Houston Texans fans may be rooting for the No. 1 overall pick in Week 18, but coach Lovie Smith is rooting for a win.
Unless the 3-13 Chicago Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 — a dicey proposition given Minnesota needs to win to keep their dreams of earning home-field advantage alive — a Texans win over the Indianapolis Colts would assuredly concede the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Bears.
Smith met with reporters and emphasized his commitment to winning the game, and that picking high is what matters, not specifically having the first pick in a draft.
“I think it’s easy to answer that question,” said Smith. “Where are we right now, you say the No. 1 overall pick can help? Is that what you said? Yeah. How about the No. 2 overall, can that help? Yeah. No. 3, there’s a lot of picks that can help. That’s how I look at that. We know the picks that we have coming in, we’re going to add a lot of good football players.”
Although there is the allure of picking No. 1 overall in a draft, doing so has not warranted generational talent for Houston. Quarterback David Carr (2002), defensive end Mario Williams (2006), and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (2014) hardly lived up to the expectations that come with being the first overall pick.
Meanwhile receiver Andre Johnson (2003) and defensive end J.J. Watt (2011) were taking No. 3 and No. 11 overall and were the faces of the franchise. Johnson is already in the club’s Ring of Honor, and Watt earned three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards.
“As you look at history a little bit too on whether you get the first or second pick, third, you never really know how they all are going to turn out,” Smith said. “I think eventually it helps your ball club when you can get some of those top guys. I think if you’re picking early you’re going to get some top players. I think it’s safe to say we’re going to get some impact players that will help us. We understand what position we’re in right now.”
Houston plays the Colts Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from Lucas Oil Stadium.
