The Houston Texans are hovering right outside the top-10 with their second Round 1 selection in the 2023 NFL draft.
At No. 12 overall, Houston has a chance to grab a dominant edge rusher to be a feature of new coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense, or they could take a wideout who can pair nicely with their presumed rookie quarterback picked at No. 2 overall.
According to Daniel Jeremiah from NFL.com, the Texans would have the best value on the board regardless of where they went at receiver or pass rusher.
If the Texans were to go with a receiver, the best one on Jeremiah’s big board is USC’s Jordan Addison, ranking at No. 13.
He has excellent play speed and can find another gear when the ball is in the air. He has natural hands and doesn’t need to gather himself before catching the ball on crossers. He can high point the ball when working back to the QB, but has to get stronger on 50/50 balls. After the catch, he has excellent burst and wiggle. Overall, Addison should become a high-volume pass catcher very early in his pro career.
Houston could take Addison and add him among the number of receivers Nico Collins, John Metchie, and tight Dalton Schultz to give their new quarterback suitable targets.
The Texans could wait until Round 2 at No. 33 overall to grab a receiver and choose a defensive end instead at No. 12 overall. The best at that spot would be Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness, who ranks No. 14 on Jeremiah’s big board.
Van Ness is a powerful defensive lineman with the versatility to stand up on the edge or slide inside and play over the guard. He is excellent at collapsing the pocket with his bull rush, getting his hands inside and driving opponents back with ease. He flashes a chop move and a rip move, but needs to develop a more diverse repertoire. Against the run, he has very strong hands to stack blocks on the front side and his effort/speed combination helps him make plays from the back side.
Ultimately, the market on draft day will dictate where the Texans go as the run on quarterbacks and anticipated run on defensive linemen will play a part into where Houston goes when it is their time to pick again.
