3 Former draft picks the Houston Texans wish they could have back

DeAndre Hopkins

It would not be right if I excluded DeAndre Hopkins from this list. It's still baffling the Texans traded him to the Arizona Cardinals. The Texans made him their first pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, 27th overall. He played for the Texans for seven seasons, amassing 632 receptions, 8,602 yards, and 54 touchdowns.

He was traded to the Cardinals on March 20, 2020, where he's been for the last three years. During his time with Arizona, he totaled 221 receptions, 2,696 yards, and 17 touchdowns. It remains to be seen if he'll be a Cardinal when the 2023 season kicks off. He's been mired in many trade rumors this off-season, linked to numerous teams, most notably the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.

Imagine D-Hop opposite Robert Woods, with Texans' rookie Tank Dell in the slot. Add Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary in the backfield, with Dalton Schultz at the tight end position. I don't think the Texans' receiving corps would be ranked near the bottom of Hopkins was still around.

To make things worse for the Texans in that deal, they have nothing really to show for it. David Johnson managed only 919 rushing yards over two years and is currently out of the league. That second-round pick was used to select defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, who has been in a reserve role throughout his career and PFF rated an overall grade 46.4.

As bad as that trade has been for the Texans, there is hope. Nico Collins is a favorite of many media outlets and personalities as a breakout candidate in 2023. Collins arrived in Houston via a third-round pick that was part of another trade that included picks acquired from New England in a previous deal, from draft picks acquired by the Texans as a result of the Hopkins trade.