The Houston Texans cleaning house has resulted in a possible paradigm shift in draft strategy.
New coach, new offensive coordinator- what a time to be a Houston Texans fan, right? It took Nick Caserio a long time to decide what their move would be. It could mean that Caserio had floaters out there to his top candidates, and they may say yes if offered the job. The coaching candidates are for a different article, as this one deals with the all-important question:
Who will the Houston Texans draft at number three?
One would think that a brand new coach and offensive coordinator need to be on the same page if the Texans will be picking a quarterback with their first pick in the draft. Otherwise, Mitch Trubisky situations happen, and nobody wants that at all.
This also applies to Brian Flores, who preferred Justin Herbert over Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 draft. Disagreements with the general managers are applied in both situations, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
A new offensive coordinator has been shown to help young quarterbacks who meet specific criteria, so it’s possible that Davis Mills could get another year. But, once again, that’s all a moot point if the new offensive coordinator desires a different passer.
So let’s go into depth on the three options the Houston Texans have:
- Not taking a quarterback
- Taking a quarterback
- Trading back/Deshaun Watson possible trade implications
Davis Mills would have room to grow by not taking a QB from a weak draft class.
Everyone knows the state of this year’s quarterbacks that have declared for the draft. They are probably the least talented quarterback class since the 2007 class that featured JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn. That entire class wound up going 42-97 altogether.
With that being said, it’s all up to Caserio to figure out which fire he wants to extinguish at a certain position if you will. The Texans were dead last in total offense and rushing offense. Someone like Evan Neal or Charles Cross could be a great anchor for an offensive line that was abysmal to begin the first half of the season.
Defensively the team improved, forcing way more turnovers than they did last year, but the number one receivers from their opponents were still way too lethal for Houston’s liking. However, taking a risk on Derek Stingley Jr., who has battled injury issues, could pay off in the long run.
If I had to give this a forecasted percentage of happening, I’d give this a 20 percent chance. It’s hard to see a new head coach and offensive coordinator taking the incumbent Mills over someone they agree has a better chance of winning.
If the Houston Texans draft a quarterback, they’re going to need more weapons
Taking quarterback at the third overall slot requires a lot of gusto and defense of why they’ve taken quarterbacks in back-to-back years with their first selection of each respective draft. Kenny Pickett seems to be the top passer in the draft, but some have also seen Matt Corral be up there.
Houston would have to hop
e one of the better wide receivers falls into the second round of the draft, as there is no one behind Brandin Cooks, who had a phenomenal season. Rookie wide receiver and fifth-round draft pick Nico Collins had a good season and nearly out-gained the first-round choice, Kadarius Toney, on the season.
Collins still has a long way to go before he’s considered a lethal threat in the passing game. That’s why another wide receiver is needed to breathe life into Houston’s aerial attack. There are also a few free-agent wide receivers that Houston could go after as well.
The rushing attack, as mentioned before, was embarrassing. Someone like Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State could also be the choice in the second round. Let’s lose the stigma on drafting running backs early, as they are vital in taking the pressure off of the passing game for younger quarterbacks.
Playmakers are playmakers, no matter how long they last in their prime.
The Houston Texans could choose “chaos” when it comes to their draft plan
Trading Deshaun Watson has been what the NFL world has been waiting on for nearly a calendar year at this point. There’s been tons of speculation of where he might land, including a ranking of seven different destinations that we wrote about during the regular season.
There could also be a handful of teams that could be trade partners with the Houston Texans. Whether they’re quarterback-needy teams like Denver or a team that’s fighting to keep its championship window open like Arizona, the possibilities are endless.
Trading back, of course, gets you more picks, and you never know when a big trade will happen that gets you a ton of picks (specifically the Falcons-Browns trade that brought Julio Jones to Atlanta).
If Houston doesn’t trade back and they keep their first-round pick, it will be the first time since the 2019 NFL Draft that Houston will have picked in the first 32 picks. That goes to show how crucial this situation is.
Mess this up, and it could be another three to five years of rebuilding, something that Texans fans don’t really have the patience for after everything that’s happened to them.