If the Houston Texans aren’t going to take a quarterback and are open to trading out of the No. 2 overall pick, they ought to get as much draft capital as possible.
According to Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, the Texans make a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders that allows them to move further back in the top-10 and provide for the first four picks of the draft to be quarterbacks.
Now, the trio becomes a quartet, and here’s how it hypothetically happens:
- The Carolina Panthers select Alabama’s Bryce Young with the first overall pick they’ve already acquired from the Chicago Bears;
- The Las Vegas Raiders trade up with the Houston Texans for the second overall pick, and select Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud;
- The Tennessee Titans trade up with the Arizona Cardinals for the third overall pick, and select Florida’s Anthony Richardson; and
- The Indianapolis Colts select Kentucky’s Will Levis with their fourth overall pick.
That takes the Texans out of the quarterback derby high in the first round, and there have been multiple reports indicating that Houston’s on board with that in favor of multiple and valuable picks at other positions.
The compensation package isn’t specified by Farrar, but it would have to involved the Raiders’ second-round pick, which is at No. 38 overall. Houston would then have twin picks in the second (Nos. 33 and 38) and third rounds (Nos. 65 and 73).
Houston uses their No. 7 overall pick to take Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson, which is also a possibility at No. 2 overall. The Texans then use their No. 12 overall pick — obtained via 2022 offseason trade with the Cleveland Browns — to land Boston College wideout Zay Flowers.
Hendon Hooker goes No. 19 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Houston would have to wait until Day 2 to address the quarterback position, if that is their intent in this draft.
