Davis Mills led the Houston Texans with a 2-3 record down the stretch to finish 4-13 in 2021. It wasn’t that bad of a feat when considering the fact the club posted the same win total in 2020 with a three-time quarterback at the helm who won the NFL passing title in the process.
As the Texans look to complete the rebuild under general manager Nick Caserio, quarterback is the crown jewel. Mills isn’t necessarily showing he is the best option now; he has to show he is the best option going forward.
If the Texans want to upgrade at signal caller, they have to compare Mills to the 2022 NFL draft class.
According to Luke Easterling of the Draft Wire, the quarterback who is separating himself from the pack is former Liberty Flames stud Malik Willis.
There’s no clear-cut front-runner in this year’s class, and when I need to separate closely-grouped prospects at any position, I look for high-level traits that project a high ceiling instead of settling for a higher floor.
That leads me to Willis, who backed up what we’ve seen on film with a strong week in Mobile, showing off rare arm talent and impressive athleticism. He’s not a polished or complete prospect, but neither is any other passer in this class. That being the case, I’ll take my chances with the highest upside.
Mills showed that he was able to learn from his experiences and apply them. After going 0-6 starting in place of an injured Tyrod Taylor from Weeks 3-8, Mills came back strong in the final five games of the year, posting a 9-2 touchdown to interception ratio and a 102.4 passer rating. Who knows how much further Mills could progress if he were given first-team reps throughout the offseason program and training camp?
The NFL is ultimately built around the quarterback. If Willis has the potential to be the engine for the train, as opposed to the caboose, Houston needs to weigh that against the potential for Mills.