I will analyze each team's gains & losses in free agency, I'll recap their 2008 draft & discuss their needs as I see them.

Houston Texans:

Houston franchised cornerback Dunta Robinson & resigned S Nick Ferguson, TE Joel Dreesen, C/G Chris White & S Eugene Wilson. They signed a pair of Lions, QB Dan Orlovsky & DT Shaun Cody, both backups. The major acquisition was Arizona DE, Antonio Smith, who should be a good bookend with Mario Williams.
They released disappointing DE Anthony Weaver, S Will Demps, RB Ahman Green & LB Morlon Greenwood. TE Owen Daniels, he of 70 receptions for 862 yards, is still unsigned as a restricted free agent. Houston had a number of players who were released or not resigned but none were considered to be a big loss except, maybe, safety C.C. Brown, signed by the Giants.

The 2008 draft netted the Texans 2 immediate starters, 1st round pick, LOT Duane Brown & RB Steve Slaton, a 3rd rounder. Both started all season & Slaton led all rookies in rushing yardage. I wasn't that high, like 1st round high, on Brown, but he excelled in the Texan's zone blocking scheme. Xavier Adibi, a 4th round linebacker came back from an early season illness to start the final 6 games & looked good doing it. He flies to the ball but I question how long someone his size can stay healthy playing with such reckless abandon. He did jump off the screen at times. Second pick, Antwaun Molden, a cornerback, didn't play much but S Dominique Barber saw a lot of special teams snaps.

For the first time in franchise history, the Texans have no glaring needs. They have needs, just not the desperate ones of the past, it's more depth building & fine tuning. They could draft & groom another CB, select a replacement for DT Travis Johnson, find a better strongside linebacker, look for a WR to pair with Andre Johnson and a RB with more size & punch than Slaton for short yardage & goaline running.  For where they are in the first round & their needs, I like Ole Miss DT Peria Jerry. One problem, they've expended 1st round picks on 3 other D-line starters in the last 4 years & their cap would be so heavy in this one area it just doesn't make sense. For their first pick, #15 overall, USC OLB, Clay Mathews would make sense. In the 2nd round Ohio State WR Brian Robiskie or Utah CB Sean Smith would be a good choice. For their third round selection, Georgia CB Asher Allen or Oklahoma WR Juaquin Iglesias could be a solid selection. For a big short yardage back, look to round 6 & Colorado State RB Gartrell Johnson, a 5' 10" 227-pounder.


Indianapolis Colts:

The Colts released WR Marvin Harrison, a move that was not unexpected, but was big news nonetheless. Safety Matt Giordano & nickel back Keiwan Ratliff weren't resigned & neither was Hunter Smith, their punter. They were able to resign CB Kelvin Hayden, a starter & longtime O-line pivot, Jeff Saturday. They also signed ex-Panther linebacker, Adam Seward, who's much larger than any of the Colt LB's.

I have tremendous respect for Indianapolis general manager, Bill Polian, he's one of the sharpest evaluators of talent in the league. His 2008 draft is a good example of his handiwork. No first round pick but several compensatory picks in the 4th & 6th rounds. Mike Pollack & Jamey Richard, both offensive linemen, started over 20 games between them. Last year Richard was my #1 draft sleeper & was a terrific 7th round choice. LB Phillip Wheeler, TE Jacob Tamme, DE Marcus Howard, G/C Steve Justice & WR Pierre Garcon all played in at least 8 games as rookies. Running back Mike Hart had a big camp & preseason, then suffered a knee injury.

Wide receiver is probably the Colts biggest need as they have almost zero depth at the position & they use 3 starters in almost every formation. I expect them to take one on day one & another sometime after the 3rd round. They really need to get bigger at defensive tackle. A corner who can play nickel back & an outside linebacker with size are needs as well, as is running back depth.  For a 1st round selection with their 27th overall pick, I could see North Carolina WR, Hakeem Nicks, a very smooth route runner with great hands. Cody Brown would be a solid 2nd round selection at OLB. Georgia DT Corey Irvin or Purdue's Alex Magee could be their 3rd round choice.

Next up: The Jacksonville Jaguars & Tennessee Titans