Draft season is continuous so long as the Houston Texans have two first-round picks, the spoils of trading the 2020 NFL passing champion to the Cleveland Browns.
If Davis Mills isn’t the answer at quarterback, the Texans have draft capital to solve the problem. If Mills needs more reinforcements, general manager Nick Caserio can allocate resources to get what is needed for his quarterback to be successful.
According to Luke Easterling from the Draft Wire, who released another early mock draft, the Texans give up on the Mills experiment with the selection of Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. If the Texans are picking No. 1 overall with their proprietary selection, as they are in the Draft Wire mock, then one would have to presume Mills wasn’t the answer.
Stroud has all the tools to be a franchise quarterback, and next year’s No. 1 overall pick.
With the Texans fixing their quarterback situation, they turn their attention to getting after opposing signal callers with the selection of Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith at No. 23 overall in Round 1.
Lovie Smith’s defense relies on consistent pressure from the front four, and he still doesn’t have an impact edge rusher who can get after opposing quarterbacks. Smith has all the talent to be the next dominant player at the position to coming out of Athens.
Adding an edge rusher in Round 1 also helps the Texans evaluate what to do with defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who will be entering the final year of his contract in 2023. If the Texans like the progression from Greenard, then maybe Houston backs away from edge rusher as the former 2020 third-round pick from Florida has grown into the role. If Houston believes they need a dominant edge rusher, then they may use a first-round pick on the position while allowing Greenard to finish out his rookie deal.
