Texans upgrade passing attack in Touchdown Wire Thanksgiving mock draft

The Houston Texans are not as close to completing the rebuild as they thought. The Davis Mills experiment may have ended in failure as the club turns to Kyle Allen to lead them under center in Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins.

Nevertheless general manager Nick Caserio and the personnel and scouting department will have to come up with a detailed evaluation of the 2023 NFL draft class to determine who they should pick for their new starting quarterback.

According to Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, the Texans will have the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 and they will use it to take Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

Young has already proven to be an outstanding distributor and improviser; the most common pro sports comparison for him seems to be Steph Curry as opposed to any NFL quarterback. There are times when he gets in trouble looking to do a bit too much, but the upside is fierce, and after watching their offense circle the drain this season, the Texans would welcome Young’s attributes as a massive upgrade.

The Texans then take Quentin Johnston from TCU with their extra first-round pick obtained from the Cleveland Browns.

Now that the Texans have Bryce Young, they should give their new quarterback a receiver capable of causing serious defensive issues at the NFL level. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, and with the capability to scald opponents deep (seven catches of 20 or more air yards this season for 277 yards and five touchdowns), Johnston neatly fits the archetype of the modern game-breaking target at a level the Texans need just as much as they need that quarterback upgrade.

If the Texans take Young, assuredly the Mills era is over. If Houston also takes Johnston, it means something has to give with receiver Brandin Cooks, even though he signed an extension that keeps him under contract through 2024. Houston’s offense will be crowded with running back Dameon Pierce in the backfield and Nico Collins and possibly John Metchie competing with Johnston and Cooks for targets.