The Houston Texans' first-round mock of the 2023 NFL Draft

I recently completed a first-round mock draft over on NFL Spin Zone and while it may not surprise anyone that I have a quarterback going to the Texans with their second pick, perhaps the 12th pick is more of a surprise.

The Texans are not just a player or two away from being a playoff team, especially in the loaded AFC but with the second and 12th picks of this draft, they can lay the foundation of what fans hope is a contender in the future. The question is, does head coach DeMeco Ryans look to build up the defense or go with the direction of fellow AFC teams and look to stack the talent on the offensive side of the ball?

I think one thing is very clear, you need a franchise quarterback in this league, so there is little doubt the Texans go quarterback with the second pick of the draft. So what should they do with the 12th pick? Maybe bolster the defense in someway, possibly going defensive line or mabye Ryans wants to bring in more offensive talent to help his new rookie quarterback.

I am a big-time proponent of loading up with guys to surround your young quarterback with the talent to help him succeed. We all know what happened to David Carr and it would be very beneficial for Ryans to learn from the past but then again, maybe he is confident in the talent the team has already acquired via free agency, which includes guard Shaq Mason, running back Devin Singletary and wide receiver Robert Woods.

Is that enough to properly support a rookie quarterback? Probably not but with a number of other needs on this roster, offense may not be the direction the team chooses to go. With 12 picks in this draft, they have an opportunity to address many of those as the Texans head into the 2023 season.