The Houston Texans need to get a quarterback, and they will undoubtedly address that concern at No. 2 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
However, the Texans aren’t in a vacuum; some of their roster moves have to be made with the idea in mind to stop their divisional foes.
According to Will Brinson from CBS Sports, who released his latest mock draft, the Texans take Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick. Then, at No. 4 overall, the Colts decide to play ball with the Baltimore Ravens and trade for quarterback Lamar Jackson. Baltimore uses the fourth overall pick to take Will Levis.
With Jackson coming to the AFC South, the Texans use their No. 12 overall pick — obtained via 2022 offseason trade with the Cleveland Browns — to take Iowa defensive end Lukas Van Ness.
Man, have I loved the Texans offseason so far. It’s interesting to note in the last three years they’ve drafted exactly one player not from a Power 5 conference (a fifth-round Rhode Island wide receiver [Isaiah Coulter]). Adding some more pass rush makes plenty of sense given the veteran/stop gap measures they’ve taken in that regard.
Van Ness provided the Hawkeyes with 37 combined tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 6.0 sacks through 13 games last season. New Texans coach DeMeco Ryans had Nick Bosa to work with as defensive coordinator the past two years with the San Francisco 49ers, and now he gets a dominant edge defender to inaugurate a new era in Houston.
The first receiver doesn’t come off the board until No. 21 overall when the Los Angeles Chargers take Boston College’s Zay Flowers. Then, the Ravens take TCU’s Quentin Johnston the very next pick. The Cincinnati Bengals get North Carolina’s Josh Downs at No. 28, and the Philadelphia Eagles grab Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 30 overall. The Kansas City Chiefs take Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt at No. 31 overall.
Even with the run on receivers, the Texans would still have a chance to upgrade the position at No. 33 overall in Round 2 as USC’s Jordan Addison would be available.
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