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Cody should feel right at home on Texans defensive line
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Shaun Cody was selected 37th overall by the Lions in the 2005 NFL draft
Here's a bit of worthless trivia for you.
Only two players from the Detroit Lions' 2005 draft remain active in the NFL, and both of them now play for the Texans.
Considering the less than stellar drafts the Lions have put up in recent years, I'm not sure that's a good thing. Whatever happened to Mike Williams anyway?
For better or worse, the Texans are now proud owners of Shaun Cody and Dan Orlovsky.
One reason I remember the 2005 draft is because there were a couple of Codys to keep straight and both were drafted in the 2nd round.
Shaun Cody, the newest Texan, went high in the round (37th overall) to the Lions while Dan Cody, a DE/LB tweener from OU, went a few picks later to the Ravens at 53.
Fans should also remember that just a couple hours before Shaun Cody was selected, Charley Casserly once again decided to get cute the Texans decided to trade back a few spots in the first round - from 13 to 16 - enabling the Saints to move up and grab Jammal Brown.
Brown has done well. He's been to two Pro Bowls. Many Longhorns Texans fans wanted Derrick Johnson but the trade-down nixed that as DJ was taken at 15 by the Chiefs.
Meanwhile the Texans selected Travis Johnson, whose greatest claim to fame in his four year career might be that expletive filled locker room rant after Trent Green's cut block sent him flying head over heels.
Cody should feel right at home in the Texans defensive tackle rotation because, like Travis Johnson and Amobi Okoye, he hasn't played up to his high draft pick status.
I learned from reading various media reports that Cody was at risk of not making the Lions 53 man roster last season. He has all the tools, they say, but his ineffectiveness and inconsistency has been "maddening."
Let's hope it's all because of scheme.
I have every finger and toe crossed that Bill Kollar, working within the framework of Frank Bush's scheme, can get more out of Okoye, Travis, and now Cody, than Jethro Franklin could while working within the framework (or maybe I should say constraints) of Richard Smith's scheme.
My hopes are especially high for Okoye to emerge a changed player under Kollar. He seems to have the most unrealized potential and is still only 21 years old (he turns 22 in June). If any of that can rub off on Johnson or Cody, that's a bonus.
I couldn't recall ever seeing Cody in action so I did a quick DVR review of the Lions - Texans game from last season.
Cody started (one of his five starts last season) and played most of the game. He played both A-gaps, but lined up mainly on the left side between Myers and Brisiel. He left briefly in the 3rd quarter after getting dinged in a pileup.
What I saw during my very quick review was a guy who had good lateral quickness but not much explosion upfield. He doesn't look like the kind of DT that's going to overpower anyone as I saw him routinely stood up and neutralized by Myers, Brisiel, and/or Pitts.
In lateral pursuit, he often got caught up in the flow, over-running the play and allowing the running back a cutback lane behind him. But at least his ability in lateral pursuit allowed him to make some tackles down the line.
I think a fair thumbnail on him is that he's a (relatively) smaller interior guy who has to rely on technique and quickness to beat bigger guards. Blowing people up on a regular basis doesn't appear to be part of his repertoire. If it was, the Lions wouldn't have let him walk.
The Texans needed to add depth at defensive tackle but it's not like Okoye and Johnson are not going to be handed starting jobs. Competition will hopefully be stiff with Cody, Deljuan Robinson, and Frank Okam pushing for playing time.
And I wouldn't be surprised if the Texans draft another defensive tackle in this year's draft - just maybe not on the first day.
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