Why Stephone Anthony Is Ideal Fit for Houston Texans Defense

According to the NFL calendar, the 2015 draft officially begins on April 30. Speculation about who will pick whom was underway by the time the 2014 regular season had reached its midpoint. Bleacher Report’s own Matt Miller posted his first 2015 mock draft on Oct. 28, the Tuesday after the completion of Week 8’s slate of games.

Miller acknowledged the Houston Texans' desperation at quarterback by recommending they take Connor Cook from Michigan State with the 14th pick: “The Houston Texans sit at 4-4 after eight weeks, and that pushes them out of contention for one of the top quarterbacks in the 2015 class. But make no mistake, finding a quarterback is the No. 1 priority of the team this offseason.”

Head coach Bill O’Brien threw Miller and most league observers a curve by naming perennial benchwarmer Ryan Mallett the starting quarterback for Week 9. Cook took himself out of the picture altogether by deciding to return for his senior season.

The list of probable first-round quarterbacks was eventually “paired” down to Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. The Texans settled in at the No. 16 draft slot when they unexpectedly finished the 2014 season with a 9-7 record. Neither Winston nor Mariota would fall that far, meaning general manager Rick Smith and O’Brien would make the best use of their first overall selection at another position.

The abundance of wide receiver prospects and the absence of Andre Johnson turns pass-catcher into an understandable choice. Johnathan Joseph is in the last year of his contract and a half-dozen cornerbacks appear in the second half of the first round in the mock drafts at NFL.com. Arian Foster needs an apprentice, but as reported by ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen, is Todd Gurley really “six weeks ahead with his recovery” from a torn ACL, as Dr. James Andrews suggested?

NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock appeared on In the Loop on Sports Radio 610 in Houston and proposed grooming a replacement for Duane Brown. According to Mayock, if the top receivers or cornerbacks are gone when Houston’s turn comes around, why not take a right tackle? 

Brown has a minimum $9 million cap hit over the remaining four years of his deal, with no dead money after 2017. Simply switch the right tackle to the left side and consider the savings found money. However, Mayock seemed unaware that right tackle Derek Newton had recently re-signed for four years and $26.5 million. 

The foresight displayed by Mayock’s suggestion would be better applied to another player. Brian Cushing is signed for another five seasons, at a cap figure which also exceeds $9 million per annum. His dead money come 2017 is still a hefty $4.2 million. 

The distinction between the two players is that Cushing has more to prove on the field. His consecutive season-ending injuries in 2012 and 2013 have reduced his greatest physical assets: quickness and mobility. A measure of those traits began to return towards the end of 2014.

The fact that he will turn 28 before the start of the upcoming season is unavoidable. That is four years since his peak in 2011 as a second-team All-Pro. Is it realistic to believe his sideline-to-sideline intensity and backfield penetration will magically reappear at this age?

Anthony is the ideal apprentice to Cushing. The inside linebacker should be available in the second round and is so versatile that it would be worth trading up to get him.

A player with 4.56 speed is virtually wasted playing strictly on the inside. Anthony led Clemson in 2014 with 75 tackles, which is what is expected of a 4-3 middle linebacker. When the opportunity is there, he can penetrate the pocket in the blink of an eye.

Draft Breakdown

Anthony teamed with Vic Beasley for another sack as he went through the 6'3", 293-pound Austin Barron of Florida State as if the right guard were a turnstile.

Draft Breakdown

Dave-Te Thomas of Scout NFL Network started off his analysis of Anthony by emphasizing, “All media attention has been accorded Tigers rush end Vic Beasley, but Stephone Anthony is regarded by the staff and teammates as the defensive unit’s true MVP."

Thomas then put into words what the videos showed in striking detail:

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Anthony is a very athletic defender, showing the hip swerve and flexibility you find in a player that some teams might feel will be more advantageous as a weak-side outside linebacker, rather than performing as a classic middle linebacker. He shows suddenness in his initial move off the ball and gets to top speed quickly. He is very quick coming off the snap, staying low in his pads while generating quick lateral movements to string the plays wide.

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Matt Miller's Pre-Free-Agency Scouting Notebook named Anthony as his No. 1 prospect who was moving up:

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Athletic linebackers with NFL size are rare in this draft class, but Clemson's Stephone Anthony has both. He also had one heck of a senior season followed up by an eye-opening Senior Bowl. Then he went to Indianapolis and wowed again with a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash at 6'3" and 243 pounds. That range and production on film has scouts excited.

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The NFL coaching canon insists that 3-4 outside linebackers, if they did not play the position in college, must be forged out of undersized defensive ends. Those who top out at 6'4" and weigh less than 270 pounds have to learn to play without their hand in the dirt.

It would be heresy to suggest that Anthony might be capable of doing the unthinkable: making the transition from the inside to the outside. Is that somehow more evolutionary than the emergence of the LEO?

According to Seahawks.com's Clare Farnsworth, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll described the LEO as “a little bit of a hybrid position—that is kind of a linebacker, kind of a defensive end.” The position stretches all the way back to Fred Dean and the San Francisco 49ers of the early 1980s.

Imagine Anthony as kind of a run-stuffer and kind of a pass-rusher. A crossbreed that is not so dedicated to either role, so that the offense can be sure what his assignment is on a given play. The kind of player Cushing was in 2011, with a little more freedom to get upfield.

How different is that from what J.J. Watt does, moving up and down the D-line, preying on the weakest blocker? The whole idea is to keep the offense guessing as to which direction Watt will be coming from.

Maybe this is too far out of the box for defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel to implement within his system. For one player to freelance, another has to play in a more traditional style. Anthony could end up just as Miller describes him:

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Gave Stephone Anthony a Karlos Dansby comparison from an athletic standpoint. Anthony could play ILB in a 3-4 and is above avg in coverage

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 16, 2015 "

Ryan McCrystal of DraftAce.com and John Owning of Bleacher Report both take a dimmer view of Anthony’s potential:

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Stephone Anthony - Athleticism doesn't translate bc of poor recognition skills. Needs to devleop mental side of game http://t.co/oEbW9sOvc8

— Ryan McCrystal (@Ryan_McCrystal) March 24, 2015"

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Gave Stephone Anthony a 3rd round grade. Not as instinctive as I'd like and poor at getting off blocks. But athleticism is all there

— John Owning (@johnowning) March 11, 2015"

Conversely, Jayson Braddock of Sports Talk 790 in Houston is gung-ho enough to not wait until Day 2 to snatch Anthony:

"

IF I'm Houston & Dupree / Beasley / Fowler (any) are available at 16, that's my pick. IF not, then Stephone Anthony would be.

— Jayson Braddock (@JaysonBraddock) March 16, 2015 "

NFL Media analyst Charles Davis chose Anthony over Eric Hendricks as the Green Bay Packers’ first-rounder in his Mock 2.0:

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“@WalterSturdy: @CFD22 Who is better prospect: Stephone Anthony or Eric Kendricks for Packers at 30?”- Kendricks is stouter, I like Anthony

— Charles Davis (@CFD22) March 7, 2015"

The consensus is decidedly pro-Anthony.

Fortunately for the Texans, inside linebackers do not get much respect. In the last five drafts, only four (C.J. Mosley, Luke Kuechly, Dont’a Hightower, Rolando McClain) have been taken in the first round. O’Brien may still be able to get his zone-busting wide receiver in the first round and Crennel his do-everything linebacker in the second.  

Finally, we will close out with the requisite YouTube highlight video of Anthony’s career. Enjoy!