The Houston Texans demonstrated throughout the draft a commitment to second-year quarterback Davis Mills with the selections they made — and those they didn’t make.
According to Ian Hartitz from Pro Football Focus, Mills was one of the veterans he listed as having “won” the 2022 NFL draft.
Mills managed to put together four top-12 weekly finishes as a rookie. That was more than any first-year quarterback other than Mac Jones (5), who was the only rookie at the position definitively better than Mills in 2022. Of course, it would have made sense if the tanking Texans moved on from their 2021 third-round pick in pursuit of a truly special talent under center, but that wasn’t the case. Mills remains the clear-cut QB1 in an offense that added two potentially solid contributors in wide receiver John Metchie III and running back Dameon Pierce. Obviously, Mills won’t be drafted in standard one-QB re-draft leagues, but he’s on the QB2 borderline and projected to start 17 games. That’s not too shabby for the 2021 NFL Draft’s No. 67 overall pick.
The Texans used their top-110 picks to give Mills weapons, whether in the backfield or running routes. When Malik Willis was falling throughout Day 2, the Texans held forth and did not use a pick on the Liberty signal caller. Why foment a quarterback battle when the real test will be how Mills performs when he is finally given the weapons?
PFF mentions Metchie and Pierce, but Mills was helped out significantly with the selection of Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green with the No. 15 overall pick in Round 1. Green shores up the interior of the offensive line and allows Houston to keep Tytus Howard at right tackle. With Howard on the right and two-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil on the left side, Mills should have adequate enough protection to get through some reads while he looks for Brandin Cooks, Nico Collins, and Metchie.
