Top dog?

Confident Rogers visits Texans before meeting with Lions

HOUSTON (AP) -- Charles Rogers figures he's got two pretty good options in the upcoming NFL draft: his home-state Detroit Lions will take him with the second overall pick, or perhaps the Houston Texans will trade up and give him the prestige of being the top selection.

Either way, he'd catch passes from a heralded second-year quarterback and play in a nearly brand-new stadium close to family. And he's so confident he'll land in one of the two cities that they are the only pre-draft stops he's making. He started with Houston on Friday.

"I feel like I'm in a good situation," said Rogers, who leaves behind one year of eligibility at Michigan State. "I will go no lower than [No.] 2. It's a great situation. I can't ask for a better situation than I'm in."

Rogers missed his freshman season because of academic problems, then had two stellar seasons in college. He set Michigan State records with 67 catches, 1,470 yards, 14 touchdowns and six 100-yard games last season, and his 21.9 yards per catch was the best since Andre Rison's 1998 season with the Spartans.

Rogers hails from Saginaw, Mich., but says he also has family in Houston, which also happens to be the home of his agent.

However, the Texans would have to pull off a major trade with Cincinnati to snare Rogers, likely parting with a second-round pick in addition to their No. 3 overall selection. And some scouts rate University of Miami receiver Andre Johnson, whom many believe the Texans will take barring a trade, as comparable to Rogers.

For their part, the Texans are holding their cards close to the vest, perhaps merely inviting Rogers to Houston to make Detroit sweat between now and draft day on April 26.

For his part, Rogers sounded like someone just as willing to be Texans quarterback David Carr's favorite target as he is to be Lions quarterback Joey Harrington's.

"Hopefully Houston will trade up and take the No. 1 pick. That's the only way I can be a Texan," Rogers said. "Other than that, I don't see myself being a Texan."

The top overall pick implies the best player in the draft. Does Rogers think of himself that way?

"Definitely," he said without hesitation.

 

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