Houston Texans Draft: Should They Take Another Corner Early?

With the 2011 NFL draft drawing near, speculation has really begun to swell about what the Houston Texans will do with their first-round draft pick.

They have several needs. They need playmakers in the secondary, depth in the linebacking corps and someone who can rush the passer. The offensive line could also stand to have more depth.

Several mock drafts and experts still have the Texans taking a cornerback.

It's certainly not the worst idea in the world. The ineptitude of the Texans corners last season has been highly publicized and ridiculed by media and fans alike. Cornerback is still a huge need for this team.

But would that be the right move?

The Texans have enough needs that would make me hesitant to take a corner for the second year in a row if I were in the Texans front office. That may not be the best way to make draft decisions, but I think you're kidding yourself if you think it doesn't factor into a team's selection process.

With elite pass rushers in this draft like Von Miller, Robert Quinn, Da'Quan Bowers, J.J. Watt, Aldon Smith and Ryan Kerrigan, can the Texans afford to pass up the chance to improve the defensive line and take a cornerback instead?

If the decision to take a cornerback is made, the targets for the Texans are easy to spot.

There are two elite corners in this draft. One is LSU's Patrick Peterson, and the other is Nebraska's Prince Amukamara.

By all accounts, both of these guys will be game-changers. That fact works both for and against the Texans.

On one hand, the Texans are in the market for a game-changer in the secondary. On the other hand, it's a crapshoot trying to guess if either of these guys will be around when the Texans draft 11th overall.

Peterson will almost certainly be gone by then and most drafts have Amukamara going in the No. 8–No. 12 range. That's pretty dicey for the Texans if they have their hearts set on one of these guys.

The Texans could try to move up, but at what cost? Even moving up one or two spots is incredibly costly, as the Texans would likely have to deal at least one of their middle-round picks. With all the needs they have, they probably won't be looking to unload draft picks.

The labor unrest doesn't do the Texans any favors in this case either.

Normally, a team can improve its roster in the offseason both through the draft and free agency. With no current collective bargaining agreement in place, there is no free agency right now.

The draft will be the first and maybe only chance a team has to upgrade their roster. That's going to make draft picks for this year worth the price of gold.

Whatever the cost, though, the upside of getting one of those guys would be enormous. Having a cornerback who can defend a receiver one-on-one takes pressure off of everyone else.

The defensive line will have more time to get to the passer, using a blitz with your linebackers becomes more effective and you won't have to ask the safeties to play in pass coverage nearly as much.

Standing to gain the most is probably last year's starting cornerback tandem of Kareem Jackson and Glover Quin. A ton of pressure was forced upon them last season and they folded.

With the addition of a high-profile, highly drafted cornerback comes less pressure and less responsibility for Jackson and Quin.

We do, however, have to find out what the Texans have in Jackson and Quin. Neither player has shown all that much, but to be fair, they haven't been put in the best of situations.

If the Texans bring in a corner with their first-round draft pick, they still have to give Jackson and Quin the opportunity to prove they can play. Maybe they just need another year in their current roles.

With a new addition comes new roles for them and maybe that change stunts their growth rather than helping it as most would think.

The recent controversy surrounding Kareem Jackson has added another layer of intrigue to this story. Jackson recently posted some pictures on Twitter of a cockfight he attended in the Dominican Republic.

I'm sure he'll even admit that this wasn't his best of moments, but you can't help but wonder about his decision making if this is how he is going to spend his time off. The Texans have to ask themselves if this is the type of guy they want to trust with one of the more important positions on the field.

All of these questions can only be answered by the Texans front office. They have a huge decision to make. One could argue that this is one of the more important decisions in the history of the franchise.

The team is stuck in neutral. If the Texans don't get it in gear, they could be looking at a complete makeover after the next season, whether that's in 2011 or 2012.

While I would have no real problem with the Texans taking Peterson or Amukamara if either fell to them at No. 11, I wouldn't want them to go out of their way to go get one of them.

There are simply too many other good players in this draft and the team has too many other needs.