Former Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly has stated that he believes Jadeveon Clowney to be a more complete player than Mario Williams was prior to entering the NFL.
Casserly bypassed Reggie Bush and Vince Young to select Williams during the 2006 Draft, a move for which he was widely criticised.
Now an NFL media insider, Casserly has admitted that there are similarities between this year and eight years ago, but this time a quarterback is also required by the franchise.
He told the NFL Network: "What's the same is there is a defensive end to make a decision about. What's different is, we had a quarterback who was going to be a starter the next year. What complicates it is Clowney. If there is no Clowney, then they're taking a quarterback, right or wrong.
"When we took David Carr first overall in 2002 and when San Francisco took Alex Smith first overall in 2005 - were those guys true number one picks? Not necessarily. Teams need a quarterback. But you also know he may not be an elite guy.
"If you're convinced Clowney is the best player in the draft and you're not convinced there is a quarterback you are dead-set on, then take Clowney. He's more ready than Williams was, I think."
Williams left Houston five games into the 2011 season, before signing for the Buffalo Bills the following year.
Joe McPhee
