Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio said the club is “open for business” at the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
Ipso facto, the Texans are also open for business at No. 13 overall in Round 1 of the draft — the extra pick Houston garnered in their trade with the Cleveland Browns.
In last year’s draft, Caserio leveraged picks to build packages to take specific players who could help the roster, which is why it was a small five-man class, tied for the fewest picks in team history.
With the Texans on the verge of completing the rebuild, Caserio could leverage picks to add capital to use later.
If Caserio wants to add more picks, then the New Orleans Saints need to be part of the conversation with regards to the No. 13 overall pick.
In his latest piece for Pro Football Focus, Kambui Bomani war-games what the Saints should do with their twin Round 1 selections at Nos. 16 and 19 overall. The three position groups that are consistently in Bomani’s scenarios are quarterback, receiver, and offensive line.
The Carolina Panthers at No. 6 overall will be in position to take the best quarterback of the draft, whoever it is, and that player won’t be compelling enough to fly up to No. 3 overall.
However, the Texans are in prime position to ensure the Saints get their target along the offensive line or at receiver.
Wideout may be the one area where New Orleans would like to improve given Michael Thomas’ dubious return from injury. It would behoove the organization to add depth at receiver. Even if Thomas comes back at full health, having another dynamic wideout to complement Thomas can only help the Saints’ quarterback situation.
While the Philadelphia Eagles may have been willing partners with the Saints earlier this offseason, they could be their competition to take a wideout at No. 15 overall.
Going from either 16th overall or 19th overall allows for the Saints to be in the catbird seat for taking their target at wideout — whether Treylon Burks, Chris Olave, or Drake London. If the Saints stay where they are and the Eagles are indeed targeting a wideout at No. 15, then New Orleans will be like the eggless kid following the crowd at an Easter Egg hunt.
The impact player for Houston will be at No. 3 overall; the second Round 1 pick is merely a best player available luxury. Haven’t assistant directors of player personnel James Liipfert and Matt Bazirgan put in enough work the past year to get decent value at either Nos. 16 or 19 overall?
This doesn’t even consider the compensation Houston could get from the move, and how Caserio could flip it.