The Houston Texans finally prevented the Indianapolis Colts from winning the season series for the first time since 2019 when they prevailed 32-31 in Week 18 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Of course, it cost Houston the No. 1 overall pick as the Chicago Bears secured possession of the top selection in the 2023 NFL draft.
According to Luke Easterling from the Draft Wire, who released his latest mock draft, the Colts move up from No. 4 overall to No. 1 to take the first quarterback of the draft in Kentucky’s Will Levis.
Don’t say it won’t happen, because we’ve seen it way too many times before. I’m not sold on Levis, but it won’t surprise me if a team like the Colts falls in love with his physical tools, toughness, and potential, looking past the flaws and inconsistencies in his play. Indy would have to give the Bears a massive haul to get up here, but to leapfrog a division rival that also needs a quarterback, they might just be willing.
Texans fans hopeful for Bryce Young going to the AFC South should be relieved as Houston immediately takes the Alabama field general with the No. 2 pick.
While Houston has the No. 12 overall pick in Round 1, a part of the haul from dealing with the Cleveland Browns in the 2022 offseason, the Texans use that pick to build a trade package to work with the Philadelphia Eagles and move up to No. 10 overall to take TCU wideout Quentin Johnston.
After landing this year’s top quarterback prospect at No. 2, the Texans jump ahead of a division rival (likely for a mid-round pick) to land the best pass-catcher in this year’s draft. Instead of letting the equally WR-needy Titans have a shot and Johnston (and having to face him twice a year), the Texans give Bryce Young a massive target with tons of length, athleticism and big-play ability.
The compensation to move from No. 12 to No. 10 would cost Houston’s first-, fourth-, and fifth-round picks to acquire the Eagles’ pick, according to Drafttek.
The Texans use the 33rd overall pick in Round 2 to take Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness.
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