You can imagine I've heard that question a few times this offseason. My gut is that they would love to drop down and acquire picks. But that is easier said than done. You can bet they've had talks with teams about potential moves, but no one can be sure who is there when the 10th pick arrives, resulting in little incentive to trigger a deal.
After the Dolphins pick, Rick Smith's phone may ring off the hook or there could also be the sound of crickets in the draft room. It all depends on who is there and how much the potential trade partners want him.
I would love to see a playmaker on the team like Ted Ginn. But is he worth it at No.10? If Levi Brown is there, you might have to take him. Do Alan Branch's leg problems scare you? Is Leon Hall the real deal? So many questions!
No matter what happens, remember a couple of things. This regime is different. Smith speaks openly about winning championships. That's refreshing. He's changing the system and philosiophy for player evaluation with the Texans.
Plus, no matter how much thought you have put into this, they have invested more blood, sweat and tears over the harvest than most of us could stomach.
As far as other teams go, I would have to take Jamarcus Russell if I'm the Raiders unless I could swing a deal with Cleveland or Tampa that would enable me to still get him and some extra picks. Brady Quinn will not drop far. He's helped himself in the predraft campaign by playing the underdog role perfectly. He hasn't thrown a pick since the Sugar Bowl and the Charlie Weis endorsement does mean a lot in the NFL world. Calvin Johnson looks like he'll be spending a great deal of time in NFL end zones this fall.
I saw Bum Phillips last week and he loves what Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith have done so far. Kubiak is a former ball boy for Bum's Oilers. Even though Bum will be spending much time at Texas Stadium pulling for his son Wade's Cowboys (which sort of seems like the Pope overseeing a Bar Mitzvah), he wants Kubiak and the Texans to win big.
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