Assistant directors of player personnel Matt Bazirgan and James Liipfert will need to take a long, hard look at the free agency pool and 2022 draft class if they are to add pieces to quickly turn around the Houston Texans.
The Texans are currently projected to have the No. 4 overall pick. While still in the top-5, it isn’t so much Houston’s placement in the upper crust of the draft that could turn them away from a quarterback as much as it is the quarterback prospects. No one has really jumped out as the best in college football.
If the Texans don’t go with a quarterback, where would they go in the first round of the draft?
According to Luke Easterling of the Draft Wire, who released his latest mock draft, the Texans take Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.
The Texans might want an upgrade at quarterback over Davis Mills, but they won’t find it with this pick, thanks to this year’s weak class at the position. Instead, they take the best overall player on the board, and the rare safety prospect worthy of top-five consideration. Hamilton is a versatile defender who can impact the game at every level of the field.
If the Texans are going with Hamilton, then it means they may have let Justin Reid walk in free agency. If they signed Reid and still picked up Hamilton, one would figure defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, presuming he is still in that capacity, or even his successor would have enough talent and resources on the backend to stop the run and prevent receivers from beating them over the top.
Houston is 1-5 and will face the 6-0 Arizona Cardinals Sunday at 3:25 p.m. Central Time at State Farm Stadium. After an optimistic 37-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, the season has been slow, long march towards the No. 1 overall pick.
