Why the Texans should trade down in 2022 NFL Draft

The Houston Texans hold two first-round picks, but should they trade down in the 2022 NFL Draft?

Here is the deal with the Houston Texans, and it is simple … they are a rebuilding team that needs to add talented younger players, and that continues with the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Texans hold the No. 3 and No. 13 overall picks in the draft, and in all they currently have 11 picks this year, including five picks in the first 80 selections with the two first-rounders, one second-round choice, and two picks in the third round.

In all, that is great news for the Texans, but could the draft be even better for the team if they trade down from the No. 3 pick and gain another first-round choice, which is a possibility as some teams might be willing to trade either two first-rounders this year for the third overall pick, or a first-rounder this year and a first-round selection next year as well.

A lot can and probably will happen from now until the Texans are officially on the clock, and here are a couple reasons why the Texans might think about trading the No. 3 pick or the No. 13 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

If there is one thing the Houston Texans can’t have enough of, it is having more draft choices when it comes to the ’22 NFL Draft or future drafts, because the more players they can bring into the mix on their roster, the more competition they can have, and that’s the best thing possible for this franchise.

The Texans could trade down just a little bit, and the gain they can receive would be of great help in rebuilding the roster. Trading out of the third or 13th spot would allow the Texans to add possibly another first-round pick this year, or add a first-round pick in ’23, which isn’t such a bad thing either.

Houston could even trade down in the second round with their 37th overall pick, plus don’t forget the team has two picks in the third and fourth rounds as well.

Houston general manager Nick Caserio was asked about draft trades this week, and this is what he said about that scenario (transcripts provided by HoustonTexans.com):

"I’d say trades are really player-driven anyways, so a lot of it is going to be based on what you’re looking at, what teams are looking at, and ultimately the decision they’re going to make is going to be what they think is the best for them.”"

Houston Texans: The defense needs all the help it can get

The defense of Houston needs players added to the roster who can grow and become a solid unit, and this is the draft to do so. Let’s say just for the sake of this discussion the Texans trade the third pick for two of the Saints’ first-round picks they have in the Top 20. That gives the Texans three first-round picks this year, and they would be smart to use at least two of those on defensive players.

The belief here is the Texans don’t need to draft offensive line within the first three rounds with any of those five (possibly more if trades are made) choices because the need to build a superstar defense is a much greater need for the franchise to be a force.

When Houston was able to win more than four games a season, they had a strong defense, and a lot of that was built through the NFL Draft.

Basically, if the Texans can trade down and gain more picks like previously mentioned, the focus needs to be on defense. Each round has players who would help bring back the Texans into a respectable defense, because that’s the only way this franchise will win games again … building a defense though the draft.