The Houston Texans could use the best player available at No. 3 overall in the 2022 NFL draft, which means the club will be wide open to opportunities. In fact, the Texans may even look to trade out of the No. 3 overall pick if the offer is good enough.
It all depends on what is available for Houston when the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions get done with the first two picks in the draft.
According to Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux will be there for Houston at No. 3 overall in his latest mock draft. The Texans go with the sure thing and take the former Duck to bolster their edge defense.
The Texans could go in any direction. Thibodeaux is a little raw but the tools are All-Pro caliber. Nick Caserio was in New England when they had big-time first-round pass rushers like Richard Seymour and Chandler Jones.
What allows Houston, in Trapasso’s mock, to have a crack at Thibodeaux is the Jaguars using the No. 1 overall pick on Alabama tackle Evan Neal. The Lions then go with Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, who has been linked to the Texans in other mock drafts, goes to the New York Jets on the very next pick. The Texans would have to wait until No. 37 overall in Round 2 to address the secondary, presuming they expect to take anyone in the draft to fix the backend.
The first quarterback doesn’t go off the board until No. 6 overall with Pitt’s Kenny Pickett to the Carolina Panthers. If the Texans wanted to take advantage of the quarterback-needy Denver Broncos (No. 9 overall) and Washington (No. 11 overall), they could listen to offers and see what the draft haul would be to slip back later in the first round.