BGN 2010 Mock Draft Pick #20 - The Houston Texans

With the twentieth pick in the 2010 BGN Draft, BadCo'09 selects...

Dan Williams - DT, Tennessee

Picking for the Texans, there are clearly two positions in need that warrant a first round pick: cornerback and defensive tackle. After discussing this with some fine ladies and gentlemen over at Battle Red Blog, the Texans’ SBN site, they basically had the same consensus with me, and they had the people they wanted to pick as well. They wanted CB Kyle Wilson from Boise State or DT Dan Williams of Tennessee. After looking up some information on the Texans’ overall defense, it seemed that they needed more help in passing defense rather than running defense. (NFL Rank #16 Passing D giving up 218 passing yards a game over a #11 Rushing D giving up 107 yards per game) With Wilson going to the Steelers, my choice was easy in that I am left with Dan Williams. I wanted to go in this direction anyway even if this is a deep draft for D-Linemen because this will help bolster their D-Line for years, taking some heat off Mario Williams while helping in the running game.

From William’s bio on cbssports.com

"Pass rush: Relies on good to very good power as a bull rusher to collapse the pocket. Uses a swim move effectively, but lacks the burst and lateral agility to be a consistent factor in the pass rush. Works hard, but has only phone booth quickness. Requires an open lane to close. Alert defender that gets his hands up in the passing lanes.

Run defense: Greatest asset to the defense due to his build, strength and ability to locate the football. Good burst off the snap to explode into the offensive lineman. Tough to move off the line of scrimmage, as he naturally sprawls his feet, keeps his pads low and has the upper-body strength to hold up even to double-teams. Strong hands and an effective swim move to disengage. Natural candidate to move to nose guard. Keeps his head up and finds the ball. Only phone booth quickness, but hustles laterally and even downfield in pursuit.

More after the jump...

Explosion: Good initial burst off the snap. Good upper-body strength to shock his opponent and quickly separate. Needs a lane to gather momentum and provide a big hit, but can deliver a jarring blow when he gets one.

Strength: Arguably his best trait. Low center of gravity due to a thick, wide lower body which helps in the leverage battle up front. Good use of hands and good upper-body strength to stack and shed in the running game. Relies on his strength as a bull rusher to collapse the pocket from the interior. Slides off blocks to make the play at or near the line of scrimmage.

Tackling: Enough strength to slow and even pull down some runners with one arm as he remains engaged with the blocker. Brings his weight with him as a hitter, resulting in some big collisions. Provides enough pop that he doesn't have to wrap up to knock down most ballcarriers, but improved in doing so as a senior. Good vision to locate the ball and can redirect surprisingly well at his size. Hustles laterally and downfield to make the tackle from behind.

Intangibles: Re-dedicated himself after the hiring of Lane Kiffin. Was moved to the nose and his draft stock "skyrocketed" as a senior. Was characterized by Monte Kiffin as a "undrafted free agent" based on film before the 2009 season … Has struggled maintaining his weight in the past. Has been as heavy as 357 pounds and ballooned to over 340 during the off-season last year. Played at 320-325 this season … Majored in legal studies and has aspirations to be a lawyer after his football career is over. "

Next on the clock will be You don't have to be sweet, to be good with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Previous picks: #1 Ndamukong Suh, #2 Russell Okung, #3 Gerald McCoy, #4 Sam Bradford, #5 Eric Berry, #6 Trent Williams, #7 Jimmy Clausen, #8 Bruce Campbell, #9 Bryan Bulaga, #10 Derrick Morgan, #11 Rolando McClain, #12 Sergio Kindle, #13 Joe Haden, #14 C.J. Spiller, #15 Mike Iupati, #16 Jason Pierre-Paul, #17 Anthony Davis, #18 Kyle Wilson, #19 Brandon Graham