04/30/2012 - General manager Rick Smith believes in strength in numbers. He traded out of the second round. He sent his second- and seventh-round picks to Tampa Bay for third- and fourth-round selections. One reason the Texans liked Ohio State receiver DeVier Posey, who served two five-game suspensions as a senior, were the reports they got from his coaches and teammates. He attended practice and helped the younger receivers during his suspension. They were impressed with him at the Senior Bowl and Combine. If not for the suspensions, Posey would have been rated higher. "It's hard to say, but when you look at the talent and he compares very well with some of the guys that went to Indy (combine)," offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said. "You take the numbers he had as a sophomore and junior and move that into his senior year, he'd be up with some of the other guys that were taken earlier. I don't know exactly where, but we thought it was a talent at that spot in the third round, that we were comfortable taking." - The Sports Xchange
Over the past twenty years, seven receivers from The Ohio State University have cracked the first round of the NFL Draft. Their success at the next level has been mixed, at best, but Posey's size and downfield playmaking ability makes him the next potential Buckeye to hear his name called in the top 32 selections.
Posey played in 12 of Ohio State's 13 games as a true freshman, catching 11 passes for 117 yards before becoming the Buckeyes' leading receiver as a sophomore (60-828-8). He finished second to senior Dane Sanzenbacher in 2010 (53-848-7), but still earned honorable-mention All-Big 10 mention from league coaches.
Posey was one of the team's four potential top 50 picks (QB Terrelle Pryor, RB Dan Herron, OT Mike Adams) who will sit the first five games of the 2011 season for selling championship and general game memorabilia. Scouts already have enough film on Posey, however, to see how his vertical game will test NFL defenses. He'll need to pass the speed and hands tests before teams see him as an elite receiver, but even five strong games and a strong Combine could put him in that category.
Analysis
Positives: Good quickness off the line. Has size and quickness to get off NFL press. Generally reliable receiver capable of making difficult catches in traffic over the middle or one on one down the sideline. Adjusts to poor throws in any direction. Finds his way through traffic on crossing routes. Comes back to the ball to help his scrambling quarterback. Gives effort as a blocker on run plays.
Negatives: Inconsistent high-pointing passes. Allows too many throws into his body when facing the quarterback. Does not own elite speed. Freezes at times when trying to juke defenders in space. Walls off his man as a blocker, allowing them to shed and make the play outside.
