
With all the offseason player personnel moves, turmoil, and buffonery, it's finally come to an end. The draft is now over. Head coach, GM, master and ruler of all things on Kirby, Bill O'Brien had an okay draft. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't a homerun. I wrote about their first pick Ross Blacklock yesterday. Let's take a look at the rest of their 2020 draft class:
3rd Round #90 Overall: Jonathan Greenard, Edge, Florida
Jonathan Greenard
NFL.com
Listed as an EDGE in his NFL.com draft profile, Greenard lined in multiple outside rush positions. Whether he had his hand in the dirt, standing, left, or right side, he showed flashes in his time at Florida as well as in Louisville. His 40 time may scare some off as to his explosiveness, but pass rushers don't have to sprint 40 yards to get to the quarterback. At 6'3 and 263lbs, he has ridiculously long arms at 34 7/8 inches. Not sure if he'll start from day one, but if he shows any pass rush ability, he should considering this team's lack of a true pass rush presence outside J.J. Watt. I look forward to seeing what he and Blacklock can do to help this defense.
4th Round #126 Overall: Charlie Heck, T, North Carolina
Charlie Heck
NFL.com
Given the massive extention they gave Laremy Tunsil and 1st round pick invested in Tytus Howard, Heck was most likely a depth pick. At 6'8 and 311lbs, he's a very tall tackle and his 34 1/8 inch arm length is pretty good. Don't expect him to step in and play any time soon. If he does, it means one of the top two guys is hurt. By him being a coach's kid, dad is an offensive lineman coach in the league, he's been around the game long enough and should be well-versed. His draft profile gives you more insight as to the type of player he's projected to be.
4th Round #141 Overall: John Reid, CB, Penn State
John Reid
NFL.com
Reid is a smallish CB with decent speed, but I was more impressed with his 3 cone and shuttle drill times. Those show off agility and burst. His 4.49 40 was decent. His most impressive stat from the combine: 20 reps on the bench press. That isn't always indicative of playing strength, but impressive nonetheless. While I don't expect Reid to compete for much playing time initially, he may show enough moxy to warrant a few reps here and there. He fits the profile of a practice/effort guy, AKA the O'Brien type.
5th Round #171 Overall: Isaiah Coulter, WR, Rhode Island
Isaiah Coulter
NFL.com
At 6'2 198lbs and running a 4.45 40, Coulter has that size/speed combo often sought after in WRs. Although he played against lesser competition, Coulter showed enough to warrant a late round flyer with 72 catches for 1,039 yards and eight touchdowns last year. He has developmental traits which made him desirable according to his draft profile. The WR room is crowded as presently constructed. Look for Coulter to get some action if that room is cleared up some, especially given the injury history of some of the guys that are in there.
The best part of this draft was seeing O'Brien blow a gasket around the time he took Greenard. Rumor has it the Lions backed out of a trade and that caused him to blow up. Doing so while your kid is a few feet away and on national television is the most O'Brien thing he could've done. After his exchange with a fan and other incidents, you can no longer be surprised at his actions. Blacklock was a steal. Greenard may be a player. Heck seems like a smart guy and quality backup. Reid is a competitor and Coulter has some physical gifts. Nothing special. If Blacklock dominates like I think he can, he will make this draft class look a lot better than it does now. The lack of a 1st rounder made this draft, and next year's, more difficult to find top end talents. Until they have 1st round picks, look forward to more meh in the draft.
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Despite a last-minute comeback attempt by Gonzaga on Saturday, the Cougars defeated the Bulldogs and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the sixth straight NCAA Tournament.
Houston will face the No.4 seed Purdue, who made it to the championship game last year.
The Boilermakers will be one of the toughest opponents the Cougars have faced thus far and will essentially have the home-court advantage with the game taking place in Indianapolis.
Despite the daunting matchup on paper, Houston is currently an -8.5 favorite to win this game. The Cougars should be able to handle Purdue so long as their offense stays hot and they continue to play defense at an elite level.
Keep the offense flowing
Houston guard LJ Cryer matched a career-high with 30 points against Gonzaga and has been the offensive focal point of this team.
This season, the Baylor transfer has averaged 15.6 points per game and has stepped up to be one of the unquestioned leaders of this team.
In addition to Cryer, the Cougars have Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp, who can carry the offensive load as they did during the Big 12 Tournament and against SIUE on Thursday.
J’Wan Roberts is another key factor for Houston’s success. The senior forward seems to have recovered from his ankle injury and has been a productive player since returning to the lineup.
Roberts leads the team in rebounds and is one of the most efficient scorers for the Cougars, averaging more than 50% from the field over his last five seasons.
Houston’s dynamic offense and elite defense makes this team one of the toughest to beat during the tournament.
Containing Purdue’s stars
The Boilermakers have two proficient scorers on their team, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, who each average over 15 points per game.
Kaufman-Renn scored 22 points in his previous game against McNeese State and has been one of Purdue’s best players for most of this year.
Roberts and Joseph Tuggler will likely be assigned to the junior forward to slow down his offense, forcing his teammates to step up.
Smith is Purdue’s second-leading scorer, averaging 16 points per game, and has the most assists and steals for the Boilermakers this season.
Both Uzan and Cyrer, who have been elite parameter defenders, will cover the Purdue guard and limit his production.
Containing both Kaufman-Renn and Smith will be Houston’s top priority and the key to come away victorious.
Play Cougar basketball
Head coach Kelvin Sampson has now made it to at least the Sweet 16 six consecutive times and has his team well-positioned to make another deep tournament run.
Since arriving in Houston, the 69-year-old coach has turned this program from an afterthought to one of the best basketball teams in the country year after year.
Sampson’s key to his success is instilling a defensive-first mentality into his team and getting the best effort out of his players.
This season is no different, as Houston has the number-one ranked defense in the nation and is holding their opponents to 58.4 points per game on average.
If the Cougars can create consistent offense and continue playing defense at an elite level, they should win this game with ease and advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in three years.
The Houston-Purdue game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday at 9 pm. The winner will play either Kentucky or Tennessee in the next round.