Jene Bramel
Footballguy
There'll be plenty of discussion in the Shark Pool today, but I think it's worth getting a parallel thread moving in the Forum to discuss the newbies as they come off the board.
1.01 MARIO WILLIAMS - Houston Texans
Williams is a freak. All predraft speculation was that Super Mario would end up in New Orleans or New York. In New Orleans, he may have been devalued a bit in a potential rotation with Charles Grant and Will Smith. With the Jets, his fantasy outlook may have been blunted by the snaps he would have taken as a 3-4 end. There are no such questions in Houston. Williams goes to a 4-3 defense without a proven pass rushing end. The Texans may provide the most immediate opportunity for fantasy production of any team in this draft. There are some minor questions. Will Williams be double teamed often because Anthony Weaver on the other side isn't scaring anybody? Will the Texans continue to suck and limit Williams' pass rush opportunities? Could he be overwhelmed by the possible comparison that he is the Sam Bowie to Reggie Bush's Michael Jordan?
Fantasy production is all about talent with opportunity. Williams has both. It's usually a mistake to take a newbie DL high in your rookie drafts, but this marriage could make Williams worth putting at the top of your defensive draft board above AJ Hawk and whichever LB the Vikings or Lions take to play WLB in the Tampa-2. Maybe.
1.01 MARIO WILLIAMS - Houston Texans

Williams is a freak. All predraft speculation was that Super Mario would end up in New Orleans or New York. In New Orleans, he may have been devalued a bit in a potential rotation with Charles Grant and Will Smith. With the Jets, his fantasy outlook may have been blunted by the snaps he would have taken as a 3-4 end. There are no such questions in Houston. Williams goes to a 4-3 defense without a proven pass rushing end. The Texans may provide the most immediate opportunity for fantasy production of any team in this draft. There are some minor questions. Will Williams be double teamed often because Anthony Weaver on the other side isn't scaring anybody? Will the Texans continue to suck and limit Williams' pass rush opportunities? Could he be overwhelmed by the possible comparison that he is the Sam Bowie to Reggie Bush's Michael Jordan?
Fantasy production is all about talent with opportunity. Williams has both. It's usually a mistake to take a newbie DL high in your rookie drafts, but this marriage could make Williams worth putting at the top of your defensive draft board above AJ Hawk and whichever LB the Vikings or Lions take to play WLB in the Tampa-2. Maybe.
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