Trading 2023 draft capital to move up to No. 1 overall does not seem appealing to the Houston Texans.
Thanks to their 32-31 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18 at Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Chicago Bears losing to the Minnesota Vikings, Houston didn’t secure possession of the top pick in April’s draft. Instead the Bears have the No. 1 overall pick, and with a quarterback firmly in place with Justin Fields, they have the possibility to be sellers, especially with four quarterback-needy teams in the top-10.
According to Chad Reuter from NFL.com, the Texans do make a deal with the Bears to take Bryce Young with the first pick overall, and it does not involve a complete complement of 2023 picks.
The Texans get their guy with the No. 1 overall pick, swapping spots with the Bears to land Young. Houston sends two picks from [2022 offseason trade with the Cleveland Browns] (Round 3, 2023; Round 1, 2024) and get a 2023 fifth-rounder back from the Bears to balance the deal. Young’s lack of size (6-foot, 194 pounds) may be an issue for some, but his poise, leadership, athleticism and underappreciated throwing velocity give him a chance to be great.
Theoretically the Browns’ 2024 first-rounder is a firepower piece anyway. The Texans should be rounding the corner as a contender going into that draft. Who knows what the draft landscape will look like and where the Browns’ pick will actually land, especially since they seem to have upgraded at quarterback?
Dealing the pick to the Bears ensures the Texans get their guy and they get to use the No. 12 overall pick to grab a receiver, pass rusher, or cornerback. While the Texans won’t have twin third-rounders, they would have an extra fifth-round pick to build draft packages to take specific players, which has been a staple of Houston’s draft philosophy under general manager Nick Caserio.
