PFF's Sam Monson on The A-Team- Cornerback Could Be Position Of Need For Texans

Pro Football Focus analyst Sam Monson joins The A-Team to preview what this year's draft could look like for the Texans. He talks about how last year's draft sets them up for this year's strategy. He also talks about how Nick Caserio could address the pick at number 42 in the second round, if the Texans stay there. 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Sam monson joining us for a littledraft discussion of pro football focus. As
we get closer and closer, wedon't think the Texans are going to be
making a pick on Opening Night,but you never know these days, Sam,
I think my first question would beto you, other than to tell
you thank you for joining us andtaking the time, is you know this
is probably the well, it's oneof the quickest turnarounds. But that's what's

(00:21):
fun about the NFL. You canhave these kinds of turnarounds. But how
sexy are the Houston Texans, becausethat's the word I would use. How
sexy are the Houston Texans with whatthey've done roster wise over the past three
sixty five Yeah, I mean,obviously they had an amazing draft, really
just the first round last season withnailing the quarterback pick, getting CJ.

(00:42):
Stroud and then doubling up and goingafter Will Anderson and deciding that they wanted
another elite player at the top ofthat draft and being willing to, you
know, risk future draft picks tomake that happen, nail both those picks,
and that propelled everything in the rightdirection. Then you get guys like
Tank Dell, you know, lowerdown the draft and things start looking amazing.

(01:04):
And then because they were so goodlast year, number one, the
draft pick that they gave up togo get a Will Anderson ends up being
you know, a low first roundpick. But number two, it means
that they are convinced that they cancompete right away, so they go after
significant sort of shorter term or orbigger splash type moves, getting guys like

(01:25):
Danel Hunter in you know Hunter foreven if you just sort of look at
it as a straight swap for aguy like Jonathan Grenard, you don't often
see teams voluntarily getting older and moreexpensive at a position, And the only
reason you do that is if youthink that guy is good enough to be
able to propel you to you know, a championship or a real playoff contender.

(01:49):
And that's what Houston thinks they areright now. They think that the
additions of these guys haven't just beenenough to turn around the franchise and you
know, make them into a goodteam from bad team, but actually propel
them all the way to being areal contender in what it's still a lowed
AFC. So yeah, they'd becomea really fun team to look at and

(02:12):
envisage what they could be in twentytwenty four. Yeah, banking on Hunter
to continue being the player he's provento be for several years, versus maybe
seeing if John Gernard would continue tobe the player he'd been for a single
season as walk here, although hewas awesome and I think he's gonna be
great for Minnesota quickly back in around to last year, I'm curious your
thoughts. I've said it at thetime and still think it to this day.

(02:36):
They traded up to get Will Andersonbecause they thought he was the best
player defensively in the twenty twenty fourdraft, better than anybody they could get,
no matter where their pick would bein the twenty twenty four draft,
which is why they made the moveto get him right then and there.
I think he's the best defensive playerin the twenty three draft. Do you
think he's the best player out ofanybody coming out in this year's draft defensively?

(03:00):
Yeah? Quite possibly. I think. You know, Laatu Lattu,
the edge rusher from UCLA. Hehas a college production profile that's probably a
little bit better than Will Anderson's.Now, I don't think he's as good
an athlete as Will Anderson, soyou know, you can debate whether or
not he's a better prospect. Andof course he has the medical concerns that

(03:20):
Will Anderson didn't have last who hasalready had to retire medically because of a
neck injury a couple of years ago, and now he's had two good seasons
since that point, but his medicalsare going to be a conversation point around
the NFL when we're debating what heis as a prospect. If that wasn't
an issue at all, I thinkyou could make the case that he's maybe

(03:42):
a prospect that could rival Will Anderson. But I think Anderson is certainly better
than Dallas Turner, who is mostpeople's consensus number one edge in this class.
So yeah, I think you canlook at that and say the Texans
were justified. Not only was thepick, you know, way worse than
people expect it to be, butso far, given what we know about

(04:02):
these guys, you can absolutely makethe case that Will Anderson is the best
defensive player of the last two draftWe can definitely make a case since you
brought Latsu up both last two seasons, he and Will Anderson were finalists for
the Lombardi Award given out right herein Houston. So we've got a chance
to talk to both of them inadvance of being drafted and could be more
impressed with the person. And Ithink Lot two does have a bright future

(04:26):
if health is able to be pushedaside. And you kind of mentioned Dallas
Turner a few others. There arenot many defensive players likely to go in
the first round, maybe an overunder of nine and a half eight and
a half ten. I'm not surehow do you think that impacts what Nick
Cassario will be thinking as the firstround is getting ready to close. He

(04:46):
has the forty second pick on thefollowing day and fifty nine and eighty six.
It seems to me players they mightwant are all going to be sitting
for them between twenty five and fortyand maybe an opportunity to use some assets
and move up as he likes todo on draft Day. Yeah, it's
an interesting draft because we're going tohave a few position groups that I think

