The goods news is Bryce Young will be in the AFC South in 2023.
The bad news is it will be with the Indianapolis Colts.
So says Luke Easterling from the Draft Wire, who released his latest two-round mock. The Colts move up to No. 1 overall and work out a deal with the Chicago Bears to take the Alabama signal caller who has been linked to the Texans since midway through the college football season.
The Texans adjust to their intended field general being taken and go with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall.
Where the first round gets interesting for Houston is at No. 12 overall, their extra Round 1 pick obtained via trade with the Cleveland Browns last offseason. Instead of going with a receiver, Houston grabs a partner for cornerback Derek Stingley in Penn State’s Joey Porter.
There are bigger needs elsewhere, but the value’s just not there at wide receiver in this scenario, nor along the defensive front. That leads Houston to the secondary, where they’ve already got two budding stars from last year’s draft (Jalen Pitre, Derek Stingley Jr.). Porter is a big, long corner who plays with the same competitiveness and physicality that made his dad a Pro Bowl defender.
If the Texans are comfortable enough to use another first-rounder on a cornerback, it would mean Houston either found a way to keep Brandin Cooks pacified, or got rid of him and signed a veteran wideout they like in free agency.
After missing out on Alabama’s Will Anderson, who went No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals, the Texans use their No. 33 overall pick in Round 2 to take Notre Dame edge defender Isaiah Foskey, who would provide an effective insurance pick should former 2020 third-round defensive end Jonathan Greenard not finally prosper in the final year of his contract.
