NFL Mock Draft 2023: 2 1st-Round Picks - Who Should Houston Texans Target?
HOUSTON -- What will the Houston Texans do when on the clock in the 2023 NFL Draft? Should they target a quarterback? An edge rusher?
Perhaps both?
In the latest mock draft from Sports Illustrated, the Texans add talent on both sides of the ball with their first two picks. Thanks to the Deshaun Watson trade to the Cleveland Browns, Houston currently owns two first-round selections next April.
With their initial pick at No. 2, the Texans pull the plug on the Davis Mills experiment and select Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud is currently in the running with Alabama’s Bryce Young and Florida’s Anthony Richardson for the title of QB1.
Considering the difficult circumstances, Davis Mills exceeded expectations as a rookie. Depending on how comfortable the Texans are with Mills’s development as a full-year starter in 2022, it’s possible that they’ll go in a different direction (than quarterback) next April, as the organization still has plenty of holes to address. ... Given his combination of arm strength, accuracy, size, mobility and smart decision making, Stroud is my QB1 in this draft class. - Sports Illustrated
Leading the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record in 2021, Stroud threw for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions while posting a passer rating of 186.6. He completed 71.9 percent of his throws and averaged 10.1 yards per play.
In the Buckeyes’ season-opening win over Notre Dame, Stroud went 24 of 34 passing for 223 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-3, 218-pound quarterback is expected to be a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
With the Browns pick at No. 16, Houston elects to add a more physical presence to its pass rush. Although the Texans will miss out on talents such as Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr., Georgia's Nolan Smith and Clemson’s Myles Murphy, they still land a top-tier prospect in Notre Dame’s Isaiah Foskey.
Had Foskey declared for the 2022 draft, he likely would have been a top-50 pick, and continued development could catapult him (high) into the first round. Foskey had 11 sacks and six forced fumbles as a junior. Jonathan Greenard had a strong second season in Houston (eight sacks in 13 games). Greenard and Foskey would give the Texans a talented pair of young defensive ends. - Sports Illustrated
Foskey, a 6-5, 265-pound defensive end, is coming off his best season in South Bend. A projected top-50 pick in last year’s draft, Foskey totaled 52 total tackles, 10 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles while helping the Irish finish 11-2.
The Texans elected to add veteran talent this offseason at defensive end, bringing in names such as Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison, along with Rasheem Green. Last year in now-head coach Lovie Smith’s defense, Houston finished bottom-five in sacks with 33.
The Texans open the regular season against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium on Sept. 11.
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