The NFL is designed around the quarterback.
The Houston Texans were — as legendary sportswriter John McClain has been wont to say throughout his half-century career — “pathetic” at quarterback with Davis Mills, Kyle Allen, and Jeff Driskel combining for a 76.8 passer rating, the second-lowest in the NFL.
Houston was middle of the pack, but trending towards the worst in the NFL with 39 sacks — tied with the Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans for the 13th-lowest in the league.
If the Texans aren’t going to upgrade at quarterback, they need to find a way to affect opposing quarterbacks and drag them down to Mills, Allen, and Driskel’s level.
According to Tyler Forness from the Vikings Wire, the Texans are able to do both. They take Alabama quarterback Bryce Young at No. 2 overall, and then get an edge rusher in Clemson’s Myles Murphy at No. 12 overall.
The Texans could easily look at Will Anderson at second overall and move back up to get a quarterback. Instead, they get Bryce Young at second overall and get a freakish pass rusher in Murphy. He has a ways to go to reach his full potential, but with Ryans’ success in developing athletic pass rushers, this is a shot worth taking.
Murphy generated 40 combined tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble through 13 games for Clemson in 2022.
Adding another edge rusher would be advantageous under new coach DeMeco Ryans. The Texans already have defensive end Jonathan Greenard under contract for one more year. Why not see if the Texans have a first-rounder who can take over for Greenard if he fails to give Houston a reason to re-sign him at the end of the 2023 season, when his rookie contract expires?
Houston has to find a way to be more influential in the passing game — whether on offense or defense. The Vikings Wire’s draft haul addresses both.
