The Houston Texans are the one team that clearly deserves more attention for their stellar draft.
All the love is going to the New York Giants and Jets, and those who wish to include the Philadelphia Eagles can do so as well. However, the Houston Texans picks have quietly come away with steal after steal in the 2022 NFL Draft.
There needs to be way more praise given to Nick Caserio for the job that he’s done.
While the Derek Stingley Jr. pick was a little of reach when viewed by itself, the fact that the rest of the first three rounds of pick complement each other so well gives Houston some rare positivity. Jalen Pitre is a much better fit for this team than Kyle Hamilton, and if the Texans can start getting to the quarterback, this defense becomes much more dangerous.
Adding in Kenyon Green to bolster the interior line when Laremy Tunsil restructured his contract is only going to help Davis Mills’ progression into the NFL. John Metchie, when healthy, is going to be a force to reckon with. Dameon Pierce is a bruiser and plays with intensity- something that was lacking from most of the offense last year.
The Houston Texans had the best draft relative to their roster
That’s one heck of a statement, but let’s think about it. The other three teams mentioned earlier will be broken down:
- Giants: Great draft, but Daniel Jones is still their quarterback
- Jets: The roster as a whole isn’t proven enough, and wide receiver depth outside of Elijah Moore is non-existent (and no, the tight ends they brought in don’t count)
- Eagles: Jalen Hurts had the team in a playoff game, but they were a seven seed for a reason
This comparison gets a little sketchy, but let me offer this for further explanation. Houston’s offense was the worst in total yards, 28th in passing offense, and dead last in rushing. So it’s hard to put a number on how well these rookies will perform statistically and if they’ll bring any wins to Houston.
If there were a projected football version of WAR (wins above replacement) for rookies, that would be included in this article. However, when it all comes down to it, I think Nick Caserio did as well as any other GM when compared.
There will be growing pains, but at least the last two years are behind the Texans. So let’s see how they do over the next few years.