NFL GM for A Day: Houston Texans
By Kim Myers
The Houston Texans obviously have the most intriguing position in the 2014 NFL Draft. With the number one pick and arguably no clear number one player to select the team can go in a number of different directions. Do they take Jadeveon Clowney and try to find their quarterback in a later round? Do they make Johnny Manziel the number one pick and hope for the best? Do they trade down and take a quarterback they really want but don’t want at the number one spot?
What would you do if you were the Houston Texans GM for a day?
Texans owner Bob McNair may have tipped the Texans’ hand on their plans last week when he gave an interview in Houston.
"“You take a guy like Clowney. He’s obviously the best player in the draft, but he’s a defensive end. He’s not a quarterback. If he’s a quarterback and the best player it’s easy, but that’s not the case. So can that defensive player have a greater impact on the success of your team than one of these quarterbacks? It’s not a sure thing that he is…If somebody wants you to drop down and they give you two or three more picks that would let you get two or three more quality players, are you a stronger team dropping down a little bit, getting these additional picks and getting more depth?” – Bob McNair"
It’s pretty clear the Texans have zeroed in on the fact that they need a quarterback most of all. Obviously there are some good quarterbacks in the draft but none are a clear, surefire number one overall pick. There’s definitely not an Andrew Luck in the bunch or else this would have been decided a long time ago.
What’s going to be important for the Texans is can they still fill their need at quarterback and not have to pass up on a talent like Clowney with the top pick?
If I were the Texans GM I’d take Clowney without hesitation. Sure, they need a quarterback most of all but why ignore a talent like Clowney when you have the chance to take him? None of the quarterbacks in the draft are clear cut No. 1’s, all have flaws in one area or another so taking a signal-caller first overall is a much bigger gamble for the franchise than taking Clowney first and finding a quarterback later.
This way, you turn your defense into a beast and can still plan to develop a rookie quarterback into what you hope will be the franchise quarterback. Your new head coach knows a thing or two about working with quarterbacks.