(05:08):
the top players are available at unusualspots in the draft, and it's going
to be tending I think for someteams to do exactly what you're talking about
it and jump up in the draftand go after a player or two.
You know, cornerback is an areathat could be a need for Houston.
Still Derek Stingley looks fantastic, butthe other quarterback spot is a kind of

(05:28):
a series of former top draft pickreclamation projects, one of whom may work
out. You know, maybe Houstonis the spot that gets the best play
out of a CJ. Henderson orJeff Akuda, but equally, you know
their reclamation projects for a reason,and none of those guys might work out.
So I think Houston should absolutely stillbe targeting cornerback depth in this draft,

(05:50):
and depending on how those guys fall, you know, they might be
in a position to jump up alittle bit and get sort of the tail
end of the first wave of cornerbacksat the bottom of the first round,
when normally those guys would be longgone before Houston has any shot or getting
them. Do you have like afeeling one way or the other? I
know it's going to be a longway until they get there because of the

(06:12):
second round and everything, but justin light of what they've done in free
agency, do you have a leanone way or the other? If you're
Nick Cassario, what side of thefootball you take first. I think they
would probably, you know, ifall things were equal, they got to
dictate how the draft would unfold beforeit got to them. I think they
would like to pick a secondary playerwith that first draft pick. I think

(06:35):
they'd like to get either, youknow, maybe a slot corner like a
guy like Sam Marstill from Michigan,or one of the top outside corners to
come in and compete with Akuda atHenderson and those guys on the other side
of Derek Stingley. I think ifthey were plotting out the draft, how
they would want it to fall.I think that's how they would like to

(06:56):
see it. You have San Rastilltalking with Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus.
You have Sam Mike, Sandra's stillgoing to the Texans and your two
round bock at forty two. Ithink that's a really, really reasonable choice.
I think that's also in the middleof a run of corners, kind
of just like you were leading youin there, what's the difference and what's

(07:17):
the future hold in your mind forthose corners that are, you know,
like the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, best corners in the draft.
Sandra's still Rakestraw, et cetera.Well, Sanders Still is an interesting
player because he's sort of strictly aslot corner, but he's a prototypical slot
corner. He gets comped a lotto Mike Hilton, who's been one of

(07:38):
the better slot defenders in the NFLthroughout his career. I think it's a
really nice coup, but it sortof creates this fascinating prospect where it's how
high do you draft that guy?Because you know, sub package players are
now starters in today's NFL, andnot just they play more snaps than they
don't, but in some defenses theycan play. Almost all of them are

(08:00):
playing almost every bit as much asthe guys that are outside corner. So
a guy like Sandra Still, youcan look at him and say, sure,
he's only a slot, but hecould be playing most of the snaps
and at a really high level.That's a valuable position, but a position
that almost certainly doesn't get taken inthe first round. So he's one of
those players that the team could besort of earmarking as because of positional value,

(08:24):
he's automatically going to slip out ofthe first round and towards where we're
drafting, even though his tape andhis production and his career in college says
that he's a better player than that. So I think that's another game you
can play when you're picking in thesecond round, is the position value game
and knowing that they're going to besome players that slip towards you because teams

(08:46):
don't like spending first round draft packson that. Do you have a thought
on Rakestraw or maybe TJ Tampa.I think the second tier of corners generally
is a little bit I think it'sa little bit down the gap between those
guys and the top players at corner, and then I think the real value
at corner in this draft is thenext wave. It's almost like once you

(09:09):
get beyond that second tier where there'sa bit of a drop off to the
elite players, then you start toget players with real depth. I'm not
massively in love with either of thosetwo guys. I think there are other
options that I would be ten tothat more. But and that's one of
the reasons why I think I wouldtarget, you know, the best slot
corner in this draft rather than tryingto get the second wave of outside guys.

(09:31):
We'll have guests on throughout the weektalking about this, So I'll ask
them this as well. Put myselfout there at four o'clock every day and
tell everybody who the Texans are draftingat forty two. I'll ask you if
you'd like to keep it at Sandrastillat Texans at forty two, or is
there another name you could see poppingoff the board to them with that pick?
Now, I'll keep that spot.I really like that as a player

(09:54):
team combination. I think it's theright spot in the draft for that to
happen as well, So I'll stickwith Sam Restill. Well, Sam,
we certainly appreciated great stuff as alwaysover at PFF, and you and many
others out there in the X platformuniverse love that underscore at PFF Underscore Sam.
To find Sam monson there, somebodymust have sat on PFF, Sam,
huh, I haven't checked with somebodysat on that. We appreciate your

(10:18):
time and look forward to the coverageover the next couple of days and obviously
all throughout the season. Thank youfor joining us here on the A team
on Sports Talk seven ninety