The Houston Texans met with potential draft prospect Mario Williams yesterday at Reliant Stadium in Houston. Williams (6-7, 295) is a
Defensive End from North Carolina State University and is considered to be the
nation’s top defensive end pick in this year’s draft.
The pure athletic talent that is demonstrated by Williams
is one that is unrivaled by many. After starting every game last season for the
Wolfpack, Williams was selected to All-ACC First Team honors. The Sporting News
has Williams ranked as the number two Defensive End in the country, as well as
selecting him to their All American first team.
Williams is very fast considering his big frame and size.
He runs the 40 in 4.66 seconds. He is very aggressive and excellent against the
pass block. At the end of his Junior season at NC State, he had racked up 13
sacks and 23.5 tackles for a loss. With some final touches on his consistency,
Williams could become one of the elite pass rushers of the NFL.
Williams’ biggest problem heading into the draft is that he
is not a finished product, which is not necessarily a bad thing. He looks
sometimes like he doesn’t give 100% on every play and will need to be taught
self-motivation, although an NFL contract may do just that for Williams. While
he is an outstanding pass blocker, Williams does need to work on run blocking to
become a more will rounded Defensive End.
The Texans haven’t really spoken about potentially drafting
Williams, but that may be because Williams is expected to go early in the first
round, which means that unless the Texans are willing to choose a Defensive End
instead of the Heisman Trophy winning Running Back Reggie Bush, it is unlikely
that Texans fans will see Williams in a Houston uniform next season. Although,
word is from the Texans that they were very impressed by Williams showing and is
really giving them something to think about.
Realistically, the Texans will not have the ability to get
to Williams before he is snatched up by another team. Prior to his visit with
the Texans, he had been to Detroit to talk to the Lions, and still has another
six visits scheduled with other NFL teams during the next two weeks on the
road. While Williams is indeed an impressive prospect, I do not see the Texans
passing over Reggie Bush to obtain a Defensive Lineman.