that's what you want when you're putting together team building.
12:56You want to just throw a whole bunch of really good dudes in there and let them iron sharpen iron,
13:00as they say from time to time.
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