2023 NFL Draft: Options For The Houston Texans

Feb 7, 2023 - 12:05 AM

The Houston Texans have several options with their second-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in April.

Everyone outside of the Texans organization believes that the franchise will inevitably select a quarterback with their first pick and that seems like the best option available. With the hiring of defensive minded DeMeco Ryans, could the Texans select a defensive player instead? It is certainly possible.

The Texans gave quarterback Davis Mills a real opportunity to prove himself throughout the 2022 season and things did not go well. Although you can make a legitimate case that the offensive play calling was well below average, or that the weapons surrounding Mills were underwhelming, Mills seemed to take a step back overall. Mills looked far worse than he did as a rookie with a worse overall team, ending his sophomore campaign with 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Mills has definitely flashed at times, but it may not be enough to get another year as the starting quarterback.

The consensus top-two quarterbacks in this year’s draft are Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud. Another team could trade up to the Chicago Bears first-overall pick and select a quarterback, still leaving another talented quarterback for the Texans. Many teams may not like Bryce Young as much due to his size, but everything else that makes a great quarterback in the NFL, Young possesses. CJ Stroud has the ideal size many teams around the league will love and has been a very impressive quarterback since he took over the job after Justin Fields left.

If the Texans are not completely sold on the quarterbacks available in the upcoming draft, they will likely select the best defensive player available. The Texans need juice on the defensive line. The lack of pressure on the opposing quarterback and the non-existent run defense is a massive problem that needs fixing. Players like Alabama’s Will Anderson and Georgia’s Jalen Carter will definitely be in play.

The Houston Texans have many options available and it will be interesting to see which route they go as things start to heat up before the draft.