The Final Four is finally upon us and the ball will be tipped Saturday afternoon. Oklahoma v. Villanova, North Carolina v. Syracuse. By Monday evening, the NCAA will crown its one shining champion after a fairly intriguing tournament.
Over the past two weeks, I created a final four bracket of the greatest wins in Houston Texans history and outstanding performances in a game in 2015.
This week, the Madness continues, and concludes, with a new bracket...
*Today's bracket...best draft in Texans history...
*
(1) 2011 - J.J. Watt, T.J. Yates & Derek Newton
(4) 2015 - Kevin Johnson, Benardrick McKinney & Jaelen Strong
vs.
(3) 2009 - Brian Cushing, Connor Barwin & Glover Quin
(2) 2006 - Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans & Eric Winston
There's little question that the 2011 NFL Draft will go down as one of the best in the history of the sport. At pick number 11 in that draft, the Texans selected Watt and that would be enough to make this a great draft, like the 2000 Patriots draft, which featured Tom Brady at pick 199 and no one else. But, the Texans got more than no one else with Yates in the 5th round and Derek Newton in the 7th round.
Placing the 2015 Draft in this bracket is a bit of speculation on my part to be sure. However, I like the way this one is trending, to say the least. Johnson was an immediate contributor at cornerback and McKinney became a foundation piece at inside linebacker next to Cushing. Strong turned into the Colts killer right out of the chute and defensive tackle Christian Covington was a steal in round 6.
The 2009 Draft didn't produce immediate dividends across the board, with the exception of the outstanding season Cushing had as as rookie. But, Cushing, Barwin and Quin all were fixtures on the 2011 defense that was one of the best in the NFL. All three would eventually go to Pro Bowls with Barwin and Quin earning that honor in Philadelphia and Detroit, respectively.
Making 2006 the second seed in this bracket was tough, but the presence of Watt in 2011 put that group over the top. Had Charles Spencer not gotten injured, there would've been no question in my mind that this 2006 group would've been the number one seed. Fourth round tight end Owen Daniels was a two-time Pro Bowler and David Anderson is one of my favorite Houston athletes of all-time. Injuries curtailed Williams and Ryans tenures in Houston but it was an impactful group to say the least.
So, there you go. You know how it works, pick the winners in the 1-4 matchup and the 2-3 matchup and then pick between those two winners. Simple, no? Have fun with this bracket, Texans style.
Tell us who you think in the comments below.
