Do The Houston Texans Need Cameron Erving?
By Josh Wilson
The Texans have some obvious holes they’re looking to fill in the 2015 NFL draft, and the center position is one of them. Ben Jones is the Texans’ current top center, and only center, but he’s also their first-string left guard. This is unsettling, as Jones can’t play two positions at one time. Bringing in a new center could allow Jones to move strictly to left guard, and make the offensive line much better.
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At 6’6 at 311 pounds, Cameron Erving of Florida State University is a large, daunting pass blocker. As his quarterback did win a Heisman trophy, he looks very good to scouts since he was able to defend his quarterback well enough to give him opportunities to be the best quarterback in the nation.
He’s the obvious option for any team looking for a center. He’s the top center available, and has constantly shown what an athletic center he can be. Walter Football had great things to say about Erving’s speed and athleticism.
"Erving was excellent at the Combine as he demonstrated quickness, strength and athleticism. Erving really helped himself with an impressive day on the field and did well in the team meetings at night."
Erving came into the Florida State program as a defensive player, expecting to make moves on that side of the ball. He transitioned to the offensive side, still able to get physical with defenders, and be even more productive than he was defensively. He did still play defensive tackle at some points in college, proving to teams that he can adapt quickly, and morph into whatever teams need and want him to be.
He’s also able to move around on the offensive line, and has been praised for his efforts as a left tackle. He could easily be a player for the Texans that can successfully move to any position along the offensive line. Given that he has played on the defensive end of the ball, if he was put there, he could probably do a decent job there as well. Bringing in multi-purpose players like this is extremely efficient, because using one pick on Erving could give them a multitude of options.
There’s no secret that Erving is an accredited offensive lineman. He won the Jacobs Blocking trophy twice, All ACC First Team, and Sports Illustrated All America Honorable Mention among many other awards.
Erving has had some injuries, in his first season he had to redshirt because of a back injury. He’s helped the Seminoles become the second best team in the nation at times as far as rush defense goes.
This converted defensive player can make a huge impact on any team he gets put on. The Texans do need a bit more depth on the offensive line. With Erving projected to go in the late first, they may have to trade around another pick in order to obtain him, but I believe that would be worth it for what Erving has to offer.