The Houston Texans miss out on Bryce Young. Such is the consequence of winning in Week 18.
Maybe the Indianapolis Colts get the last laugh following Houston’s 32-31 win at Lucas Oil Stadium on Jan. 8. In Todd McShay’s latest mock draft from ESPN, the Colts send their No. 4 overall pick in Round 1, their No. 35 overall pick in Round 2, a fifth-rounder, and “maybe” a 2024 first-rounder to the Chicago Bears for the right to take Young ahead of the Texans.
The Texans have to settle for Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Like their AFC South foe in Indianapolis, the Texans have to get their new coach — albeit one with defensive roots in DeMeco Ryans — a quarterback. They were ahead of only the Colts in scoring (16.1 points per game), and Davis Mills doesn’t appear to be the answer. He has nearly as many interceptions as touchdown passes over his two-year career (33-25). Stroud, meanwhile, finished the 2022 season with an 88.9 QBR and threw 41 touchdown passes to just six picks. His touch, timing and smooth delivery really pop on tape, and we saw flashes of his mobility toward the end of the season. Go watch his outstanding performance against Georgia in the College Football Playoff to see why he’s high on NFL teams’ boards. Houston does have another first-rounder, so perhaps it can add another target for him, too.
Houston then uses their No. 12 overall pick in Round 1 — thanks to a 2022 offseason trade with the Cleveland Browns — to get Stroud some help with TCU wideout Quentin Johnston.
As for Young, if the Colts give up that capital to take him, it also limits their ability to surround him with weapons, which is one of the conundrums of trading up so high to take a franchise quarterback. Indianapolis’ leading receiver in 2022 was Michael Pittman with 99 catches for 925 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Jonathan Taylor was limited to 11 games due to injuries.
