If there was any doubt about what the Houston Texans plan to do with the No. 2 pick in April’s NFL Draft, the worst-kept secret in the league is reportedly out of the bag.
The Texans have their sights set on selecting a quarterback second overall, something the team revealed to coaches during the interview process before ultimately deciding on DeMeco Ryans, per ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime.
“The front office in Houston told coaching candidates it plans on using the No. 2 overall pick on a quarterback,” Bien-Aime wrote.
Since the Deshaun Watson era ended, the Texans have started five different quarterbacks, including Tyrod Taylor, Kyle Allen, Jeff Driskel, and Davis Mills.
Mills, who made the most starts of the bunch, played valiantly but didn’t show enough for the Texans to think about passing on a quarterback with the No. 2 pick. Houston was only 5-19-1 in Mills’ 26 starts over the last two seasons.
In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has Houston choosing C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State, who earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in his final season with the Buckeyes.
There could be as many as three quarterbacks selected over the first five picks in the upcoming draft, with many expecting Stroud, Bryce Young, and Will Levis to go early.
There’s no way of knowing who the Texans prefer, but they’ll likely have the pick of the litter since the Chicago Bears, who own the first overall pick, probably won’t select a quarterback.
However, NFL insider Jason La Canfora reports that might not be the case. Per La Canfora, more than one NFL general manager at the Senior Bowl came away “fairly convinced” that the Bears would trade quarterback Justin Fields ahead of the draft.
If that rumor comes to fruition, it could throw a wrench in the Texans’ plans, forcing them to go in a different direction should their preferred quarterback end up in Chicago instead.
