How Texans earn high 2024 first-round pick after beating Browns

A win rarely helps a team’s draft position – especially in the playoffs. But that’s what happened when the Houston Texans took down the Cleveland Browns in the wild card round Saturday.

The Texans own the Browns’ first-round pick this year because of the Deshaun Watson trade in 2022. The Texans also don’t have their own first-round pick in 2024 after Houston traded it to the Arizona Cardinals to move up and select pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. this past spring.

With the Browns’ early exit, the Texans could pick as high as No. 19 in the 2024 draft now depending on the outcome of the rest of the wild card round. Houston would need teams with a worse record than the Browns’ 11-6 record to continue to advance in the postseason for the pick to improve.