What’s the Answer?
The general idea of the NFL Draft is to find cost efficient talent. Bring in young players that will be on affordable contracts, and put together a winner before too many come up for new deals.
The Houston Texans have given themselves less chances to do that in a process that is already largely based on getting lucky — and not only less chances, — but they will have to hit in later rounds on diamonds in the rough.
Houston could use the draft to take any position and it would make sense. Offensive tackle is probably the most secure and stable of any position on the team. Outside of that, the team just needs to add talent. Normally, Deshaun Watson would be the piece to build with and from, but the team doesn’t even have that to anchor their plans around.
In the end, this team has no clear answer for how to go forward. It can’t be stressed enough that their team’s future is mostly out of their hands right now. They can do their best to prepare and have things set up for any number of outcomes.
The NFL Draft is a tough process to get correct when everything else is going well. The truth is that this current front office was not set up for success. They are trying to analyze talent in a season that provides the least information on the incoming players.
Fans shouldn’t expect anything big to happen. There are just too many unknowns to see the team to go all in this year. For now, Round 3 will be the first time the team makes a pick.
It would be way more fun to see some Day 1 draft action, of course, but a move to get there would bring even more questions. Bank on sitting out the first round of the draft again Texan fan, better luck next year.