No. 18

Pick by Battle Red Blog Jonathan Stewart Running Back Oregon

The 2008 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft chugs on!  With the eighteenth overall selection, the Houston Texans have selected Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart.  The pick, made by the community over at Battle Red Blog, was a difficult one to make, and Tim - BRB's leader - is here to explain the selection:

  Allow me to preface this analysis with the following disclaimer:  If trades were allowed, we would have entertained any and all offers for this pick.  Short a second-round pick from the trade last year with Atlanta that brought us Matt Schaub and a sixth-round pick from last month's deal with Denver for Chris Myers, the Texans will surely be looking to increase the number of opportunities they have come the final weekend in April.  But trading wasn't an option, so we had to bite our collective tongue and make a selection at No. 18.

Despite the team's marked improvement in 2007, your Houston Texans still have a helluva lot of needs.  The most pressing of those are in the secondary, offensive line, and running back.  If McKelvin, Rodgers-Cromartie, or Jenkins had been available, any one of those would have been our guy.  But I'm not sold enough on Aqib Talib or Kenny Phillips to reach for either at No. 18.  I hoped Chris Williams might fall to us; alas, it wasn't meant to be.  And frankly, I don't have a clue how the hiring of Alex Gibbs will affect the type of lineman the team will look to add.  From what I've read, Jeff Otah projects to be more of a RT, and Eric Winston has that spot nailed down for the foreseeable future.  While Branden Albert could be an upgrade at one of the guard spots (most likely RG), I wasn't in love with him enough and/or pessimistic enough about the current state of the guard depth chart to snag him here.

Thus, we go RB.  Given the fungible nature of the position and Smithiak's history with the Broncos of unearthing later-round gems at RB during their time in Denver, it kills me to address the position here.  And when you factor in the concerns about Jonathan Stewart's health, I would probably opt for a dinner of broken glass than going in this direction.  Let's face it, though--Ahman Green probably tore a quad brushing his teeth this morning, and new acquisition Chris Brown is more likely to solve the mystery of cold fusion than he is to stay healthy for an entire season.  RB is a definite need, and Jonathan Stewart seems to be the best player available, both in the realm of Houston's biggest needs and on several draft boards regardless of position.  Therefore, congratulations to Stewart...he's our guy by default.

Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

 The Ahman Green signing is looking very questionable after year one. The Texans have many holes on both offense and defense. Taking the best player available, and in this case filling a need, is a no-brainer for Houston. This team wants to build around the running game, and Stewart gives them a Steven Jackson-type runner/receiver. As long as he's healthy, this pick is as solid as they get.

Grade: A  ::  Jonathan Stewart Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining: 1.  WR Limas Sweed, 2.  LB Dan Connor, 3.  CB Antoine Cason, 4.  QB Brian Brohm, 5.  LB Jerod Mayo

The Philadelphia Eagles, represented by the excellent Eagles blog Bleeding Green Nation, are now on the clock.  Their pick will be announced tomorrow morning at about 10AM Eastern.