EVERY-THING SPORTS
Why the most exciting thing about the Houston Texans draft may surprise you
Mar 22, 2023, 12:07 pm
The Texans could go a number of different ways at No. 12 overall. Composite image by Jack Brame.
The scouting combine is done. Pro days are upon us. Soon, in person visits will be taking place. Free agency has seen a flurry of signings. The NFL offseason is in full swing right now, with about a month before the draft is to take place. Teams are flipping cap space like pancakes. Vets are being cut now or have post-June 1 designations to be cut. Franchise tags have been placed with some guys getting new deals, but others left waiting.
The Texans have taken another conservative approach to free agency this offseason; much to the chagrin of some fans in the fan base. With the draft ahead and the team owning the number two and 12 overall picks in the first round, speculation is running rampant. For the most part, number two is considered to be the top quarterback left on the board after the Panthers pick first overall. They're a quarterback-starved team who made a splash deal to get the top pick.
Who Carolina takes first isn't of much consequence to me. The Texans need a franchise quarterback to build around. C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young are widely considered the top two at that position. Drafting the one the Panthers don't still leaves the Texans in a good spot. At number 12 overall is where things get really interesting. More intriguing than number two in my opinion.
The main reason I say 12 is more interesting than two is stated above. I wholeheartedly believe quarterback at two is where they're going. The team hasn't traded for or signed a guy who could be deemed a future franchise guy or even a bridge at quarterback. Case Keenum fans and Davis Mills truthers can all have several seats. Neither of those guys can sniff being a franchise guy, and neither are bridge quality quarterbacks. They're both backups. Drafting Stroud or Young gives this team what they desperately need most to get on the road to competing for the division and playoffs. It's the most important position, the most glaring need, and therefore the least exciting pick. Everyone knows what they're most likely going to draft.
Another reason I feel 12 is more exciting than two are the other needs of the roster. Despite the excitement around some of the young talent on this roster, there are still some holes to fill. The trade of Brandin Cooks leaves a bigger void at receiver. Pass rush has been abysmal. There's a need for playmakers on both sides of the ball. Imagine what Derek Stingley Jr would look like if he had another top flight corner on the opposite side? What if he had a beast of a pass rusher getting after quarterbacks? How much easier would life be for the rookie quarterback if he has a big time receiver, and fellow rookie, to throw to? Imagine those guys growing together? What if DeMeco Ryans identifies a guy he can mold into a centerpiece for his defense? What if they see a guy like Bijan Robinson as the centerpiece for this offense? 12 is a sweet spot to get a guy that'll contribute from day one, especially if one falls from a projected top five slot.
The final reason I feel 12 is more exciting than two is the trade option. Whether it's trading up for a guy they feel is a must-have, or trading back to acquire more picks, trading that pick is a million times more likely than trading two. Let's say Jalen Carter or Tyree Wilson falls to the Falcons at eight, and the Texans want to get to one of them before the Bears do at nine. Or how about a team in the 15-22 range sees a guy they're willing to pony up the price to move up to 12 to draft? Do you turn down a golden goose package for that pick? I think the Texans would entertain the offer at minimum. I also think they'd use some draft capital to move up and get a game changer if the price is right. Another interesting thought I had about 12: what if there's a player that wants a new contract/fed up with his current team and this regime feels he's worth that pick, or being a piece in a trade back scenario?
There are so many options and scenarios at 12 that are way more exciting than what'll happen at two. I'm truly looking forward to that pick and what surrounds it more than two. It's as if you know what you're getting for your pre-Christmas December birthday, but are more looking forward to your Christmas gift. My fellow December babies will get this. I'm so excited about this pick, it made me think of one of the funniest scenes from Step Brothers. “With the twelfth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans…”
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After the beating C.J. Stroud took in Houston’s divisional playoff loss to Kansas City it was clear the team’s top offseason priority should be upgrading its offensive line.
Instead, the Texans traded five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and 2022 first-round pick left guard Kenyon Green and released right guard Shaq Mason.
They added tackle Cam Robinson and guards Ed Ingram and Laken Tomlinson, but as the NFL draft approaches their porous offensive line remains the most glaring weakness of the team.
Though the Texans won’t say that they plan to use their first-round pick (No. 25) on an offensive lineman, they’ve said plenty about the need to better protect Stroud this upcoming season. Stroud led Houston to its second straight AFC South title last season despite being sacked 52 times, which was the second most in the NFL.
“Getting better protection for C.J. is definitely a main point of emphasis for us,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We know when C.J. is protected, he has a clean pocket, he’s a pretty good quarterback. ... He’s capable of making any throw on the football field. But it’s just a matter of protecting him and giving him that comfort when he’s in the pocket.”
General manager Nick Caserio said he doesn’t believe they have to draft an offensive lineman next week.
“We feel like we have to add good football players to our football team,” he said. “That’s what we’re focused on. Whatever those positions entail, that’s what’s going to work. That’s how we’re going to approach it and handle it.”
Houston’s pick in the first round is one of seven selections it has in this year’s draft. The Texans return to the first round this season after not having a pick in the opening round last season because of trades, including the one to move up to get defensive end Will Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Though the offensive line has several holes, Houston’s top priority should be drafting the left tackle of the future.
Robinson could protect Stroud’s blind side this season to give whichever player they draft a season to develop and learn behind him.
A couple of players who could be available when the Texans pick are Kelvin Banks from Texas and Oregon’s Josh Conerly. Banks was a three-year starter for the Longhorns and won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman last season. Conerly started 28 games at left tackle in the past two seasons for the Ducks and was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award given to the nation’s best offensive lineman.
Pick ’em
The Texans have two picks in the third round and two in the seventh this year after receiving the 79th and 236th overall picks from the Commanders as part of the trade for Tunsil.
Needs
Along with the offensive line, the Texans could use some help at receiver. Nico Collins, who has had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, has developed into an elite option. But the Texans need a solid second option after they moved on from Stefon Diggs after one disappointing season that ended in a season-ending injury in Week 8.
They traded for Christian Kirk, but he’s coming off a tough season where he had a career-low 379 yards before breaking his collarbone in October. The Texans also don’t know when they’ll get Tank Dell back, with the receiver still recovering from a serious knee injury he sustained in December.
Don’t need
The Texans are set at running back after signing Joe Mixon before last season and having a reliable backup in Dameon Pierce.
Draft success
While Caserio has added some stars to the team with first-round draft picks including Stroud, Anderson and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., he’s also had a knack for finding starters beyond the first round since joining the Texans.
Caserio nabbed Collins in the third round in his first draft with Houston in 2021 and added safety Jalen Pitre in the second round in 2022. He also found starting linebackers Christian Harris in the third in 2022 and Henry To’oTo’o in the fifth in 2023.
Last year he drafted cornerback Kamari Lassiter in the second round and safety Calen Bullock in the third. In their rookie seasons, Lassiter started 14 games while Bullock started 13.